Song of Solomon 4-5
English Standard Version
Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty
He
4 Behold, (A)you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
(B)Your eyes are doves
(C)behind your veil.
(D)Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down (E)the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your (F)teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like (G)a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is (H)lovely.
Your (I)cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
(J)behind your veil.
4 Your (K)neck is like the tower of David,
built in (L)rows of stone;[a]
on it (M)hang a thousand shields,
all of (N)them shields of warriors.
5 Your (O)two breasts are like two (P)fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that (Q)graze among the lilies.
6 (R)Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of (S)myrrh
and the hill of (T)frankincense.
7 (U)You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no (V)flaw in you.
8 (W)Come with me from (X)Lebanon, my (Y)bride;
come with me from (Z)Lebanon.
Depart[b] from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of (AA)Senir and (AB)Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have captivated my heart, my (AC)sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one (AD)jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my (AE)sister, my bride!
How much (AF)better is your love than wine,
and (AG)the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your (AH)lips drip nectar, my bride;
(AI)honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is (AJ)like the fragrance of (AK)Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my (AL)sister, my bride,
a spring locked, (AM)a fountain (AN)sealed.
13 Your shoots are (AO)an orchard of pomegranates
with all (AP)choicest fruits,
(AQ)henna with (AR)nard,
14 nard and saffron, (AS)calamus and (AT)cinnamon,
with all trees of (AU)frankincense,
(AV)myrrh and (AW)aloes,
with all (AX)choice spices—
15 a garden fountain, a well of (AY)living water,
and flowing streams from (AZ)Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my (BA)garden,
let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
He
5 I (BE)came to my garden, my (BF)sister, my bride,
I gathered my (BG)myrrh with my spice,
I ate my (BH)honeycomb with my honey,
I (BI)drank my wine with my milk.
Others
Eat, (BJ)friends, drink,
and be drunk with love!
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
She
2 I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is (BK)knocking.
“Open to me, my (BL)sister, my (BM)love,
my (BN)dove, my (BO)perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my (BP)locks with the drops of the night.”
3 (BQ)I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had (BR)bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with (BS)liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he (BT)spoke.
(BU)I sought him, but found him not;
(BV)I called him, but he gave no answer.
7 (BW)The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8 I (BX)adjure you, O (BY)daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
(BZ)I am sick with love.
Others
9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O (CA)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus (CB)adjure us?
The Bride Praises Her Beloved
She
10 My beloved is radiant and (CC)ruddy,
(CD)distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
(CE)his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His (CF)eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool.[c]
13 His (CG)cheeks are like (CH)beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are (CI)lilies,
dripping (CJ)liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with (CK)jewels.
His body is polished ivory,[d]
bedecked with (CL)sapphires.[e]
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like (CM)Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His (CN)mouth[f] is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O (CO)daughters of Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Or Look
- Song of Solomon 5:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Hebrew lapis lazuli
- Song of Solomon 5:16 Hebrew palate
Mark 8
English Standard Version
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
8 (A)In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 (B)“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, (C)“Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and (D)having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And (E)having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And (F)they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, (G)seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into (H)the boat with his disciples and went to the district of (I)Dalmanutha.[a]
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
11 (J)The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, (K)seeking from him (L)a sign from heaven (M)to test him. 12 And (N)he sighed deeply (O)in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And (P)he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; (Q)beware of (R)the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of (S)Herod.”[b] 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And (T)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? (U)Do you not yet perceive (V)or understand? (W)Are your hearts hardened? 18 (X)Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke (Y)the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And (Z)the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 And they came (AA)to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And (AB)he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when (AC)he had (AD)spit on his eyes and (AE)laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus[c] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, (AF)“Do not even enter the village.”
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 (AG)And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, (AH)“John the Baptist; and others say, (AI)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, (AJ)“You are (AK)the Christ.” 30 (AL)And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 (AM)And he began to teach them that (AN)the Son of Man must (AO)suffer many things and (AP)be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and (AQ)after three days rise again. 32 And he said this (AR)plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, (AS)“Get behind me, Satan! For you (AT)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him (AU)deny himself and (AV)take up his cross and follow me. 35 For (AW)whoever would save his life[d] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake (AX)and the gospel's will save it. 36 (AY)For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For (AZ)what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For (BA)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this (BB)adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed (BC)when he comes in the glory of his Father with (BD)the holy angels.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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