1 John 1

New American Standard Bible

The Incarnate Word

1 What was ^(A)from the beginning, what we have ^(B)heard, what we have ^(C)seen with our eyes, what we ^(D)have looked at and ^(E)touched with our hands, concerning the ^(F)Word of Life— ²and ^(G)the life was revealed, and we have ^(H)seen and ^(I)testify and proclaim to you ^(J)the eternal life, which was ^(K)with the Father and was ^(L)revealed to us— ³what we have ^(M)seen and ^(N)heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our ^(O)fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴^(P)These things we write, so that our ^(Q)joy may be made complete.

God Is Light

⁵^(R)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that ^(S)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶^(T)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we ^(U)lie and ^(V)do not practice the truth; ⁷but if we ^(W)walk in the Light as ^(X)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(Y)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸^(Z)If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the ^(AA)truth is not in us. ⁹^(AB)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and ^(AC)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰^(AD)If we say that we have not sinned, we ^(AE)make Him a liar and ^(AF)His word is not in us.

Psalm 138

New American Standard Bible

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.

A Psalm of David.

138 ^(A)I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing Your praises before the ^(B)gods.
²I will bow down ^(C)toward Your holy temple
And ^(D)give thanks to Your name for Your mercy and Your ^[a]truth;
For You have ^(E)made Your ^[b]word great ^[c]according to all Your name.
³On the day I ^(F)called, You answered me;
You made me bold with ^(G)strength in my soul.

⁴^(H)All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
⁵And they will ^(I)sing of the ways of the Lord,
For ^(J)great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶For ^(K)the Lord is exalted,
Yet He ^(L)looks after the lowly,
But He knows the ^(M)haughty from afar.

⁷Though I ^(N)walk in the midst of trouble, You will ^[d]^(O)revive me;
You will ^(P)reach out with Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will ^(Q)save me.
⁸The Lord will ^(R)accomplish what concerns me;
Your ^(S)faithfulness, Lord, is everlasting;
^(T)Do not abandon the ^(U)works of Your hands.

Footnotes

Psalm 138:2 Or faithfulness
Psalm 138:2 Or promise
Psalm 138:2 Or together with
Psalm 138:7 Or keep me alive

Ecclesiastes 12

New American Standard Bible

Remember God in Your Youth

12 ^(A)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the ^(B)evil days come and the years approach when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ²before the ^(C)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; ³on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are ^(D)bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and ^(E)those who look through ^[a]windows grow ^[b]dim; ⁴and the doors on the street are shut as the ^(F)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the ^(G)daughters of song will ^[c]sing softly. ⁵Furthermore, people are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal ^(H)home while the ^(I)mourners move around in the street. ⁶Remember your Creator before the silver cord is ^[d]broken and the ^(J)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; ⁷then the ^(K)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the ^[e]^(L)spirit will return to ^(M)God who gave it. ⁸“^(N)Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”

Purpose of the Preacher

⁹In addition to being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and arranged ^(O)many proverbs. ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find ^(P)delightful words and to write ^(Q)words of truth correctly.

¹¹The ^(R)words of the wise are like ^[f]^(S)goads, and masters of these collections are like driven ^(T)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹²But beyond this, my son, be warned: the ^[g]writing of ^(U)many books is endless, and excessive ^(V)study is ^[h]wearying to the body.

¹³The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: ^(W)fear God and ^(X)keep His commandments, because this applies to ^(Y)every person. ¹⁴For ^(Z)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 12:3 Or holes
Ecclesiastes 12:3 I.e., in their eyesight
Ecclesiastes 12:4 Lit be low
Ecclesiastes 12:6 As in LXX; Heb removed
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Or breath
Ecclesiastes 12:11 I.e., spiked sticks for driving cattle
Ecclesiastes 12:12 Lit making
Ecclesiastes 12:12 Lit weariness

Song of Solomon 1-2

New American Standard Bible

The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

1 The ^[a]Song of ^(A)Songs, which is Solomon’s.

^[b]The Bride

²“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your ^(B)love is ^[c]sweeter than wine.
³Your ^(C)oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your ^(D)name is like ^[d]purified oil;
Therefore the ^[e]^(E)young women love you.
⁴Draw me after you and let’s run together!
The ^(F)king has brought me into his chambers.”

The Chorus

“We will rejoice in you and be joyful;
We will praise your ^(G)love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”

The Bride

⁵“I am black and ^(H)beautiful,
You ^(I)daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the ^(J)tents of ^(K)Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
⁶Do not stare at me because I am ^[f]dark,
For the sun has tanned 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.
⁷Tell me, you ^(N)whom my soul loves,
Where do you ^(O)pasture your flock,
Where do you have it ^(P)lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who ^[g]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your ^(Q)companions?”

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

⁸“If you yourself do not know,
^(R)Most beautiful among women,
Go out on the trail of the flock,
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.

⁹“^[h]To me, ^(S)my darling, you are like
My ^(T)mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
¹⁰Your ^(U)cheeks are delightful with jewelry,
Your neck with strings of ^(V)beads.”

The Chorus

¹¹“We will make for you jewelry of gold
With beads of silver.”

The Bride

¹²“While the king was at his table,
My ^[i]^(W)perfume gave forth its fragrance.
¹³My beloved is to me a pouch of ^(X)myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
¹⁴My beloved is to me a cluster of ^(Y)henna blossoms
In the vineyards of ^(Z)Engedi.”

The Groom

¹⁵“^[j]^(AA)How beautiful you are, my darling,
^[k]How beautiful you are!
Your ^(AB)eyes are like doves.”

The Bride

¹⁶“^[l]How handsome you are, ^(AC)my beloved,
And so delightful!
Indeed, our bed is luxuriant!
¹⁷The beams of our house are ^(AD)cedars,
Our rafters, ^(AE)junipers.

The Bride’s Admiration

2 “I am the ^[m]^(AF)rose of ^(AG)Sharon,
The ^(AH)lily of the valleys.”

The Groom

²“Like a lily among the thorns,
So is ^(AI)my darling among the ^[n]young women.”

The Bride

³“Like an ^(AJ)apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the ^[o]young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his ^(AK)fruit was sweet to my ^[p]taste.
⁴He has ^(AL)brought me to his ^[q]banquet hall,
And his ^(AM)banner over me is love.
⁵Refresh me with ^(AN)raisin cakes,
Sustain me with ^(AO)apples,
Because ^(AP)I am lovesick.
⁶^(AQ)His left hand is under my head,
And ^(AR)his right hand ^(AS)embraces me.”

The Groom

⁷“^(AT)Swear to me, you ^(AU)daughters of Jerusalem,
By the ^(AV)gazelles or by the ^(AW)does of the field,
^(AX)That you will not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

The Bride

⁸“Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Leaping ^(AY)on the mountains,
Jumping on the hills!
⁹My beloved is like a ^(AZ)gazelle or a ^(BA)young ^[r]stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering ^(BB)through the lattice.

¹⁰“My beloved responded and said to me,
‘^(BC)Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
¹¹For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
¹²The blossoms have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for ^[s]pruning the vines,
And the voice of the ^(BD)turtledove has been heard in our land.
¹³The ^(BE)fig tree has ripened its fruit,
And the ^(BF)vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”

The Groom

¹⁴“^(BG)My dove, ^(BH)in the clefts of the ^[t]rock,
In the hiding place of the mountain pathway,
Let me see ^[u]how you look,
^(BI)Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is pleasant,
And ^[v]you look ^(BJ)delightful.”

The Chorus

¹⁵“^(BK)Catch the ^[w]foxes for us,
The ^[x]little ^[y]foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our ^(BL)vineyards are in blossom.”

The Bride

¹⁶“^(BM)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He ^(BN)pastures his flock among the lilies.
¹⁷^(BO)Until the cool of the day, when the shadows flee,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a ^(BP)gazelle
Or a young stag ^(BQ)on the mountains of ^[z]Bether.”