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

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

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

²Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of 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.

³being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables [that are] hearts of flesh.

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

⁴And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward:

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 account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from 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 as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

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,

⁷But if the ministration of death, written, [and] engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which [glory] was passing away:

⁸basi, huduma ya Roho ina utukufu mkuu zaidi.

⁸how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with 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 condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

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

¹⁰For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth.

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 passeth away [was] with glory, much more that which remaineth [is] in glory.

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

¹²Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness 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] put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away:

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 until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed [to them] that it is done away in Christ.

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

¹⁵But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.

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

¹⁶But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

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

¹⁷Now 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.

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.