Song of Songs 6-8
New International Version
Friends
6 Where has your beloved(A) gone,
most beautiful of women?(B)
Which way did your beloved turn,
that we may look for him with you?
She
2 My beloved has gone(C) down to his garden,(D)
to the beds of spices,(E)
to browse in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(F)
he browses among the lilies.(G)
He
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(H) my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,(I)
as majestic as troops with banners.(J)
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.(K)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing.(L)
7 Your temples behind your veil(M)
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(N)
8 Sixty queens(O) there may be,
and eighty concubines,(P)
and virgins beyond number;
9 but my dove,(Q) my perfect one,(R) is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.(S)
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.
Friends
10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?
He
11 I went down to the grove of nut trees
to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.(T)
12 Before I realized it,
my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[a]
Friends
13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!
He
7 [c]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s(V) daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
3 Your breasts(W) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.(X)
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon(Y)
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon(Z)
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.(AA)
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
6 How beautiful(AB) you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!(AC)
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts(AD) like clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,(AE)
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,(AF)
flowing gently over lips and teeth.[d]
10 I belong to my beloved,
and his desire(AG) is for me.(AH)
11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages.[e]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards(AI)
to see if the vines have budded,(AJ)
if their blossoms(AK) have opened,
and if the pomegranates(AL) are in bloom(AM)—
there I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(AN) send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my beloved.(AO)
8 If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house(AP)—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
3 His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.(AQ)
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(AR)
Friends
5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness(AS)
leaning on her beloved?
She
Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived(AT) you,
there she who was in labor gave you birth.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love(AU) is as strong as death,
its jealousy[f](AV) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.[g]
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it[h] would be utterly scorned.(AW)
Friends
8 We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
She
10 I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard(AX) in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels[i](AY) of silver.
12 But my own vineyard(AZ) is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred[j] are for those who tend its fruit.
He
13 You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
She
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
- Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
- Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
- Song of Songs 7:9 Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew lips of sleepers
- Song of Songs 7:11 Or the henna bushes
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
- Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
- Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
- Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
Galatians 1
New International Version
1 Paul, an apostle(A)—sent not from men nor by a man,(B) but by Jesus Christ(C) and God the Father,(D) who raised him from the dead(E)— 2 and all the brothers and sisters[a] with me,(F)
To the churches in Galatia:(G)
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,(H) 4 who gave himself for our sins(I) to rescue us from the present evil age,(J) according to the will of our God and Father,(K) 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.(L)
No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called(M) you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel(N)— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion(O) and are trying to pervert(P) the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,(Q) let them be under God’s curse!(R) 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,(S) let them be under God’s curse!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?(T) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters,(U) that the gospel I preached(V) is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man,(W) nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation(X) from Jesus Christ.(Y)
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,(Z) how intensely I persecuted the church of God(AA) and tried to destroy it.(AB) 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous(AC) for the traditions of my fathers.(AD) 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb(AE) and called me(AF) by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,(AG) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.(AH) 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.(AI)
18 Then after three years,(AJ) I went up to Jerusalem(AK) to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James,(AL) the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God(AM) that what I am writing you is no lie.(AN)
21 Then I went to Syria(AO) and Cilicia.(AP) 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea(AQ) that are in Christ.(AR) 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith(AS) he once tried to destroy.”(AT) 24 And they praised God(AU) because of me.
Footnotes
- Galatians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:1, 18.
- Galatians 1:18 That is, Peter
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