1Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Some people need letters that speak well of them. Do we need those kinds of letters, either to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter. You are written on our hearts. Everyone knows you and reads you. 3You make it clear that you are a letter from Christ. You are the result of our work for God. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You are a letter written not on tablets made out of stone but on human hearts.
4Through Christ, we can be sure of this before God. 5In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God. 6He has given us the power to serve under a new covenant. The covenant is not based on the written Law of Moses. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The written Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The Greater Glory of the New Covenant
7The Law was written in letters on stone. Even though it was a way of serving God, it led to death. But even that way of serving God came with glory. The glory lasted for only a short time. Even so, the people of Israel couldn’t look at Moses’ face very long. 8Since all this is true, won’t the work of the Holy Spirit be even more glorious? 9The law that condemns people to death had glory. How much more glory does the work of the Spirit have! His work makes people right with God. 10The glory of the old covenant is nothing compared with the far greater glory of the new. 11The glory of the old lasts for only a short time. How much greater is the glory of the new! It will last forever.
12Since we have that kind of hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses. He used to cover his face with a veil. That was to keep the people of Israel from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made stubborn. To this day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away. 15To this day, when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers the minds of those who hear it. 16But when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is also there. 18None of our faces are covered with a veil. All of us can see the Lord’s glory and think deeply about it. So we are being changed to become more like him so that we have more and more glory. And this glory comes from the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit.
Akhristu ndi Kalata Yochokera kwa Khristu
1Kodi tayambanso kudzichitira umboni tokha? Kapena kodi ifenso tikufuna makalata otivomereza kwa inu, kapena ochokera kwa inu monga anthu ena? 2Inu ndinu kalata yathu, yolembedwa pa mitima yathu, yodziwika ndi yowerengedwa ndi aliyense. 3Inu mukuonetsa kuti ndinu kalata yochokera kwa Khristu, zotsatira za utumiki wathu, osati yolembedwa ndi inki koma ndi Mzimu wa Mulungu wamoyo, osati pa miyala yosemedwa koma mʼmitima ya anthu.
4Kulimba mtima kumeneku tili nako pamaso pa Mulungu kudzera mwa Khristu. 5Sikuti mwa ife muli kanthu kotiganizitsa kuti tingathe kugwira ntchitoyi patokha, koma kulimba mtima kwathu kumachokera kwa Mulungu. 6Iye watipatsa kulimba mtima kuti tikhale atumiki a pangano latsopano, osati malamulo olembedwa koma a Mzimu; pakuti malamulo olembedwa amapha koma Mzimu amapereka moyo.
Ulemerero wa Pangano Latsopano
7Koma ngati utumiki umene unabweretsa imfa uja, wolembedwa ndi malemba pa mwalawu, unabwera ndi ulemerero mwakuti Aisraeli sanathe kuyangʼanitsitsa nkhope ya Mose chifukwa cha ulemerero wa pa nkhopeyo, ngakhale kuti unali kunka nuzilala, 8kodi nanga utumiki wa Mzimu sudzaposa apa? 9Ngati utumiki umene umatsutsa anthu unali ndi ulemerero, nanga koposa kotani ulemerero wa utumiki wobweretsa chilungamo! 10Pakuti zimene zinali ndi ulemerero, tsopano zilibenso ulemerero pofananitsa ndi ulemerero wopambanawo. 11Ndipo ngati zosakhalitsa zinabwera ndi ulemerero, koposa kotani ulemerero wamuyayawo!
12Choncho, popeza tili ndi chiyembekezo chotere, ndife olimba mtima kwambiri. 13Ife sitili ngati Mose amene amaphimba nkhope yake kuopa kuti Aisraeli angaone kuti kunyezimira kwa nkhope yake kumazilala. 14Koma nzeru zawo zinawumitsidwa, pakuti mpaka lero chophimbira chomwecho chikanalipo pamene akuwerenga Chipangano Chakale. Sichinachotsedwebe, chifukwa chimachotsedwa ngati munthuyo ali mwa Khristu yekha. 15Ngakhale lero lomwe lino akuwerenga mabuku a Mose pali chophimbabe mitima yawo. 16Koma pamene aliyense atembenukira kwa Ambuye, “chophimbacho chimachotsedwa.” 17Tsono Ambuye ndi Mzimu, ndipo pamene pali Mzimu wa Ambuye, pali ufulu. 18Ife tonse, amene ndi nkhope zosaphimba timaonetsera ulemerero wa Ambuye, tikusinthika kufanana ndi ulemerero wake, umene ukunka nuchulukirachulukira, wochokera kwa Ambuye, amene ndi Mzimu.
