2 Corinthians 3-4

New American Standard Bible 1995

Ministers of a New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to ^(A)commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^(B)letters of commendation to you or from you? ^2 (C)You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ^[a](D)cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^(E)the living God, not on ^(F)tablets of stone but on ^(G)tablets of ^[b](H)human hearts.

⁴ Such ^(I)confidence we have through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but ^(J)our adequacy is from God, ⁶ who also made us adequate as ^(K)servants of a ^(L)new covenant, not of ^(M)the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^(N)the Spirit gives life.

⁷ But if the ^(O)ministry of death, ^(P)in letters engraved on stones, came ^[c]with glory, ^(Q)so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? ⁹ For if ^(R)the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^(S)ministry of righteousness abound in glory. ¹⁰ For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if that which fades away was ^[d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

^12 (T)Therefore having such a hope, ^(U)we use great boldness in our speech, ¹³ and are not like Moses, ^(V)who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were ^(W)hardened; for until this very day at the ^(X)reading of ^(Y)the old covenant the same veil ^[e]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ^16 (Z)but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^(AA)the Spirit of the Lord is, ^(AB)there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, ^(AC)beholding as in a mirror the ^(AD)glory of the Lord, are being ^(AE)transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^(AF)the Lord, the Spirit.

Paul’s Apostolic Ministry

4 Therefore, since we have this ^(AG)ministry, as we ^(AH)received mercy, we ^(AI)do not lose heart, ² but we have renounced the ^(AJ)things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^(AK)adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^(AL)commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our ^(AM)gospel is ^(AN)veiled, it is veiled ^[f]to ^(AO)those who are perishing, ⁴ in whose case ^(AP)the god of ^(AQ)this ^[g]world has ^(AR)blinded the minds of the unbelieving ^[h]so that they might not see the ^(AS)light of the gospel of the ^(AT)glory of Christ, who is the ^(AU)image of God. ⁵ For we ^(AV)do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants ^[i]for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “^(AW)Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^(AX)shone in our hearts to give the ^(AY)Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in ^(AZ)earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^(BA)the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸ we are ^(BB)afflicted in every way, but not ^(BC)crushed; ^(BD)perplexed, but not despairing; ^9 (BE)persecuted, but not ^(BF)forsaken; ^(BG)struck down, but not destroyed; ^10 (BH)always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^(BI)the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death works in us, but life in you.

¹³ But having the same ^(BJ)spirit of faith, according to what is written, “^(BK)I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, ¹⁴ knowing that He who ^(BL)raised the Lord Jesus ^(BM)will raise us also with Jesus and will ^(BN)present us with you. ¹⁵ For all things are ^(BO)for your sakes, so that the grace which is ^[j](BP)spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we ^(BQ)do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^(BR)inner man is ^(BS)being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, ^(BT)light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we ^(BU)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.