⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,

¹⁴ A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true;^[a] and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.^(A)

¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, the same veil is still there; it is not unveiled since in Christ it is set aside.^{(A) 15} Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,^{[a] 16} but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.^{(B) 17} Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.^{(C) 18} And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.^(D)

⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing clearly the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.^{(A) 5} For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’s sake.^{(B) 6} For it is the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.^(C)

¹⁸ to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^(A)

¹⁴ for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,