The Lovers Speak

“Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
“I would lead you and (A)bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
“Let (B)his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”

[a](C)I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
[b]Do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [c]she pleases.”

[d](D)Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning on her beloved?”

[e]Beneath the [f](E)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother was in labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave you birth.
“Put me like a [g]seal over your heart,
Like a (F)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[h](G)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[i]The very flame of the Lord.
“Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
(H)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”

[j]We have a little sister,
And she (I)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
“If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with (J)planks of cedar.”

10 [k]I was a wall, and (K)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 “Solomon had a (L)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (M)entrusted the vineyard to (N)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (O)thousand shekels of silver for its (P)fruit.
12 “My very own vineyard is [l]at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”

13 [m]O you who sit in the gardens,
My (Q)companions are listening for your voice—
(R)Let me hear it!”

14 [n][o]Hurry, my beloved,
And be (S)like a gazelle or a young [p]stag
On the (T)mountains of spices.”

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 8:4 BRIDEGROOM
  2. Song of Solomon 8:4 Or Why should you arouse
  3. Song of Solomon 8:4 Or it
  4. Song of Solomon 8:5 CHORUS
  5. Song of Solomon 8:5 BRIDE
  6. Song of Solomon 8:5 Or apricot
  7. Song of Solomon 8:6 Or signet
  8. Song of Solomon 8:6 Or Its ardor is as inflexible
  9. Song of Solomon 8:6 Another reading is A vehement flame
  10. Song of Solomon 8:8 CHORUS
  11. Song of Solomon 8:10 BRIDE
  12. Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit before me
  13. Song of Solomon 8:13 BRIDEGROOM
  14. Song of Solomon 8:14 BRIDE
  15. Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit Flee
  16. Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit of the stags

The Lord an Abundant Helper.

146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
(D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.

The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 146:1 Or Hallelujah!
  2. Psalm 146:1 Heb Yah
  3. Psalm 146:3 Lit a son of a man
  4. Psalm 146:4 Lit his earth
  5. Psalm 146:6 Or truth
  6. Psalm 146:9 Or keeps
  7. Psalm 146:9 Or sojourners
  8. Psalm 146:9 Or relieves
  9. Psalm 146:9 Lit makes crooked
  10. Psalm 146:10 Or Hallelujah!
  11. Psalm 146:10 Heb Yah

Six Bowls of Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from (A)the [a]temple, saying to the (B)seven angels, “Go and (C)pour out [b]on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl [c](D)on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant (E)sore on the [d]people (F)who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

The second angel poured out his bowl (G)into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living [e]thing in the sea died.

Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the (H)rivers and the springs of waters; and they (I)became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “(J)Righteous are You, (K)who are and who were, O (L)Holy One, because You (M)judged these things; for they poured out (N)the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them (O)blood to drink. They [f]deserve it.” And I heard (P)the altar saying, “Yes, O (Q)Lord God, the Almighty, (R)true and righteous are Your judgments.”

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon (S)the sun, (T)and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with [g]fierce heat; and they (U)blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they (V)did not repent so as to (W)give Him glory.

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the (X)throne of the beast, and his kingdom became (Y)darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they (Z)blasphemed the (AA)God of heaven because of their pains and their (AB)sores; and they (AC)did not repent of their deeds.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the (AD)great river, the Euphrates; and (AE)its water was dried up, so that (AF)the way would be prepared for the kings (AG)from the [h]east.

Armageddon

13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the (AH)dragon and out of the mouth of the (AI)beast and out of the mouth of the (AJ)false prophet, three (AK)unclean spirits like (AL)frogs; 14 for they are (AM)spirits of demons, (AN)performing signs, which go out to the kings of the (AO)whole [i]world, to (AP)gather them together for the war of the (AQ)great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, (AR)I am coming like a thief. (AS)Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, (AT)so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) 16 And they (AU)gathered them together to the place which (AV)in Hebrew is called [j](AW)Har-Magedon.

Seventh Bowl of Wrath

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon (AX)the air, and a (AY)loud voice came out of the [k](AZ)temple from the throne, saying, “(BA)It is done.” 18 And there were flashes of (BB)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was (BC)a great earthquake, (BD)such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 (BE)The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the [l]nations fell. (BF)Babylon the great was (BG)remembered before God, to give her (BH)the cup of the wine of [m]His fierce wrath. 20 And (BI)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And (BJ)huge [n]hailstones, about [o]one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men (BK)blasphemed God because of the (BL)plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely [p]severe.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 16:1 Or sanctuary
  2. Revelation 16:1 Lit into
  3. Revelation 16:2 Lit into
  4. Revelation 16:2 Gr anthropoi
  5. Revelation 16:3 Lit soul
  6. Revelation 16:6 Lit are worthy
  7. Revelation 16:9 Lit great
  8. Revelation 16:12 Lit rising of the sun
  9. Revelation 16:14 Lit inhabited earth
  10. Revelation 16:16 Two early mss read Armagedon
  11. Revelation 16:17 Or sanctuary
  12. Revelation 16:19 Or Gentiles
  13. Revelation 16:19 Lit wrath of His anger
  14. Revelation 16:21 Lit hail
  15. Revelation 16:21 Lit the weight of a talent
  16. Revelation 16:21 Lit great