The Torment of Separation

[a]I have (A)come into my garden, (B)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (C)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb [b]and my (D)honey;
I have (E)drunk my wine [c]and my milk.
Eat, (F)friends;
Drink and [d]imbibe deeply, O lovers.”

[e]I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (G)my sister, my darling,
(H)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is [f]drenched with dew,
My (I)locks with the [g]damp of the night.’
“I have (J)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (K)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
“My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my [h](L)feelings were aroused for him.
“I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (M)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with [i]liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
“I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (N)turned away and had gone!
My [j]heart went out to him as he (O)spoke.
I (P)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (Q)called him but he did not answer me.
“The (R)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.
“I (S)adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (T)I am lovesick.”

[k][l]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (U)most beautiful among women?
[m]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That thus you adjure us?”

Admiration by the Bride

10 [n]My beloved is dazzling and (V)ruddy,
[o](W)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 “His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (X)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 “His (Y)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And [p]reposed in their (Z)setting.
13 “His cheeks are like a (AA)bed of balsam,
Banks of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are (AB)lilies
(AC)Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 “His hands are rods of gold
Set with (AD)beryl;
His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with [q](AE)sapphires.
15 “His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (AF)Lebanon
Choice as the (AG)cedars.
16 “His [r](AH)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (AI)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 5:1 BRIDEGROOM
  2. Song of Solomon 5:1 Lit with
  3. Song of Solomon 5:1 Lit with
  4. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or become drunk
  5. Song of Solomon 5:2 BRIDE
  6. Song of Solomon 5:2 Lit filled
  7. Song of Solomon 5:2 Lit drops
  8. Song of Solomon 5:4 Lit bowels
  9. Song of Solomon 5:5 Lit passing
  10. Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit soul
  11. Song of Solomon 5:9 CHORUS
  12. Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
  13. Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
  14. Song of Solomon 5:10 BRIDE
  15. Song of Solomon 5:10 Lit Lifted up banner
  16. Song of Solomon 5:12 Lit sitting upon
  17. Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit lapis lazuli
  18. Song of Solomon 5:16 Lit palate

The Lord Extolled for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will (A)extol You, (B)my God, O King,
And I will (C)bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will (D)praise Your name forever and ever.
(E)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And His (F)greatness is unsearchable.
One (G)generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the (H)glorious [a]splendor of Your majesty
And (I)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
Men shall speak of the [b]power of Your (J)awesome acts,
And I will (K)tell of Your greatness.
They shall [c]eagerly utter the memory of Your (L)abundant goodness
And will (M)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 145:5 Or majesty of Your splendor
  2. Psalm 145:6 Or strength
  3. Psalm 145:7 Or bubble over with

The Beast from the Sea

13 And the dragon stood on the sand of the [a]seashore.

Then I saw a (A)beast coming up out of the sea, having (B)ten horns and (C)seven heads, and on his horns were (D)ten diadems, and on his heads were (E)blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was (F)like a leopard, and his feet were like those of (G)a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of (H)a lion. And the (I)dragon gave him his power and his (J)throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been [b]slain, and his (K)fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth (L)was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the (M)dragon because he (N)gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “(O)Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” There was given to him a mouth (P)speaking [c]arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for (Q)forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, (R)those who [d]dwell in heaven.

It was also given to him to (S)make war with the [e]saints and to overcome them, and authority over (T)every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who (U)dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone (V)whose name has not been [f]written (W)from the foundation of the world in the (X)book of life of (Y)the Lamb who has been slain. (Z)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 (AA)If anyone [g]is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; (AB)if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is (AC)the [h]perseverance and the faith of the [i]saints.

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then (AD)I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had (AE)two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a (AF)dragon. 12 He (AG)exercises all the authority of the first beast [j](AH)in his presence. And he makes (AI)the earth and those who dwell in it to (AJ)worship the first beast, whose (AK)fatal wound was healed. 13 He (AL)performs great signs, so that he even makes (AM)fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he (AN)deceives (AO)those who dwell on the earth because of (AP)the signs which it was given him to perform [k](AQ)in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the (AR)wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even [l]speak and cause (AS)as many as do not (AT)worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, (AU)the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, [m]to be given a (AV)mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the (AW)mark, either (AX)the name of the beast or (AY)the number of his name. 18 (AZ)Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that (BA)of a man; and his number is [n]six hundred and sixty-six.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 13:1 Lit sea
  2. Revelation 13:3 Lit slaughtered to death
  3. Revelation 13:5 Lit great things
  4. Revelation 13:6 Or tabernacle
  5. Revelation 13:7 Or holy ones
  6. Revelation 13:8 Or written in the book...slain from the foundation of the world
  7. Revelation 13:10 Or leads into captivity
  8. Revelation 13:10 Or steadfastness
  9. Revelation 13:10 Or holy ones
  10. Revelation 13:12 Or by his authority
  11. Revelation 13:14 Or by the authority of
  12. Revelation 13:15 One early ms reads speak, and he will cause
  13. Revelation 13:16 Lit causes all,...that they give them a mark
  14. Revelation 13:18 One early ms reads 616