Servants of the New Covenant
1 Does this sound as if we were again boasting about ourselves? Could it be that, like some other people, we need letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are the letter we have, written on our hearts for everyone to know and read. 3 It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it by us. It is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets but on human hearts.
4 We say this because we have confidence in God through Christ. 5 There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God; 6 it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
7 The Law was carved in letters on stone tablets, and God's glory appeared when it was given. Even though the brightness on Moses' face was fading, it was so strong that the people of Israel could not keep their eyes fixed on him. If the Law, which brings death when it is in force, came with such glory, 8 how much greater is the glory that belongs to the activity of the Spirit! 9 The system which brings condemnation was glorious; how much more glorious is the activity which brings salvation! 10 We may say that because of the far brighter glory now the glory that was so bright in the past is gone. 11 For if there was glory in that which lasted for a while, how much more glory is there in that which lasts forever!
12 Because we have this hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face so that the people of Israel would not see the brightness fade and disappear. 14 Their minds, indeed, were closed; and to this very day their minds are covered with the same veil as they read the books of the old covenant. The veil is removed only when a person is joined to Christ. 15 Even today, whenever they read the Law of Moses, the veil still covers their minds. 16 But it can be removed, as the scripture says about Moses: “His veil was removed when he turned to the Lord.” 17 Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
Kambeŋ kutoo la dookuulaalu
1 Fo m̀ be a dati la kotenke le baŋ, ka m̀ faŋolu jayi? Fo ǹ suulata jayiri leetaroolu le la ali bulu baŋ, waraŋ ka ì dii ali la, ko moo doolu ka a ke ñaameŋ? 2 Alitolu faŋolu le mu ǹ na jayiri leetaroo ti, meŋ safeeta ǹ sondomoolu kono fo moolu bee si a loŋ, aduŋ ì si a karaŋ fanaa. 3 Ali la kuwo ye a yitandi le ko, ali keta Kiristu* la leetaroo le ti, a ye meŋ safewo karafa ntolu ma. A maŋ safee niŋ duwaa la, bari Alla baluuriŋo la Nooroo, aduŋ a maŋ safee berewalaalu bala, bari hadamadiŋolu sondomoolu kono.
4 Ŋà ñiŋ dankeneyaa siifaa le soto ka bo niŋ Kiristu la, Alla ñaatiliŋo la. 5 A maŋ ke ko, m̀ faŋolu si kuu-wo-kuu ke noo le, bari ŋa feŋ-wo-feŋ ke noo, a bee bota Alla le bulu. 6 Ate le ye a tinna, ntolu keta noo kambeŋ kutoo la dookuulaalu ti. Ñiŋ kambeŋo maŋ bo niŋ luwaa safeeriŋo la, bari Nooroo, kaatu luwaa ka saayaa le saabu, bari Nooroo ka baluwo le dii.
Kambeŋ kutoo la kallankeeyaa
7 Luwaa meŋ na yaamari kumoolu ñenjeta berewalaalu bala, a be yeemaŋ na ñaa-wo-ñaa, a niŋ malamaloo le naata fo Banisirayilankoolu maŋ Musa ñaadaa juubee noo a la malamaloo kamma la. Luwaa meŋ ka saayaa saabu, niŋ wo ye ñiŋ kallankeeyaa* siifaa soto, 8 wo to Nooroo la luwaa kallankeeyaa be tambi la wo kallankeeyaa la siiñaa jelu le? 9 Luwaa meŋ ka moolu halaki, niŋ wo ye kallankeeyaa soto, wo to luwaa meŋ ka tiliŋo dii Alla ñaatiliŋo la, a niŋ wo la kallankeeyaa la waroo te tembe noo la. 10 Tooñaa, meŋ ye kallankeeyaa soto nuŋ, wo maŋ a soto kotenke, kaatu ŋà kallankeeyaa baa meŋ soto, wo ye a dubeŋ ne. 11 Wo meŋ ka tu yeemaŋ na, niŋ wo ye kallankeeyaa soto, wo to meŋ buka yeemaŋ, wo la kallankeeyaa ñanta wara la a ti baake le.
12 Wo kamma la, baawo ŋà ñiŋ ñoŋ jikoo le soto, m̀ fatiyaata baake le. 13 M̀ maŋ ke ko Musa meŋ ye muurilaŋo ke a ñaadaa kaŋ fo Banisirayilankoolu kana a ñaadaa malamalariŋo je, malamaloo be yeemaŋ kaŋ tumoo meŋ na. 14 Bari ì sondomoolu jaata le, kaatu hani bii, niŋ ì ye Kambeŋ Kotoo Kitaaboolu karaŋ, wo muurilaŋ kiliŋo ka tara jee le, bayiri a ka bondi noo niŋ Kiristu doroŋ ne la. 15 Tooñaa, hani ka bii, niŋ Musa la Kitaaboolu karanta, wo muurilaŋo ka tara laariŋ ì sondomoolu kaŋ ne. 16 Bari niŋ moo meŋ naata Maariyo kaŋ, muurilaŋo be bondi la wo kaŋ ne. 17 Maariyo mu Nooroo le ti, aduŋ Maariyo la Nooroo be daameŋ to, firiŋo le ka tara jee to. 18 Ntolu bee mennu ñaadaa muuribaloolu ka Maariyo la kallankeeyaa juubee, ǹ ka domaŋ-domaŋ ke le ko a faŋo, aduŋ m̀ fanaa ka ñiŋ kallankeeyaa yitandi le ko famfelendaŋo. Ǹ ka faliŋ ne ka kallankeeyaa baa soto. Ñiŋ ka ke le ko Maariyo ka m̀ faliŋ ñaameŋ, meŋ mu Nooroo ti.
