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The Shulammite Bride’s Desire
1 The [a]Song of (A)Songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 “[b]May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (B)love is better than wine.
3 Your (C)oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your (D)name is like [c]purified oil;
Therefore the [d](E)maidens love you.
4 Draw me after you and let us run together!
The (F)king has brought me into his chambers.”
“[e]We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will [f]extol your (G)love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”
5 “[g]I am black but (H)lovely,
O (I)daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the (J)tents of (K)Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not look at me because I am [h]swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My (L)mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me (M)caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
7 Tell me, O you (N)whom my soul loves,
Where do you (O)shepherd your flock,
Where do you make it (P)lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who [i]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your (Q)companions?”
Solomon and His Bride Extol Each Other
8 “[j]If you yourself do not know,
(R)Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the dwellings of the shepherds.
9 “To a (S)mare of mine among the chariots of Pharaoh
I compare you, O (T)my darling.
10 Your (U)cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of [k](V)beads.”
11 “[l]We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”
12 “[m]While the king was at his [n]banqueting table,
My [o](W)perfume gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of (X)myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of (Y)henna blossoms
In the vineyards of (Z)Engedi.”
15 “[p](AA)Behold, you are beautiful, my darling,
Behold, you are beautiful!
Your (AB)eyes are like doves.”
16 “[q]Behold, you are handsome, (AC)my beloved,
Indeed, so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!
17 The beams of our houses are (AD)cedars,
Our rafters, [r](AE)cypresses.
3 “[v]Like an [w](AJ)apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the sons.
In his shade I had great desire and sat down,
And his (AK)fruit was sweet to my [x]taste.
4 He has (AL)brought me to his [y]house of banqueting,
And his (AM)banner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with (AN)raisin cakes,
Refresh me with [z](AO)apples,
Because (AP)I am lovesick.
6 Let (AQ)his left hand be under my head
And (AR)his right hand (AS)embrace me.”
7 “[aa]I (AT)call you to solemnly swear, O (AU)daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (AV)gazelles or by the (AW)hinds of the field,
(AX)That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [ab]she pleases.”
The Bride Delights in Her Beloved
8 “[ac]The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Leaping (AY)on the mountains,
Jumping on the hills!
9 My beloved is like a (AZ)gazelle or a (BA)young [ad]stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall;
He gazes through the windows;
He is peering (BB)through the lattice.
10 “My beloved answered and said to me,
‘(BC)Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
11 For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over; it is gone.
12 The flowers have appeared in the land;
The time for [ae]pruning has arrived;
And the voice of the (BD)turtledove has been heard in our land.
13 The (BE)fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the (BF)vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”
14 “[af]O (BG)my dove, (BH)in the clefts of the [ag]rock,
In the secret place of the steep [ah]pathway,
Let me see your appearance,
(BI)Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your appearance is (BJ)lovely.”
15 “[ai](BK)Seize the foxes for us,
The [aj]little foxes that are wreaking destruction on the vineyards,
While our (BL)vineyards are in blossom.”
16 “[ak](BM)My beloved is mine, and I am his,
He who (BN)shepherds his flock among the lilies.
17 (BO)Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a (BP)gazelle
Or a young stag (BQ)on the mountains of [al]Bether.”
The Bride’s Troubled Dream
3 “[am]On my bed night after night I sought him
(BR)Whom my soul loves;
I (BS)sought him but did not find him.
2 ‘[an]I must arise now and [ao]go about the city;
In the (BT)streets and in the squares
[ap]I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
3 (BU)The watchmen who go about the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
4 (BV)Scarcely had I passed them by
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I (BW)seized him and would not let him go
Until I had (BX)brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”
5 “[aq]I (BY)call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (BZ)gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [ar]she pleases.”
Solomon Arrives on His Wedding Day
6 “[as](CA)Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Like (CB)columns of smoke,
As rising incense of (CC)myrrh and (CD)frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?
7 Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them are those who seize the sword,
(CE)Learned in war;
Each man has his (CF)sword at his side,
Guarding against the [at](CG)dreadful things of the night.
9 King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
Its [au]back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior inlaid with love
By the (CH)daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth and see, O (CI)daughters of Zion,
King Solomon with the [av]crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the (CJ)day of his wedding,
And on the day of his gladness of heart.”
Solomon Praises the Beauty of His Bride
4 “[aw]Behold, you are beautiful, (CK)my darling,
Behold, you are beautiful!
Your (CL)eyes are like doves (CM)behind your veil;
Your (CN)hair is like a flock of goats
That have leapt down from Mount (CO)Gilead.
2 Your (CP)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has [ax]lost her young.
3 Your lips are like a (CQ)scarlet thread,
And your (CR)mouth is lovely.
Your (CS)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 Your (CT)neck is like the tower of David,
Built [ay]with rows of stones
On which are (CU)hung one thousand shields,
All the small (CV)shields of the mighty men.
5 Your (CW)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which [az](CX)feed among the lilies.
6 (CY)Until the day breathes
And the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (CZ)myrrh
And to the hill of (DA)frankincense.
7 “(DB)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
8 Come with me from (DC)Lebanon, my (DD)bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
[ba]Journey down from the top of (DE)Amana,
From the top of (DF)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 You have made my heart beat faster, (DG)my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (DH)necklace.
10 (DI)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much (DJ)better is your love than wine,
And the (DK)fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of [bb]spices!
11 Your lips, my bride, (DL)drip (DM)honey from the comb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (DN)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A [bc]rock garden locked, a (DO)spring (DP)sealed up.
13 Your shoots are [bd]an (DQ)orchard of (DR)pomegranates
With (DS)choice fruits, (DT)henna with nard plants,
14 (DU)Nard and saffron, calamus and (DV)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (DW)frankincense,
(DX)Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest [be]spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
A well of [bf](DY)fresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”
16 But [a](A)thanks be to God who (B)puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of (C)Titus. 17 For he not only accepted our (D)plea, but being himself very earnest, he has gone out to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent along with him (E)the brother whose praise in the things of the (F)gospel is throughout (G)all the churches. 19 (H)And not only this, but he has also been (I)appointed by the churches to travel with us in (J)this gracious work that is being ministered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our (K)readiness, 20 [b]taking precaution lest anyone discredits us in our ministering of this generous gift, 21 for we (L)respect what is good, not only in (M)the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many things, but now even more earnest because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for (N)Titus, he is my (O)partner and fellow worker [c]among you; as for our (P)brothers, they are [d](Q)messengers of the churches, (R)a glory to Christ. 24 Therefore [e]openly before the churches, [f]show them the proof of your love and of our (S)reason for boasting about you.
God Himself Is Judge
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, has spoken,
And called the earth (B)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone forth.
3 May our God (E)come and not be silent;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And (G)a storm whirls around Him.
4 He (H)calls the heavens above,
And the earth, to render justice to His people:
5 “Gather My (I)holy ones to Me,
Those who have cut a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. [b]Selah.
7 “(N)Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify [c]against you;
I am God, (O)your God.
8 I do (P)not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 I shall take no (Q)young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
10 For (R)every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every (S)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [d]Mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (T)world is Mine, as well as its fullness.
13 Shall I eat the flesh of [e](U)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 Offer to God (V)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (W)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (X)Call upon Me in the day of distress;
I shall (Y)rescue you, and you will (Z)glorify Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to recount My statutes
And to take (AA)My covenant in your mouth?
17 For you (AB)hate discipline,
And you (AC)cast My words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you [f](AD)are pleased with him,
And [g]you (AE)associate with adulterers.
19 You [h](AF)let your mouth loose in evil
And you harness your (AG)tongue for deceit.
20 You sit and (AH)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done and (AI)I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (AJ)reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
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