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.
13:1 a 2Ko 5:12; 12:11 b Bik 18:27Tutandike okwetendereza? Oba twetaaga ebbaluwa ez’okutusemba gye muli mmwe oba okuva gye muli ng’abalala? 23:2 1Ko 9:2Mmwe muli bbaluwa yaffe, ewandiikiddwa mu mitima gyaffe, emanyiddwa era esomebwa abantu bonna, 3ekiraga nti muli bbaluwa eva eri Kristo, enywezeddwa ffe, etaawandiikibwa na bwino, wabula na Mwoyo wa Katonda omulamu, si ku bipande eby’amayinja naye ku bipande by’emitima egy’omubiri.
43:4 Bef 3:12Obwo bwe bwesige bwe tulina eri Katonda nga tuyita mu Kristo. 53:5 1Ko 15:10Si lwa kubanga obwesige obwo buva mu ffe ku lwaffe, naye obwesige bwaffe buva eri Katonda, 63:6 a Luk 22:20 b Yk 6:63oyo ye yatusaanyiza okuba abaweereza b’endagaano empya etali ya nnukuta wabula ey’omwoyo. Kubanga ennukuta etta, naye omwoyo aleeta obulamu.
Ekitiibwa ekiri mu ndagaano empya
73:7 Kuv 34:29-35Kale obanga obuweereza bw’amateeka agaleeta okufa agaayolebwa ku mayinja bwaleetebwa n’ekitiibwa kingi, eri abaana ba Isirayiri, abantu ne batasobola na kutunula mu maaso ga Musa, olw’ekitiibwa ekyali kiva ku maaso ge, ekyali kigenda okuggwaako, 8kale obuweereza obw’omwoyo tebulisinga nnyo okuba obw’ekitiibwa? 93:9 a nny 7 b Bar 1:17; 3:21, 22Kuba obanga obuweereza bw’okusalirwa omusango bwa kitiibwa, obuweereza bw’obutuukirivu businga nnyo ekitiibwa. 10Kubanga ekyaweebwa ekitiibwa tekyakiweebwa mu kigambo kino. 11Kale obanga ekyo ekiggwaawo kaakano kyajja n’ekitiibwa, ekyo ekitaggwaawo kisinga nnyo ekitiibwa kya kiri ekyasooka.
123:12 Bef 6:19Olw’okuba n’essuubi eringi bwe lityo, kyetuva tuweereza n’obuvumu bungi, 133:13 nny 7; Kuv 34:33so si nga Musa eyeebikkanga ku maaso ge, abaana ba Isirayiri baleme okulaba ekitiibwa bwe kiggwaako. 143:14 a Bar 11:7, 8 b Bik 13:15 c nny 6Naye ebirowoozo byabwe byakkakkanyizibwa kubanga n’okutuusa leero ekibikka ku maaso ekyo kikyali kye kimu kye beebikkanga nga basoma endagaano enkadde, kye bakyebikako nga bagisoma, tekyababikkulirwa, kubanga kiggyibwawo mu Kristo. 15Naye n’okutuusa leero, Musa bye yawandiika bwe bisomebwa, emitima gyabwe giba gibikiddwako essuuka. 163:16 a Bar 11:23 b Kuv 34:34Naye buli muntu akyuka n’adda eri Mukama, abikkulwako essuuka eyo. 173:17 a Is 61:1, 2 b Yk 8:32Kale nno Mukama ye Mwoyo, era buli Omwoyo wa Mukama w’abeera, wabaawo eddembe. 183:18 a 1Ko 13:12 b 2Ko 4:4, 6 c Bar 8:29Kaakano ffe ffenna, amaaso gaffe nga gabikuddwa, ekitiibwa kya Katonda kyakaayakana mu ffe ng’endabirwamu emulisa ekitiibwa kye ne tukyusiibwa okumufaanana okuva mu kitiibwa okutuuka mu kitiibwa, ekiva eri Mukama waffe, Mwoyo.
