2nd Corinthians哥林多后书_2Co_03

2nd Corinthians哥林多后书_2Co_03

1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.

3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry¹, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.

5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence² comes from God.

6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant³--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved⁴ in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily⁵ at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,

8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

9If the ministry that condemns⁶ men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

11And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.

14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains⁷ when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.

15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness⁸ with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

3 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

4 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。