1 ¿ COMENZAMOS otra vez á alabarnos á nosotros mismos? ¿ó tenemos necesidad, como algunos, de letras de recomendación para vosotros, ó de recomendación de vosotros?

Are we making it sound as if we think we are so important? Other people write letters about themselves. Do we need to write such a letter to you?

2 N uestras letras sois vosotros, escritas en nuestros corazones, sabidas y leídas de todos los hombres;

You are our letter. You are written in our hearts. You are known and read by all men.

3 S iendo manifiesto que sois letra de Cristo administrada de nosotros, escrita no con tinta, mas con el Espíritu del Dios vivo; no en tablas de piedra, sino en tablas de carne del corazón.

You are as a letter from Christ written by us. You are not written as other letters are written with ink, or on pieces of stone. You are written in human hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

4 Y tal confianza tenemos por Cristo para con Dios:

We can say these things because of our faith in God through Christ.

5 N o que seamos suficientes de nosotros mismos para pensar algo como de nosotros mismos, sino que nuestra suficiencia es de Dios;

We know we are not able in ourselves to do any of this work. God makes us able to do these things.

6 E l cual asimismo nos hizo ministros suficientes de un nuevo pacto: no de la letra, mas del espíritu; porque la letra mata, mas el espíritu vivifica.

God is the One Who made us preachers of a New Way of Worship. This New Way of Worship is not of the Law. It is of the Holy Spirit. The Law brings death, but the Holy Spirit gives life.

7 Y si el ministerio de muerte en la letra grabado en piedras, fué con gloria, tanto que los hijos de Israel no pudiesen poner los ojos en la faz de Moisés á causa de la gloria de su rostro, la cual había de perecer,

The Law of Moses was written on stone and it brought death. But God’s shining-greatness was seen when it was given. When Moses took it to the Jews, they could not look at his face because of the bright light. But that bright light in his face began to pass away.

8 ¿ Cómo no será más bien con gloria el ministerio del espíritu?

The new way of life through the Holy Spirit comes with much more shining-greatness.

9 P orque si el ministerio de condenación fué con gloria, mucho más abundará en gloria el ministerio de justicia.

If the Law of Moses, that leads to death, came in shining-greatness, how much greater and brighter is the light that makes us right with God?

10 P orque aun lo que fué glorioso, no es glorioso en esta parte, en comparación de la excelente gloria.

The Law of Moses came with shining-greatness long ago. But that light is no longer bright. The shining-greatness of the New Way of Worship that brings us life is so much brighter.

11 P orque si lo que perece tuvo gloria, mucho más será en gloria lo que permanece.

The shining light that came with the Law of Moses soon passed away. But the new way of life is much brighter. It will never pass away.

12 A sí que, teniendo tal esperanza, hablamos con mucha confianza;

We speak without fear because our trust is in Christ.

13 Y no como Moisés, que ponía un velo sobre su faz, para que los hijos de Israel no pusiesen los ojos en el fin de lo que había de ser abolido.

We are not like Moses. He put a covering over his face so the Jews would not see that the bright light was passing away.

14 E mpero los sentidos de ellos se embotaron; porque hasta el día de hoy les queda el mismo velo no descubierto en la lección del antiguo testamento, el cual por Cristo es quitado.

Their minds were not able to understand. Even to this day when the Law is read, there is a covering over their minds. They do not see that Christ is the only One Who can take the covering away.

15 Y aun hasta el día de hoy, cuando Moisés es leído, el velo está puesto sobre el corazón de ellos.

Yes, to this day, there is a covering over their hearts whenever the Law of Moses is read.

16 M as cuando se convirtieren al Señor, el velo se quitará.

But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the covering is taken away.

17 P orque el Señor es el Espíritu; y donde hay el Espíritu del Señor, allí hay libertad.

The heart is free where the Spirit of the Lord is. The Lord is the Spirit.

18 P or tanto, nosotros todos, mirando á cara descubierta como en un espejo la gloria del Señor, somos transformados de gloria en gloria en la misma semejanza, como por el Espíritu del Señor.

All of us, with no covering on our faces, show the shining-greatness of the Lord as in a mirror. All the time we are being changed to look like Him, with more and more of His shining-greatness. This change is from the Lord Who is the Spirit.