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

¹Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we need, as some, letters of recommendation unto you, or from you?

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

²our letter ye are, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men,

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.

³manifested that ye are a letter of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart,

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

⁴and such trust we have through the Christ toward God,

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

⁵not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] of God,

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.

⁶who also made us sufficient [to be] ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive.

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,

⁷and if the ministration of the death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face — which was being made useless,

⁸basi, huduma ya Roho ina utukufu mkuu zaidi.

⁸how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more 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.

⁹for if the ministration of the condemnation [is] glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory;

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

¹⁰for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not been glorious — in this respect, because of the superior glory;

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

¹¹for if that which is being made useless [is] through glory, much more that which is remaining [is] in glory.

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

¹²Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of speech,

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

¹³and [are] not as Moses, who was putting a vail upon his own face, for the sons of Israel not stedfastly to look to the end of that which is being made useless,

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

¹⁴but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the same vail at the reading of the Old Covenant doth remain unwithdrawn — which in Christ is being made useless —

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

¹⁵but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their heart doth lie,

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

¹⁶and whenever they may turn unto the Lord, the vail is taken away.

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

¹⁷And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty;

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.

¹⁸and we all, with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.