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The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.(A)

Colloquy of the Young Woman and Friends

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;(B)
    your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is perfume poured out;
    therefore the maidens love you.(C)
Draw me after you; let us make haste.
    The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
    we will extol your love more than wine;
    rightly do they love you.(D)

I am black and beautiful,
    O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
    like the curtains of Solomon.(E)
Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
    because the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
    they made me keeper of the vineyards,
    but my own vineyard I have not kept!(F)
Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
    where you pasture your flock,
    where you make it lie down at noon,
for why should I be like one who is veiled
    beside the flocks of your companions?(G)

If you do not know,
    O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flock
    and pasture your kids
    beside the shepherds’ tents.(H)

Colloquy of the Young Man, Friends, and the Young Woman

I compare you, my love,
    to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.(I)
10 Your cheeks are comely with ornaments,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(J)
11 We will make you ornaments of gold,
    studded with silver.

12 While the king was on his couch,
    my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh
    that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
    in the vineyards of En-gedi.(K)

15 Ah, you are beautiful, my love;
    ah, you are beautiful;
    your eyes are doves.(L)
16 Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
    truly lovely.
Our couch is green;
17     the beams of our house are cedar;
    our rafters[a] are pine.(M)

I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.(N)

As a lily among brambles,
    so is my love among maidens.

As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
    so is my beloved among young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
    and his fruit was sweet to my taste.(O)
He brought me to the banqueting house,
    and his intention toward[b] me was love.(P)
Sustain me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am faint with love.(Q)
O that his left hand were under my head
    and that his right hand embraced me!(R)
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
    until it is ready!(S)

Springtime Rhapsody

The voice of my beloved!
    Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(T)
My beloved is like a gazelle
    or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
    behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
    looking through the lattice.(U)
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away,(V)
11 for now the winter is past,
    the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
    the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.(W)
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away.(X)
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face;
    let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.(Y)
15 Catch us the foxes,
    the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards—
    for our vineyards are in blossom.”(Z)

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
    he pastures his flock among the lilies.(AA)
17 Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
    or a young stag on the cleft mountains.[c](AB)

Love’s Dream

Upon my bed at night
    I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but found him not;
    I called him, but he gave no answer.[d](AC)
“I will rise now and go about the city,
    in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.”
    I sought him but found him not.(AD)
The sentinels found me,
    as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”(AE)
Scarcely had I passed them,
    when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    until I brought him into my mother’s house
    and into the chamber of her that conceived me.(AF)
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
    until it is ready!(AG)

The Young Man and His Party Approach

Who is that coming up from the wilderness
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
    with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?(AH)
Look, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men
    of the mighty men of Israel,
all equipped with swords
    and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh
    because of alarms by night.(AI)
King Solomon made himself a palanquin
    from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
    its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with stone.
    Daughters[e] of Jerusalem,(AJ)
11     come out and look[f]
    at King Solomon,
at the crown with which his mother crowned him
    on the day of his wedding,
    on the day of the gladness of his heart.

Footnotes

  1. 1.17 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 2.4 Heb banner above
  3. 2.17 Or on the mountains of Bether; meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 3.1 Gk: Heb lacks this line
  5. 3.10 Cn Compare Gk: Heb with love from the daughters
  6. 3.11 Gk: Heb adds daughters of Zion

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
    because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
    and made me take care of the vineyards;(M)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(N) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(O) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(P)
    follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
    by the tents of the shepherds.

He

I liken you, my darling, to a mare
    among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.(Q)
10 Your cheeks(R) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(S)
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
    studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.(T)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(U)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(V) is to me a cluster of henna(W) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(X)

He

15 How beautiful(Y) you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes are doves.(Z)

She

16 How handsome you are, my beloved!(AA)
    Oh, how charming!
    And our bed is verdant.

He

17 The beams of our house are cedars;(AB)
    our rafters are firs.

She[d]

I am a rose[e](AC) of Sharon,(AD)
    a lily(AE) of the valleys.

He

Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

She

Like an apple[f] tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved(AF) among the young men.
I delight(AG) to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(AH)
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(AI)
    and let his banner(AJ) over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,(AK)
    for I am faint with love.(AL)
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.(AM)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(AN)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(AO)

Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(AP)
My beloved is like a gazelle(AQ) or a young stag.(AR)
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;(AS)
    the blossoming(AT) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

14 My dove(AU) in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.(AV)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(AW)
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(AX)
    our vineyards that are in bloom.(AY)

She

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(AZ)
    he browses among the lilies.(BA)
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(BB)
turn, my beloved,(BC)
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(BD)
    on the rugged hills.[g](BE)

All night long on my bed
    I looked(BF) for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(BG)
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(BH)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(BI)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(BJ)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(BK)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(BL)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(BM) and incense
    made from all the spices(BN) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(BO)
    the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
    all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
    prepared for the terrors of the night.(BP)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
    he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
    its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
    its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
    and look, you daughters of Zion.(BQ)
Look[h] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
    the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
    the day his heart rejoiced.(BR)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  3. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
  4. Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
  5. Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
  6. Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
  7. Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
  8. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look

Paul and the Other Apostles

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.(A) I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.(B) But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.(C) But because of false brothers and sisters secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us(D) we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.(E) And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me.(F) On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised(G) (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised.(H) 10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was[a] eager to do.(I)

Paul Rebukes Peter at Antioch

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood self-condemned,(J) 12 for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.(K) 13 And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the gentiles to live like Jews?”[b](L)

Jews and Gentiles Are Saved by Faith

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not gentile sinners, 16 yet we know that a person is justified[c] not by the works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ.[d] And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by the faith of Christ[e] and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.(M) 17 But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ,(N) 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,[f] who loved me and gave himself for me.(O) 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness[g] comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Footnotes

  1. 2.10 Or had been
  2. 2.14 Some interpreters hold that the quotation extends into the following paragraph
  3. 2.16 Or reckoned as righteous
  4. 2.16 Or faith in Jesus Christ
  5. 2.16 Or faith in Christ
  6. 2.20 Or by faith in the Son of God
  7. 2.21 Or justification

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,(A) this time with Barnabas.(B) I took Titus(C) along also. I went in response to a revelation(D) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.(E) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race(F) in vain. Yet not even Titus,(G) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.(H) This matter arose because some false believers(I) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on(J) the freedom(K) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel(L) might be preserved for you.

As for those who were held in high esteem(M)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism(N)—they added nothing to my message.(O) On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task(P) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,[a](Q) just as Peter(R) had been to the circumcised.[b] For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle(S) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle(T) to the Gentiles. James,(U) Cephas[c](V) and John, those esteemed as pillars,(W) gave me and Barnabas(X) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.(Y) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,(Z) and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,(AA) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

11 When Cephas(AB) came to Antioch,(AC) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James,(AD) he used to eat with the Gentiles.(AE) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.(AF) 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas(AG) was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,(AH) I said to Cephas(AI) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.(AJ) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?(AK)

15 “We who are Jews by birth(AL) and not sinful Gentiles(AM) 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,(AN) but by faith in Jesus Christ.(AO) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.(AP)

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,(AQ) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!(AR) 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

19 “For through the law I died to the law(AS) so that I might live for God.(AT) 20 I have been crucified with Christ(AU) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.(AV) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,(AW) who loved me(AX) and gave himself for me.(AY) 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,(AZ) Christ died for nothing!”[e]

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 2:7 That is, Gentiles
  2. Galatians 2:7 That is, Jews; also in verses 8 and 9
  3. Galatians 2:9 That is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14
  4. Galatians 2:16 Or but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of
  5. Galatians 2:21 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.