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Us, Da Helpa Guys Fo Godʼs New Deal

If you guys tink we starting fo talk big bout ourself some moa, we not! If you guys tink we need lettas to you guys o from you guys, fo tell dat we good guys, jalike da odda guys need, we no need um! We get one letta awready, an dass you guys, you know. Da stuff we know bout you guys, stay inside our heart awready. Everybody know you guys, jalike dey reading one letta. Stay clear dat you guys, you stay jalike one letta dat Christ wen write, an dat he wen give to us guys fo bring ova hea. Christ neva use ink fo write um, he wen use da Spesho Spirit from da God dat stay alive fo real kine. Christ neva write um on top one flat stone da way da Boss Up Dea wen do um fo Moses -- da ting Christ wen write on top, dass someting dass alive, I mean jalike he write um inside da peopoʼs hearts so dey know um.

We know we can trus God dat all dis stuff stay true, cuz Christ wen show us. Our own self, we no can say dat we get da power fo do anyting. Da ony power us guys get, come from God. God da One wen make us da kine workas dat can tell peopo bout Godʼs New Deal. Dat New Deal not bout sticking wit some rules, but sticking wit Godʼs Spirit. If you ony stick wit da Rules, jalike you mahke inside, you no get da real kine life dat stay to da max foeva. But if you stick wit Godʼs Spirit, you live fo real kine.

Da time God wen carve da Rules on top da flat stone, was awesome, you know. (But no matta you do wat dose Rules say, still yet you goin cut yoaself off from God.) Den, afta Moses wen get da Rules, his face wen shine so plenny, was so awesome, dat da Israel peopo no can stay look at um. But den da shine wen go way. So den, wat Godʼs Spirit do inside our hearts stay plenny mo awesome den dat! You know, cuz a da Rules we mahke, but still yet da Rules stay awesome. Godʼs Spirit help us get um right wit God, an dat even mo awesome. 10 Da Rules dat everybody wen tink stay awesome, jalike dey not awesome now, cuz get someting dat stay even mo awesome. 11 You know, da Rule kine stuff stay awesome. Dey awesome jalike Moses face an den da shine wen go way. Still yet, dey stay awesome. But dose tings dat stay foeva, dat kine stuff stay mo awesome still yet.

12 All us guys know fo shua dat Godʼs New Deal goin stay foeva, dass why we no mo shame fo talk strait out. 13 We no need ack jalike Moses. He wen cover up his face so da Israel peopo no can see da shine go way. 14 Da Israel peopo, God wen make um hard head so dey no can tink good. Even right now wen dey read inside da Bible bout da Deal from befo time dat God wen make, jalike dey get cover ova dea head, cuz dey no like listen, an no can undastan. No mo nobody can make um listen an undastan, ony Christ can. 15 Even now still yet, weneva da Jewish peopo read wat Moses wen write, dey listen, but dey no undastan, cuz dey no listen inside dea hearts, jalike dey get cover ova dea hearts. 16 But weneva somebody start fo trus da Boss, Christ help um undastan inside dea hearts. Jalike da Bible wen tell bout Moses, “He take away da ting dat cover his face.” 17 Inside da Bible, wen Moses wen talk bout “Da Boss,” he mean Godʼs Spirit, same ting. Wen we get da Spirit from da Boss Up Dea, we can talk to God any time we like. 18 Az how he change us fo come awesome jalike him, mo an moa. An our faces no stay cover up, an now we can stay tinking plenny bout how awesome da Boss stay. Da Spirit from da Boss Up Dea, dass how he help us.

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.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or reflect