3:1 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? As if we have no need, as some people, letters of commendation to you* or ones of commendation from you*?
3:2 You* are our letter, having been inscribed in our hearts, being known and read by all men;
3:3 being manifested that you* are a letter of Christ, was served by us, not having been inscribed with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets, in fleshly hearts.
3:4 Now we have such confidence through Christ toward God;
3:5 not that we are sufficient from ourselves, to reason anything as out of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God;
3:6 who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant*; not from the writing, but from the Spirit; for* the writing kills, but the Spirit gives-life.
3:7 But if the service of death, on scriptures having been engraved in stones, happened in glory, so-then the sons of Israel were not able to stare at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which was being done-away-with.
3:8 How will the service of the Spirit not rather be in glory?
3:9 For* if the service of condemnation has glory, how much rather is the service of righteousness abounding in glory.
3:10 For* even what has also been glorified, has not been glorified in this respect, because of the glory which surpasses it.
3:11 For* if what is being done-away is through glory, what remains is much more in glory.
3:12 Therefore having such a hope, we are using it in much boldness,
3:13 and are not just-as Moses, who was placing a veil upon his face, *that* the sons of Israel might not stare at the end of what was being done-away-with. {Exo 34:33}
3:14 But their minds were hardened; for* till today, the same veil remains upon the public-reading of the old covenant*, not being unveiled, something which is being done-away in Christ.
3:15 But until this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil is laying upon their heart.
3:16 But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
3:18 But we all, with our face having been unveiled, seeing the reflection of the glory of the Lord for ourselves, are being transfigured into the same image from glory into glory, just-as from the Lord, the Spirit.