1 Vai tad mēs atkal sākam sevi slavināt? Jeb vai mums kā dažiem citiem vajadzīgas ieteikšanas vēstules pie jums vai no jums? 2 Jūs esat mūsu vēstule, rakstīta mūsu sirdīs, saprotama un lasāma visiem cilvēkiem. 3 Ir skaidri redzams, ka esat Kristus vēstule, ko esam sastādījuši, rakstīta ne ar tinti, bet ar dzīvā Dieva Garu, ne uz akmens, bet uz sirds plāksnēm. 4 Tāda paļāvība mums ir caur Kristu uz Dievu. 5 Ne ka mēs paši no sevis būtu spējīgi ko labu domāt; bet, ja esam spējīgi, tad tas ir no Dieva, 6 kas mūs darījis spējīgus kalpot jaunajai derībai: ne burtam, bet garam; jo burts nokauj, bet Gars dara dzīvu. 7 Bet, ja kalpošanai nāvei ar saviem akmeņos kaltiem burtiem bijis tāds spožums, ka Israēla bērni nevarēja skatīties Mozus vaigā viņa spožuma dēļ, kam taču bija jāzūd, 8 kā lai nebūtu daudz lielāks spožums Gara kalpošanai? 9 Jo, ja pazudināšanas kalpošanai bijis spožums, tad jo daudz vairāk tas ir taisnošanas kalpošanai. 10 Jo, kas bijis spožs, tas tagad ir zaudējis savu spožumu šā pārlieku lielā spožuma dēļ. 11 Jo, ja tam, kam bija jāzūd, bijis spožums, tad jo vairāk būs spožums tam, kas paliek. 12 Tāpēc ka mums ir tāda cerība, mēs runājam ar lielu drosmi, 13 un ne tā kā Mozus, kas klāja apsegu pār savu vaigu, lai Israēla bērni neredzētu, kā izbeidzas tas, kam jāzūd. 14 Bet viņu sirdis tika nocietinātas; jo līdz šai dienai tas pats apsegs paliek un, lasot Veco Derību, nevar tikt atsegts, jo tas zūd ar Kristu. 15 Bet līdz šai dienai, kad lasa Mozu, apsegs paliek izklāts pār viņu sirdīm. 16 Bet, līdzko atgriežas pie Tā Kunga, tur sega tiek noņemta. 17 Tas Kungs ir Gars. Kur Tā Kunga Gars, tur ir brīvība. 18 Bet mēs visi, atsegtām sejām, Dieva godību redzēdami kā spogulī, topam pārvērsti Viņa paša līdzībā no spožuma uz spožumu. To dara Tā Kunga Gars.
Servants of the New Covenant
1 Does this sound as if we were again boasting about ourselves? Could it be that, like some other people, we need letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are the letter we have, written on our hearts for everyone to know and read. 3 It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it by us. It is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets but on human hearts.
4 We say this because we have confidence in God through Christ. 5 There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God; 6 it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
7 The Law was carved in letters on stone tablets, and God's glory appeared when it was given. Even though the brightness on Moses' face was fading, it was so strong that the people of Israel could not keep their eyes fixed on him. If the Law, which brings death when it is in force, came with such glory, 8 how much greater is the glory that belongs to the activity of the Spirit! 9 The system which brings condemnation was glorious; how much more glorious is the activity which brings salvation! 10 We may say that because of the far brighter glory now the glory that was so bright in the past is gone. 11 For if there was glory in that which lasted for a while, how much more glory is there in that which lasts forever!
12 Because we have this hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face so that the people of Israel would not see the brightness fade and disappear. 14 Their minds, indeed, were closed; and to this very day their minds are covered with the same veil as they read the books of the old covenant. The veil is removed only when a person is joined to Christ. 15 Even today, whenever they read the Law of Moses, the veil still covers their minds. 16 But it can be removed, as the scripture says about Moses: “His veil was removed when he turned to the Lord.” 17 Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
