1  Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some, commendatory letters to you, or commendatory from you? 2  Ye are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read of all men, 3  being manifested to be Christ’s epistle ministered by us, written, not with ink, but the Spirit of the living God; not on stone tables, but on fleshy tables of the heart. 4  And such confidence have we through the Christ towards God: 5  not that we are competent of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our competency is of God;

6  who has also made us competent, as ministers of the new covenant; not of letter, but of spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit quickens. 7  (But if the ministry of death, in letters, graven in stones, began with glory, so that the children of Israel could not fix their eyes on the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face, a glory which is annulled; 8  how shall not rather the ministry of the Spirit subsist in glory? 9  For if the ministry of condemnation be glory, much rather the ministry of righteousness abounds in glory. 10  For also that which was glorified is not glorified in this respect, on account of the surpassing glory. 11  For if that annulled was introduced with glory, much rather that which abides subsists in glory.