2 Corinthians 3-4 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

2 Corinthians 3-4

Ministers of a New Covenant

Are we beginning to ^acommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^bletters of commendation to you or from you? 2 ^aYou are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ^aministered to by us, having been written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^bthe living God, not on ^ctablets of stone but on ^dtablets of hearts of ^eflesh.
4 And such ^aconfidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but ^aour sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ^aministers of a ^bnew covenant, not of ^cthe letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^dthe Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ^aministry of death, ^bin letters having been engraved on stones, came ¹with glory, ^cso that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more in glory? 9 For if ^athe ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^bministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had been glorious, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which was being brought to an end was ¹with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
12 ^aTherefore having such a hope, ^bwe use great boldness, 13 and are not like Moses, ^awho used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the consequence of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were ^ahardened; for until this very day at the ^breading of ^cthe old covenant the same veil ¹remains unlifted, because it is brought to an end in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, 16 but ^awhenever a person turns to the ¹Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^athe Spirit of the Lord is, ^bthere is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, ^abeholding as in a mirror the ^bglory of the Lord, are being ^ctransformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^dthe Lord, the Spirit.

The Gospel of the Glory of Christ

Therefore, since we have this ^aministry, as we ^breceived mercy, we ^cdo not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the ^ahidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^badulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^ccommending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our ^agospel is ^bveiled, it is veiled ¹to ^cthose who are perishing, 4 in whose case ^athe god of ^bthis age has ^cblinded the minds of the unbelieving ¹so that they might not see the ^dlight of the gospel of the ^eglory of Christ, who is the ^fimage of God. 5 For we ^ado not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves ¹for the sake of Jesus. 6 For God, who said, “^aLight shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^bshone in our hearts to give the ^cLight of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in ^aearthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^bthe power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 ^ain every way afflicted, but not ^bcrushed; ^cperplexed, but not despairing; 9 ^apersecuted, but not ^bforsaken; ^cstruck down, but not destroyed; 10 ^aalways carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^bthe life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
13 But having the same ^aspirit of faith, according to what is written, “^bI believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who ^araised the Lord Jesus ^bwill raise us also with Jesus and will ^cpresent us with you. 15 For all things are ^afor your sakes, so that the grace which is ¹^bspreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we ^ado not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^binner man is ^cbeing renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, ^alight affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we ^alook not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.