Song of Solomon 7-8
English Standard Version
7 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O (A)noble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like (B)jewels,
the work of (C)a master hand.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with (D)lilies.
3 (E)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your (F)neck is like an ivory tower.
Your (G)eyes are pools in (H)Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of (I)Lebanon,
which looks toward (J)Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like (K)Carmel,
and your (L)flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6 (M)How beautiful and (N)pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights![a]
7 Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like (O)clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
9 and your (P)mouth[b] like the best wine.
She
It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding over lips and teeth.[c]
The Bride Gives Her Love
11 (S)Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages;[d]
12 let us go out early to the vineyards
(T)and see whether the vines have budded,
whether (U)the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13 (V)The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
(W)new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Longing for Her Beloved
8 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother's breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me.
2 I would lead you and (X)bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you (Y)spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
3 (Z)His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
4 I (AA)adjure you, O (AB)daughters of Jerusalem,
(AC)that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
5 (AD)Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as (AE)a seal upon your arm,
for (AF)love is strong as death,
(AG)jealousy[e] is fierce as the grave.[f]
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very (AH)flame of the Lord.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his (AI)house,
he[g] would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
8 We have a little sister,
and she (AJ)has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with (AK)boards of cedar.
She
10 (AL)I was a wall,
and my (AM)breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds[h] peace.
11 Solomon had (AN)a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he (AO)let out the vineyard to (AP)keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit (AQ)a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and (AR)the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
13 (AS)O you who dwell in the gardens,
with (AT)companions listening for your voice;
(AU)let me hear it.
She
14 (AV)Make haste, my beloved,
and be (AW)like a gazelle
or a young stag
on (AX)the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 7:6 Or among delights
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Hebrew palate
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew causing the lips of sleepers to speak, or gliding over the lips of those who sleep
- Song of Solomon 7:11 Or among the henna plants
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or ardor
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Hebrew as Sheol
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Or it
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or brings out
Psalm 127
English Standard Version
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of (A)Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord (B)watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious (C)toil;
for he gives to his (D)beloved (E)sleep.
3 Behold, (F)children are a heritage from the Lord,
(G)the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of (H)a warrior
are the children[a] of one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies (I)in the gate.[b]
Footnotes
- Psalm 127:4 Or sons
- Psalm 127:5 Or They shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate
2 Thessalonians 2
English Standard Version
The Man of Lawlessness
2 Now concerning (A)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our (B)being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,[a] 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or (C)alarmed, either (D)by a spirit or a (E)spoken word, or (F)a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that (G)the day of the Lord has come. 3 (H)Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, (I)unless the rebellion comes first, and (J)the man of lawlessness[b] is revealed, (K)the son of destruction,[c] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, (L)proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For (M)the mystery of lawlessness (N)is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then (O)the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus (P)will kill with (Q)the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by (R)the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan (S)with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for (T)those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore (U)God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe (V)what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned (W)who did not believe the truth but (X)had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Firm
13 But (Y)we ought always to give thanks to God for you, (Z)brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you (AA)as the firstfruits[d] (AB)to be saved, (AC)through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through (AD)our gospel, (AE)so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, (AF)stand firm and hold to (AG)the traditions that you were taught by us, either (AH)by our spoken word or by (AI)our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, (AJ)who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good (AK)hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and (AL)establish them in every good work and word.
Footnotes
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Some manuscripts sin
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom)
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Bible Gateway Recommends
