The Lord Is Holy

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, (A)You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. (B)Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and (C)you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. (D)Do not turn to idols (E)or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

(F)“When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so (G)that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is (H)tainted; it will not be accepted, and everyone who eats it shall (I)bear his iniquity, because (J)he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

(K)“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

11 (L)“You shall not steal; (M)you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 (N)You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so (O)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 (P)“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. (Q)The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 (R)You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall (S)fear your God: I am the Lord.

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Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(A) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(B) am holy.(C)

“‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,(D) and you must observe my Sabbaths.(E) I am the Lord your God.(F)

“‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.(G) I am the Lord your God.(H)

“‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.(I) If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(J) Whoever eats it will be held responsible(K) because they have desecrated what is holy(L) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.(M)

“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges(N) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(O) 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time(P) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.(Q) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.(R) I am the Lord your God.

11 “‘Do not steal.(S)

“‘Do not lie.(T)

“‘Do not deceive one another.(U)

12 “‘Do not swear falsely(V) by my name(W) and so profane(X) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘Do not defraud or rob(Y) your neighbor.(Z)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker(AA) overnight.(AB)

14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(AC) but fear your God.(AD) I am the Lord.

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Jehu Slaughters Ahab's Descendants

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in (A)Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city,[a] to the elders, and to (B)the guardians of the sons[b] of Ahab, saying, “Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, select the best and fittest of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne and fight for your master's house.” But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, (C)“We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.” Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, (D)who were bringing them up. And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king's sons (E)and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king's sons,” he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. (F)It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? 10 Know then that there shall (G)fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done (H)what he said by his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

12 Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met (I)the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah, and we came down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 He said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.

15 And when he departed from there, he met (J)Jehonadab the son of (K)Rechab coming to meet him. And he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said,[c] “If it is, (L)give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. And Jehu took him up with him into the chariot. 16 And he said, “Come with me, and see (M)my zeal for the Lord.” So he[d] had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, (N)he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord (O)that he spoke to Elijah.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 10:1 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew rulers of Jezreel
  2. 2 Kings 10:1 Hebrew lacks of the sons
  3. 2 Kings 10:15 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks Jehu said
  4. 2 Kings 10:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew they

Ahab’s Family Killed

10 Now there were in Samaria(A) seventy sons(B) of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel,[a](C) to the elders and to the guardians(D) of Ahab’s children. He said, “You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you, choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”

But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”

So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants(E) and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.”

Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy(F) of them. They put their heads(G) in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.”

Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10 Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced(H) through his servant Elijah.”(I) 11 So Jehu(J) killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.(K)

12 Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah,(L) and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.(M)

14 “Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two of them. He left no survivor.(N)

15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab(O) son of Rekab,(P) who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”

“I am,” Jehonadab answered.

“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”(Q) So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal(R) for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.

17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family;(S) he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 10:1 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate of the city

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

14 Then certain of the (A)elders of Israel came to me (B)and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me: (C)“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set (D)the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. (E)Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, (F)I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, (G)that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, (H)who are all estranged from me through their idols.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: (I)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, (J)who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, (K)I the Lord will answer him myself. And (L)I will set my face against that man; I (M)will make him a sign and a byword (N)and cut him off from the midst of my people, (O)and you shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, (P)I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment[a]—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— 11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor (Q)defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, (R)but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

12 And the word of the Lord came to me: 13 (S)“Son of man, when a land sins against me (T)by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and (U)break its supply[b] of bread and send famine upon it, and (V)cut off from it man and beast, 14 (W)even if these three men, (X)Noah, (Y)Daniel, and (Z)Job, were in it, (AA)they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.

15 (AB)“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, (AC)and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even if these three men were in it, (AD)as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but (AE)the land would be desolate.

17 “Or (AF)if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, (AG)and I cut off from it man and beast, 18 (AH)though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.

19 “Or (AI)if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.

21 “For thus says the Lord God: How much more (AJ)when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, (AK)sword, (AL)famine, (AM)wild beasts, and (AN)pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, (AO)some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and (AP)you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:10 Or iniquity; three times in this verse
  2. Ezekiel 14:13 Hebrew staff

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.(A) Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts(B) and put wicked stumbling blocks(C) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?(D) Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted(E) me for their idols.’(F)

“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!(G) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!(H)

“‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner(I) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block(J) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire(K) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. I will set my face against(L) them and make them an example(M) and a byword.(N) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(O)

“‘And if the prophet(P) is enticed(Q) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.(R) 10 They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray(S) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,(T) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.(U)’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins(V) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply(W) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,(X) 14 even if these three men—Noah,(Y) Daniel[a](Z) and Job(AA)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,(AB) declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “Or if I send wild beasts(AC) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,(AD) 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.(AE)

17 “Or if I bring a sword(AF) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,(AG) 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath(AH) on it through bloodshed,(AI) killing its people and their animals,(AJ) 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.(AK)

21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments(AL)—sword(AM) and famine(AN) and wild beasts and plague(AO)—to kill its men and their animals!(AP) 22 Yet there will be some survivors(AQ)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.(AR) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct(AS) and their actions, you will be consoled(AT) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AU)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is (A)faint and (B)pours out his complaint before the Lord.

102 (C)Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry (D)come to you!
(E)Do not hide your face from me
    in (F)the day of my distress!
(G)Incline your ear to me;
    (H)answer me speedily (I)in the day when I call!

For my days (J)pass away like smoke,
    and my (K)bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is (L)struck down like grass and (M)has withered;
    I (N)forget to eat my bread.
Because of my loud groaning
    my (O)bones cling to my flesh.
I am like (P)a desert owl of the wilderness,
    like an owl[a] of the waste places;
I (Q)lie awake;
    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
All the day my enemies taunt me;
    those who (R)deride me (S)use my name for a curse.
For I eat ashes like bread
    and (T)mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
    for you have (U)taken me up and (V)thrown me down.
11 My days are like (W)an evening shadow;
    I (X)wither away like grass.

12 But you, O Lord, are (Y)enthroned forever;
    you (Z)are remembered throughout all generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain

Psalm 102[a]

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

Hear my prayer,(A) Lord;
    let my cry for help(B) come to you.
Do not hide your face(C) from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear(D) to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

For my days vanish like smoke;(E)
    my bones(F) burn like glowing embers.
My heart is blighted and withered like grass;(G)
    I forget to eat my food.(H)
In my distress I groan aloud(I)
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
I am like a desert owl,(J)
    like an owl among the ruins.
I lie awake;(K) I have become
    like a bird alone(L) on a roof.
All day long my enemies(M) taunt me;(N)
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.(O)
For I eat ashes(P) as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears(Q)
10 because of your great wrath,(R)
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;(S)
    I wither(T) away like grass.

12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;(U)
    your renown endures(V) through all generations.(W)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:1 In Hebrew texts 102:1-28 is numbered 102:2-29.

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

26 (A)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,[a] which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus[b] had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house (B)but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he (C)cried out and fell down before him and said (D)with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, (E)Son of (F)the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon (G)into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, (H)“Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into (I)the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into (J)the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting (K)at the feet of Jesus, (L)clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed[c] man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes (M)asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and (N)declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:26 Some manuscripts Gadarenes; others Gergesenes; also verse 37
  2. Luke 8:27 Greek he; also verses 38, 42
  3. Luke 8:36 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man(A)(B)

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,[a] which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me,(C) Jesus, Son of the Most High God?(D) I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.(E)

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake(F) and was drowned.

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet,(G) dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed(H) man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them,(I) because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:26 Some manuscripts Gadarenes; other manuscripts Gergesenes; also in verse 37

Ministers of the New Covenant

(A)Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, (B)as some do, (C)letters of recommendation to you, or from you? (D)You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of (E)the living God, not on (F)tablets of stone but on (G)tablets of (H)human hearts.[b]

(I)Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. (J)Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but (K)our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be (L)ministers of (M)a new covenant, not of (N)the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but (O)the Spirit gives life.

Now if (P)the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory (Q)that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in (R)the ministry of condemnation, (S)the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, (T)we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, (U)who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But (V)their minds were (W)hardened. For to this day, (X)when they read (Y)the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when (Z)one[c] turns to the Lord, (AA)the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[d] is the Spirit, and where (AB)the Spirit of the Lord is, there is (AC)freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, (AD)beholding (AE)the glory of the Lord,[e] (AF)are being transformed into the same image (AG)from one degree of glory to another.[f] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:2 Some manuscripts your
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:3 Greek fleshly hearts
  3. 2 Corinthians 3:16 Greek he
  4. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Or this Lord
  5. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or reflecting the glory of the Lord
  6. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Greek from glory to glory

Are we beginning to commend ourselves(A) again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation(B) to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.(C) You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,(D) not on tablets of stone(E) but on tablets of human hearts.(F)

Such confidence(G) we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves(H) to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.(I) He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant(J)—not of the letter(K) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.(L)

The Greater Glory of the New Covenant

Now if the ministry that brought death,(M) which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory,(N) transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation(O) was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!(P) 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope,(Q) we are very bold.(R) 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face(S) to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull,(T) for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant(U) is read.(V) It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord,(W) the veil is taken away.(X) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit,(Y) and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.(Z) 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a](AA) the Lord’s glory,(AB) are being transformed into his image(AC) with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or reflect