Old/New Testament
4 M How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves.(A)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.(B)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one having a twin,
and not one missing.[a](C)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord,(D)
and your mouth[b] is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow[c] is like a slice of pomegranate.(E)
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,(F)
constructed in layers.
A thousand bucklers are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.[d]
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,(G) that feed among the lilies.
6 Before the day breaks[e]
and the shadows flee,(H)
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(I)
7 You are absolutely beautiful,(J) my darling,
with no imperfection in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon,[f](K) my bride(L)—
with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon,(M)
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have captured my heart,(N) my sister,[g](O) my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride.
Your love is much better than wine,(P)
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.(Q)
Honey and milk(R) are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—
a locked garden[h] and a sealed spring.(S)
13 Your branches are a paradise[i] of pomegranates
with choicest fruits,(T)
henna with nard—
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,(U)
with all the trees of frankincense,(V)
myrrh and aloes,(W)
with all the best spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of flowing water(X)
streaming from Lebanon.
16 W Awaken,(Y) north wind—
come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and spread the fragrance of its spices.
Let my love come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits.(Z)
5 M I have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.
I gather[j] my myrrh with my spices.
I eat my honeycomb with my honey.
I drink my wine with my milk.
2 W I sleep, but my heart is awake.
A sound! My love is knocking!(AB)
M Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,
my hair with droplets of the night.
3 W I have taken off my clothing.(AC)
How can I put it back on?
I have washed my feet.
How can I get them dirty?
4 My love thrust his hand through the opening,
and my feelings were stirred for him.
5 I rose to open for my love.
My hands dripped with myrrh,(AD)
my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
I was crushed[l] that he had left.[m]
I sought him, but did not find him.(AE)
I called him, but he did not answer.
7 The guards who go about the city found me.(AF)
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak[n] from me—
the guardians of the walls.(AG)
8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:(AH)
if you find my love,
tell him that I am lovesick.(AI)
9 Y What makes the one you love better than another,
most beautiful of women?(AJ)
What makes him better than another,
that you would give us this charge?
10 W My love is fit and strong,[o](AK)
notable among ten thousand.(AL)
11 His head is purest gold.
His hair is wavy[p](AM)
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(AN)
beside streams of water,
washed in milk
and set like jewels.[q]
13 His cheeks(AO) are like beds of spice,
towers of[r] perfume.
His lips are lilies,
dripping with flowing myrrh.(AP)
14 His arms[s] are rods of gold
set[t] with topaz.[u](AQ)
His body[v] is an ivory panel
covered with sapphires.(AR)
15 His legs are alabaster pillars
set on pedestals of pure gold.
His presence is like Lebanon,(AS)
as majestic as the cedars.(AT)
16 His mouth is sweetness.
He is absolutely desirable.(AU)
This is my love, and this is my friend,
young women of Jerusalem.
Justification through Faith
3 You foolish(A) Galatians! Who has hypnotized you,[a] before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed[b] as crucified?(B) 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?[c] 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?[d] 4 Did you suffer(C) so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles(D) among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?[e]
6 Just as Abraham believed God,(E) and it was credited to him for righteousness,(F)[f] 7 then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons.(G) 8 Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham,(H) saying, All the nations will be blessed through you.(I)[g] 9 So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham,(J) who had faith.[h]
Law and Promise
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse,(K) because it is written:(L) Everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law is cursed.(M)[i] 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live(N) by faith.(O)[j] 12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.(P)[k] 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,(Q) because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.(R)[l] 14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.(S)
15 Brothers, I’m using a human illustration.[m] No one sets aside or makes additions to even a human covenant[n] that has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed,(T)[o] who is Christ. 17 And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later,(U) does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God[p] and cancel the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
The Purpose of the Law
19 Why then was the law given?(V) It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels(W) by means of a mediator.(X) 20 Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one.(Y) 21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. 22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power,[q](Z) so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ(AA) might be given to those who believe.(AB) 23 Before this faith(AC) came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.(AD) 24 The law, then, was our guardian[r] until Christ,(AE) so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith(AF) has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Sons and Heirs
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.(AG) 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free,(AH) male or female;(AI) for you are all one(AJ) in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs(AK) according to the promise.(AL)
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