¹Kas jälle peame hakkama ennast soovitama? Või on meil vaja, nagu mõnel teisel, soovituskirju teie kätte või teie käest?

¹Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

²Ei, teie ise olete meie kiri, kirjutatud meie südamesse, igale inimesele mõistetav ja loetav.

²You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

³On ilmne, et teie olete Kristuse kiri, meie teenimistöö läbi valminud kiri, mis ei ole kirjutatud tindiga, vaid elava Jumala Vaimuga, ka mitte kivilaudadele, vaid lihastele südamelaudadele.

³being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.

⁴Niisugune usaldus Jumala vastu on meil aga Kristuse kaudu.

⁴Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;

⁵Meie ei ole ju iseendast kõlblikud midagi lugema oma teeneks, just nagu oleks see meist endist, vaid meie kõlblikkus tuleb Jumalalt,

⁵not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;

⁶kes on teinud meid kõlblikuks teenima uut lepingut, mitte kirjatähe, vaid Vaimu lepingut, sest kirjatäht suretab, aga Vaim teeb elavaks.

⁶who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷Aga kui juba kirjatähtedega kividesse uuristatud surmateenistus sündis kirkuses, nii et Iisraeli lapsed ei suutnud vaadata Moosese palgesse selle kirkuse pärast, mis ometi oli kaduv,

⁷But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away:

⁸kuidas siis vaimuteenistus ei peaks sündima veelgi suuremas kirkuses?

⁸won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory?

⁹Kui juba hukkamõistuteenistusel oli kirkus, siis on õigeksmõistuteenistus veel palju suurem kirkuselt.

⁹For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

¹⁰Ning toona kirgastatu ei olegi praegu enam kirgas selle võrratu kirkuse kõrval.

¹⁰For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.

¹¹Jah, kui kõrvalejäetav juba oli täis kirkust, kui palju enam on kirkuses see, mis jääb!

¹¹For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

¹²Et meil nüüd on niisugune lootus, siis võime toimida täie julgusega

¹²Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

¹³ega pane Moosese kombel katet oma palgele, et Iisraeli lapsed ei saaks vaadata selle lõppu, mis on kaduv.

¹³and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.

¹⁴Kuid nende mõtteviis on paadunud. Veel tänapäevani jääb Vana Testamendi lugemise peale seesama kate, seda ei kergitata, sest see eemaldatakse alles Kristuses.

¹⁴But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.

¹⁵Tänapäevani, iga kord kui Moosest loetakse, lasub kate nende südamel.

¹⁵But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

¹⁶Aga kui nende süda pöördub Issanda poole, siis võetakse kate ära.

¹⁶But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

¹⁷Ent Issand on Vaim, ja seal, kus on Issanda Vaim, on vabadus.

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

¹⁸Aga meid kõiki, kes me katmata palgega vaatleme Issanda kirkust peegeldumas, muudetakse samasuguseks kujuks kirkusest kirkusesse. Seda teeb Issand, kes on Vaim.

¹⁸But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.