In my bed at night[a]
I sought the one I love;(A)
I sought him, but did not find him.[b](B)
I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and the plazas.(C)
I will seek the one I love.
I sought him, but did not find him.
The guards who go about the city found me.(D)
I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”
I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house(E)
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[c](F)

Narrator

Who is this(G) coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense(H)
from every fragrant powder of the merchant?

Look! Solomon’s bed
surrounded by sixty warriors
from the mighty men of Israel.
All of them are skilled with swords
and trained in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side(I)
to guard against the terror of the night.(J)

King Solomon made a carriage for himself
with wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back[d] of gold,
and its seat of purple.
Its interior is inlaid with love[e]
by the young women of Jerusalem.(K)
11 Go out, young women of Zion,(L)
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown his mother placed on him
on the day of his wedding(M)
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.

Man

How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves.(N)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.(O)
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one bearing twins,
and none has lost its young.[f](P)
Your lips are like a scarlet cord,(Q)
and your mouth[g] is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow[h] is like a slice of pomegranate.(R)
Your neck is like the tower of David,(S)
constructed in layers.
A thousand shields are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,(T) that feed among the lilies.
Until the day breaks[i]
and the shadows flee,(U)
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(V)
You are absolutely beautiful,(W) my darling;
there is no imperfection in you.

Come with me from Lebanon,[j](X) my bride;(Y)
come with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon,(Z)
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
You have captured my heart,(AA) my sister,(AB) my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,(AC)
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.(AD)
Honey and milk(AE) are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—
a locked garden[k] and a sealed spring.(AF)
13 Your branches are a paradise[l] of pomegranates
with choicest fruits;(AG)
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,(AH)
with all the trees of frankincense,(AI)
myrrh and aloes,(AJ)
with all the best spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of flowing water(AK)
streaming from Lebanon.

Woman

16 Awaken,(AL) north wind;
come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and spread the fragrance of its spices.
Let my love come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits.(AM)

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Or bed night after night
  2. 3:1 LXX adds I called him, but he did not answer me
  3. 3:5 Lit until it pleases
  4. 3:10 Or base, or canopy
  5. 3:10 Or leather
  6. 4:2 Lit and no one bereaved among them
  7. 4:3 Or speech
  8. 4:3 Or temple, or cheek, or lips
  9. 4:6 Lit breathes
  10. 4:8 In Hb, the word for Lebanon is similar to “frankincense” in Sg 4:6,14,15.
  11. 4:12 Some Hb mss read locked fountain
  12. 4:13 Or park, or orchard

All night long on my bed
    I looked(A) 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.(B)
    “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,(C)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(D)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(E)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(F)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(G)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(H) and incense
    made from all the spices(I) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(J)
    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.(K)
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.(L)
Look[a] 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.(M)

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(N) are doves.(O)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(P)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
    not one of them is alone.(Q)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(R) is lovely.(S)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(T)
Your neck is like the tower(U) of David,
    built with courses of stone[b];
on it hang a thousand shields,(V)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(W) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(X)
    that browse among the lilies.(Y)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(Z)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(AA)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(AB) my darling;
    there is no flaw(AC) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(AD)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(AE) the summit of Hermon,(AF)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(AG)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(AH)
10 How delightful(AI) is your love(AJ), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(AK)
and the fragrance of your perfume(AL)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(AM)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(AN)
12 You are a garden(AO) locked up, my sister, my bride;(AP)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(AQ)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(AR)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(AS) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(AT)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(AU) and aloes(AV)
    and all the finest spices.(AW)
15 You are[c] a garden(AX) fountain,(AY)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(AZ)
    that its fragrance(BA) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(BB) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
  2. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  3. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you(A) to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,(B) holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.[a] Do not be conformed(C) to this age,(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,(E) so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will(F) of God.

Many Gifts but One Body

For by the grace(G) given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think.(H) Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith(I) to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body,(J) and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many(K) are one body in Christ(L) and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:(M) If prophecy,(N) use it according to the proportion of one’s[b] faith; if service,(O) use it in service; if teaching,(P) in teaching; if exhorting,(Q) in exhortation; giving, with generosity;(R) leading,(S) with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.(T)

Christian Ethics

Let love be without hypocrisy.(U) Detest evil;(V) cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.(W) Take the lead in honoring one another.(X) 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit;[c](Y) serve the Lord.(Z) 12 Rejoice in hope;(AA) be patient in affliction;(AB) be persistent in prayer.(AC) 13 Share with the saints in their needs;(AD) pursue hospitality.(AE) 14 Bless those who persecute you;(AF) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;(AG) weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another.(AH) Do not be proud;(AI) instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.(AJ) 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.(AK) Give careful thought to do what is honorable(AL) in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(AM) 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,[d](AN) says the Lord. 20 But

If your enemy is hungry, feed him.(AO)
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.[e](AP)

21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Footnotes

  1. 12:1 Or your reasonable service
  2. 12:6 Or the, also in v. 19
  3. 12:11 Or in spirit
  4. 12:19 Dt 32:35
  5. 12:20 Pr 25:21–22

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you,(A) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,(B) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform(C) to the pattern of this world,(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(E) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is(F)—his good, pleasing(G) and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

For by the grace given me(H) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,(I) so in Christ we, though many, form one body,(J) and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts,(K) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,(L) then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith;(M) if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;(N) if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;(O) if it is giving, then give generously;(P) if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

Love must be sincere.(Q) Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.(R) 10 Be devoted to one another in love.(S) Honor one another above yourselves.(T) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,(U) serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope,(V) patient in affliction,(W) faithful in prayer.(X) 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.(Y) Practice hospitality.(Z)

14 Bless those who persecute you;(AA) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.(AB) 16 Live in harmony with one another.(AC) Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.(AD)

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.(AE) Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.(AF) 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(AG) 19 Do not take revenge,(AH) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d](AI) says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e](AJ)

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:6 Or the
  2. Romans 12:8 Or to provide for others
  3. Romans 12:16 Or willing to do menial work
  4. Romans 12:19 Deut. 32:35
  5. Romans 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22

Psalm 100

Be Thankful

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!(A)
Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.(B)
Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his[a](C)
his people, the sheep of his pasture.(D)
Enter his gates with thanksgiving(E)
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.(F)
For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;
his faithfulness, through all generations.

Footnotes

  1. 100:3 Alt Hb tradition, some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read and not we ourselves

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

Shout for joy(A) to the Lord, all the earth.
    Worship the Lord(B) with gladness;
    come before him(C) with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.(D)
    It is he who made us,(E) and we are his[a];
    we are his people,(F) the sheep of his pasture.(G)

Enter his gates with thanksgiving(H)
    and his courts(I) with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.(J)
For the Lord is good(K) and his love endures forever;(L)
    his faithfulness(M) continues through all generations.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves

The lamp that guides the wicked—
haughty eyes and an arrogant heart(A)—is sin.

The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.(B)

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Haughty eyes(A) and a proud heart—
    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit(B)
    as surely as haste leads to poverty.

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