12]But when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door
was opened to me by the Lord, [2:13]I had no rest in my spirit from not
finding Titus my brother; but leaving them I went to Macedonia.
[2:14]But thanks be to God, who always triumphs over us in Christ and
reveals the odor of his knowledge by us in every place; [2:15]for we
are a sweet odor of Christ to God, in the saved and in the lost,
[2:16]in one an odor of death to death, and in the other an odor of
life to life. And who is sufficient for these things? [2:17]For we are
not as many, who adulterate the word of God, [for gain]; but as of
sincerity, but as of God, we speak before God in Christ.

9 [3:1]Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some,
commendatory epistles to you or from you? [3:2]You are our epistle,
written by our hearts, known and read by all men, [3:3]for you are
manifestly an epistle of Christ delivered by us, written not with ink
but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on
tablets of hearts of flesh. [3:4]And we have such confidence through
Jesus Christ in God; [3:5]not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
reason out any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
[3:6]who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of
the writing but of the spirit; for the writing kills, but the spirit
makes alive.

10 [3:7]But if the ministry of death engraved in a writing on stones
was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at
the face of Moses on account of the brightness of his face, which
passed away, [3:8]how shall not the ministry of the spirit be glorious?
[3:9]For if the ministry of condemnation was a glory, much more will
the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. [3:10]For that which was
made glorious was not glorious in this respect, on account of the
surpassing glory. [3:11]For if that which has passed away was with
glory, much more will that which continues be in glory.

11 [3:12]Having therefore this hope we use great boldness, [3:13]and
not as Moses put a vail on his face, that the children of Israel might
not see to the end of that which has passed away; [3:14]but their minds
were blinded. For to this day in reading the old covenant the same vail
remains, not taken away because it is taken away in Christ; [3:15]but
to this day when Moses is read a vail lies upon their minds; [3:16]but
when they turn to the Lord the vail is taken away. [3:1