Keraia
Pauline Epistles

2 Corinthians 3

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Ministers of a New Covenant

1Ἀρχόμεθα πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνειν ἢ μὴ χρῄζομεν ὥς τινες συστατικῶν ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐξ ὑμῶν

1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

2ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐνγεγραμμένη ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν γινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων

2You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.

3φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν ἐνγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλ’ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις

3It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4Πεποίθησιν δὲ τοιαύτην ἔχομεν διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν

4Such confidence before God is ours through Christ.

5οὐχ ὅτι ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν ἱκανοί ἐσμεν λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἀλλ’ ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ

5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.

6ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης οὐ γράμματος ἀλλὰ πνεύματος τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέννει τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ

6And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Glory of the New Covenant

7Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην

7Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,

8πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ

8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9εἰ γὰρ τῇ διακονία τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ

9For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!

10καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης

10Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.

11εἰ γὰρ τὸ καταργούμενον διὰ δόξης πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μένον ἐν δόξῃ

11For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!

12Ἔχοντες οὖν τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμεθα

12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

13καὶ οὐ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου

13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

14Ἀλλὰ ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν ἄχρι γὰρ τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας τὸ αὐτὸ κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης μένει μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται

14But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.

15ἀλλ’ ἕως σήμερον ἡνίκα ἂν ἀναγινώσκηται Μωϋσῆς κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν κεῖται

15And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

16ἡνίκα δὲ ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς Κύριον περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα

16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν οὗ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλευθερία

17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενοι τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου Πνεύματος

18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.