2 Corinthians 3 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

Ministers of a New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to (A)commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, (B)letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 (C)You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, [a](D)cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of (E)the living God, not on (F)tablets of stone but on (G)tablets of [b](H)human hearts.

4 Such (I)confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but (J)our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as (K)servants of a (L)new covenant, not of (M)the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but (N)the Spirit gives life.

7 But if the (O)ministry of death, (P)in letters engraved on stones, came [c]with glory, (Q)so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if (R)the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the (S)ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was [d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

12 (T)Therefore having such a hope, (U)we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not like Moses, (V)who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were (W)hardened; for until this very day at the (X)reading of (Y)the old covenant the same veil [e]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 (Z)but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where (AA)the Spirit of the Lord is, (AB)there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, (AC)beholding as in a mirror the (AD)glory of the Lord, are being (AE)transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from (AF)the Lord, the Spirit.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:3 Lit served
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:3 Lit hearts of flesh
  3. 2 Corinthians 3:7 Or in glory
  4. 2 Corinthians 3:11 Lit through
  5. 2 Corinthians 3:14 Or remains, it not being revealed that it is done away in Christ

Cross references

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:1 : 2 Cor 5:12; 10:12, 18; 12:11
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:1 : Acts 18:27; 1 Cor 16:3
  3. 2 Corinthians 3:2 : 1 Cor 9:2
  4. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : 2 Cor 3:6
  5. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Matt 16:16
  6. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Ex 24:12; 31:18; 32:15f; 2 Cor 3:7
  7. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Prov 3:3; 7:3; Jer 17:1
  8. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Jer 31:33; Ezek 11:19; 36:26
  9. 2 Corinthians 3:4 : Eph 3:12
  10. 2 Corinthians 3:5 : 1 Cor 15:10
  11. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : 1 Cor 3:5
  12. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Jer 31:31; Luke 22:20
  13. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Rom 2:29
  14. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : John 6:63; Rom 7:6
  15. 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Rom 4:15; 5:20; 7:5f; 2 Cor 3:9; Gal 3:10, 21f
  16. 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Ex 24:12; 31:18; 32:15f; 2 Cor 3:3
  17. 2 Corinthians 3:7 : Ex 34:29-35; 2 Cor 3:13
  18. 2 Corinthians 3:9 : Deut 27:26; 2 Cor 3:7; Heb 12:18-21
  19. 2 Corinthians 3:9 : Rom 1:17; 3:21f
  20. 2 Corinthians 3:12 : 2 Cor 7:4
  21. 2 Corinthians 3:12 : Acts 4:13, 29; 2 Cor 7:4; Eph 6:19; 1 Thess 2:2
  22. 2 Corinthians 3:13 : Ex 34:33-35; 2 Cor 3:7
  23. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : Rom 11:7; 2 Cor 4:4
  24. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : Acts 13:15
  25. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : 2 Cor 3:6
  26. 2 Corinthians 3:16 : Ex 34:34; Rom 11:23
  27. 2 Corinthians 3:17 : Is 61:1f; Gal 4:6
  28. 2 Corinthians 3:17 : John 8:32; Gal 5:1, 13
  29. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : 1 Cor 13:12
  30. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : John 17:22, 24; 2 Cor 4:4, 6
  31. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : Rom 8:29
  32. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : 2 Cor 3:17

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