¹Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some, commendatory letters to you, or [commendatory] from you?

¹Je, tunaanza tena kujipendekeza? Je, tunahitaji barua ya utambulisho kwenu, au kutoka kwenu, kama watu wengine?

²*Ye* are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read of all men,

²Ninyi wenyewe ni barua yetu; barua iliyoandikwa mioyoni mwetu kila mtu aione na kuisoma.

³being manifested to be Christ's epistle ministered by us, written, not with ink, but [the] Spirit of [the] living God; not on stone tables, but on fleshy tables of [the] heart.

³Ni dhahiri kwamba ninyi ni barua ya Kristo aliyoipeleka kwa mikono yetu. Barua yenyewe imeandikwa si kwa wino, bali kwa Roho wa Mungu hai; imeandikwa si juu ya kipande cha jiwe, bali juu ya mioyo ya watu.

⁴And such confidence have we through the Christ towards God:

⁴Tunaweza kusema hayo kwa sababu ya tumaini letu tulilo nalo kwa Mungu kwa njia ya Kristo.

⁵not that we are competent of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our competency [is] of God;

⁵Si kwamba sisi tunaweza kufanya chochote kwa nguvu zetu wenyewe, ila uwezo wetu wote hutoka kwa Mungu:

⁶who has also made us competent, [as] ministers of [the] new covenant; not of letter, but of spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit quickens.

⁶maana yeye ndiye aliyetuwezesha kulihudumia Agano Jipya ambalo si agano la sheria iliyoandikwa, bali Agano la Roho. Maana sheria iliyoandikwa huleta kifo, lakini Roho huleta uzima.

⁷(But if the ministry of death, in letters, graven in stones, began with glory, so that the children of Israel could not fix their eyes on the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face, [a glory] which is annulled;

⁷Sheria iliwekwa kwa kuandikwa juu ya vipande vya mawe. Ingawaje mwisho wake umekuwa kifo, utukufu wake ulikuwa mkuu mno hata wana wa Israeli wasiweze kuutazama uso wa Mose kwa sababu ya mng'ao wake. Tena mng'ao huo ulikuwa wa muda tu. Basi, ikiwa huduma ya kile ambacho kimesababisha kifo imefanyika kwa utukufu mwingi kiasi hicho,

⁸how shall not rather the ministry of the Spirit subsist in glory?

⁸basi, huduma ya Roho ina utukufu mkuu zaidi.

⁹For if the ministry of condemnation [be] glory, much rather the ministry of righteousness abounds in glory.

⁹Ikiwa basi, kulikuwa na utukufu katika huduma ile iliyoleta hukumu, ni wazi kwamba huduma ile iletayo kukubaliwa kuwa waadilifu itakuwa na utukufu mkuu zaidi.

¹⁰For also that [which was] glorified is not glorified in this respect, on account of the surpassing glory.

¹⁰Sasa utukufu mkuu zaidi umechukua nafasi ya ule utukufu uliokuja hapo awali, ambao fahari yake imekwisha toweka.

¹¹For if that annulled [was introduced] with glory, much rather that which abides [subsists] in glory.

¹¹Maana ikiwa kile kilichokuwa cha muda tu kilikuwa na utukufu wake, bila shaka kile chenye kudumu milele kitakuwa na utukufu mkuu zaidi.

¹²Having therefore such hope, we use much boldness:

¹²Kwa vile hili ndilo tumaini letu, sisi twasema kwa uhodari mkuu.

¹³and not according as Moses put a veil on his own face, so that the children of Israel should not fix their eyes on the end of that annulled.

¹³Sisi hatufanyi kama Mose ambaye alilazimika kuufunika uso wake kwa kitambaa ili watu wa Israeli wasiuone ule mwisho wa mng'ao uliokuwa unafifia.

¹⁴But their thoughts have been darkened, for unto this day the same veil remains in reading the old covenant, unremoved, which in Christ is annulled.

¹⁴Lakini akili zao zilipumbazwa. Mpaka leo hii lisomwapo Agano la Kale, kifuniko hicho bado kipo. Kifuniko hicho kitaondolewa tu mtu anapoungana na Kristo.

¹⁵But unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their heart.

¹⁵Naam, mpaka hivi leo kila isomwapo Sheria ya Mose akili zao huwa zimefunikwa.

¹⁶But when it shall turn to [the] Lord, the veil is taken away.)

¹⁶Lakini, wakati mtu amgeukiapo Bwana, kifuniko hicho huondolewa.

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, but where the Spirit of [the] Lord [is, there is] liberty.

¹⁷Hapa "Bwana" ni Roho; na pale alipo Roho wa Bwana ndipo ulipo uhuru.

¹⁸But *we* all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by [the] Lord [the] Spirit.

¹⁸Basi, sisi sote ambao nyuso zetu hazikufunikwa, twaonyesha kama katika kioo, utukufu wa Bwana; tunabadilishwa tufanane zaidi na huo mfano wake kwa utukufu mwingi zaidi. Hiyo ni kazi yake Roho wa Bwana.