Song of Solomon 1-2
English Standard Version
1 The Song of (A)Songs, which is Solomon's.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
She[a]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (B)love is better than wine;
3 your (C)anointing oils are fragrant;
your (D)name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 (E)Draw me after you; (F)let us run.
(G)The king has brought me into his chambers.
Others
We will (H)exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol (I)your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
She
5 I am very dark, but (J)lovely,
O (K)daughters of Jerusalem,
like (L)the tents of (M)Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My (N)mother's sons were angry with me;
they made me (O)keeper of (P)the vineyards,
but (Q)my own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you (R)whom my soul loves,
where you (S)pasture your flock,
where you make it (T)lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your (U)companions?
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
8 If you do not know,
O (V)most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds' tents.
9 I compare you, (W)my love,
to (X)a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
10 (Y)Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
Others
11 We will make for you[b] ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12 While (Z)the king was on his couch,
my (AA)nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of (AB)myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of (AC)henna blossoms
in the vineyards of (AD)Engedi.
He
15 (AE)Behold, (AF)you are beautiful, (AG)my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your (AH)eyes are doves.
She
16 Behold, you are beautiful, (AI)my beloved, truly (AJ)delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are (AK)cedar;
our rafters are (AL)pine.
He
2 As a lily among brambles,
so is (AN)my love among the young women.
She
3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my (AO)beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat (AP)in his shadow,
and his (AQ)fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He (AR)brought me to the banqueting house,[d]
and his (AS)banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with (AT)raisins;
refresh me with apples,
(AU)for I am sick with love.
6 His (AV)left hand is under my head,
and his right hand (AW)embraces me!
7 I (AX)adjure you,[e] O (AY)daughters of Jerusalem,
by (AZ)the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping (BA)over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like (BB)a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
(BC)“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11 for behold, the winter is past;
(BD)the rain is over and gone.
12 (BE)The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing[f] has come,
and the voice of (BF)the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 (BG)The fig tree ripens its figs,
and (BH)the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
(BI)Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14 O my (BJ)dove, in the (BK)clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me (BL)hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is (BM)lovely.
15 Catch (BN)the foxes[g] for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
(BO)for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16 (BP)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he (BQ)grazes[h] among the lilies.
17 Until (BR)the day breathes
and (BS)the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like (BT)a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.[i]
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:2 The translators have added speaker identifications based on the gender and number of the Hebrew words
- Song of Solomon 1:11 The Hebrew for you is feminine singular
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or pruning
- Song of Solomon 2:15 Or jackals
- Song of Solomon 2:16 Or he pastures his flock
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or mountains of Bether
Psalm 132:11-18
English Standard Version
11 (A)The Lord swore to David a sure oath
(B)from which he will not turn back:
(C)“One of the sons of your body[a]
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall (D)sit on your throne.”
13 For the Lord has (E)chosen Zion;
he has (F)desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my (G)resting place forever;
here I will (H)dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly (I)bless her provisions;
I will (J)satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her (K)priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her (L)saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make (M)a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared (N)a lamp for (O)my anointed.
18 His enemies I will (P)clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb
2 Corinthians 9-10
English Standard Version
The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem
9 Now (A)it is superfluous for me to write to you about (B)the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, (C)of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready (D)since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But (E)I am sending[a] the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, (F)as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians (G)come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the (H)gift[b] you have promised, so that it may be ready (I)as a willing gift, (J)not as an exaction.[c]
The Cheerful Giver
6 The point is this: (K)whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[d] will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, (L)not reluctantly or under compulsion, for (M)God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And (N)God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency[e] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
(O)“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies (P)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and (Q)increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 (R)You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which (S)through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying (T)the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, (U)they[f] will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your (V)confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 (W)Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
Paul Defends His Ministry
10 (X)I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the (Y)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you (Z)that when I am present I may not have to show (AA)boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the (AB)weapons of (AC)our warfare are not of the flesh but have (AD)divine power (AE)to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and (AF)every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to (AG)obey Christ, 6 (AH)being ready to punish every disobedience, (AI)when your obedience is complete.
7 (AJ)Look at what is before your eyes. (AK)If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as (AL)he is Christ's, (AM)so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of (AN)our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but (AO)his bodily presence is weak, and (AP)his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we dare to classify or (AQ)compare ourselves with some of those who (AR)are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are (AS)without understanding.
13 But we will not boast (AT)beyond limits, but will (AU)boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, (AV)to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. (AW)For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that (AX)as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be (AY)greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let (AZ)the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is (BA)not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one (BB)whom the Lord commends.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 9:3 Or I have sent
- 2 Corinthians 9:5 Greek blessing; twice in this verse
- 2 Corinthians 9:5 Or a gift expecting something in return; Greek greed
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 Greek with blessings; twice in this verse
- 2 Corinthians 9:8 Or all contentment
- 2 Corinthians 9:13 Or you
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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