Bible in 90 Days
Everything in Its Time
3
For everything there is an appointed time.
There is an appropriate time for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to give birth and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot plants,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones,
a time to embrace and a time not to embrace,
6 a time to search and a time to stop searching,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to rip and a time to sew,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his hard work? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the children of Adam to keep them busy. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Yes, he has also put eternity in their hearts, yet it is not possible for man to understand the work that God has done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy good things[a] while they live. 13 Also, when anyone eats, drinks, and experiences the good things that his hard work leads to—this is God’s gift.
14 I know that everything God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. God acts so that people will fear him. 15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been. God makes whatever has already passed come again.[b]
There Is No Justice
16 I saw something else under the sun: In the place where justice should be, there was wickedness, and in the place for righteousness, there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked. Yes, there will be a time for every case to be settled before God.”[c]
18 So I said in my heart, “This is done so that God can test the children of Adam, so that they can see what animals they are if left to themselves.”[d] 19 For the outcome[e] for the children of Adam and the outcome for animals is the same. One dies just like the other. All have the same breath. Mankind has no advantage over animals, because everything is vapor. 20 All go to the same place. All were from the dust, and to the dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit[f] of the man goes upward, and the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for man than to be happy in his activities, since that is his reward.[g] For who will show him what there will be after him?
4 I looked again, and I saw all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Just look at the tears of the oppressed, who have no one to comfort them! Their violent oppressors had the upper hand, and there was no one to comfort them.
2 So I congratulate the dead, who already have died, more than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than either of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil done under the sun.
4 I also saw that all hard work and all accomplishment are the result of a person’s envy of his neighbor. This too is vapor and chasing the wind.
5 The fool idly folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better one handful with relaxation, than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.
7 I looked again and saw another example of meaningless vapor under the sun: 8 There was a single person all alone, without even a son or a brother, and there was no end to all his hard work. His eyes also were not satisfied with wealth. “So for whom am I working so hard,” he asks, “and depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is vapor and a miserable task.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. 10 If one of them falls, his companion can lift him up. Pity the person who falls and has no one else to lift him up. 11 What’s more, if two lie down, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm alone? 12 Though an attacker can overpower one person, two people together can stand up against him. A rope with three strands is not quickly snapped.
13 Better a poor but wise child than an old but foolish king, who no longer knows enough to pay attention to a warning, 14 for he came out of prison to rule as king, even though he had been born poor in the land that became his kingdom.[h] 15 I saw that all the living, all those people walking under the sun, sided with the king’s successor, the child who took his place. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. Yet people who come later will not be pleased with him. This too is vapor and chasing the wind.
Empty Vows, Empty Words
5 Watch your step when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen, rather than to give the kind of sacrifice fools give, for they do not know that they are doing wrong.[i] 2 Do not be hasty with your mouth, and in your heart do not be in a hurry to bring a matter before God, because God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 As too much busyness leads to dreams, too many words lead to foolish talk.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for he takes no delight in fools. Fulfill whatever you have vowed. 5 Better that you do not vow, than that you do make a vow and do not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say to the temple official that the vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry because of what you say and ruin the work your hands have done?
7 A lot of dreaming produces a lot of vapor. So does a lot of words.[j] Instead, fear God.
Life Is Futile
8 If you see the poor being oppressed, and you see the province being robbed of justice and fairness, do not be shocked about the situation, because one high official is watched by a higher one, and higher ones are over them! 9 All officials take their cut of the profit from the land; even the king benefits from the fields.[k]
10 Anyone who loves money is never satisfied with money, and anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is vanishing vapor.
11 When goods increase, so do those who eat them. What profit, then, does the owner get, except to see these things with his eyes?
12 The worker’s sleep is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but a rich person’s abundant possessions allow him no sleep.
13 I have seen a sickening evil under the sun—wealth hoarded by its owner to his own harm, 14 or wealth that is lost in a bad investment. Or a man fathers a son, but he has nothing left in his hand to give him. 15 As he came out from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came. From his hard work he can pick up nothing that he can carry away in his hand. 16 This too is a sickening evil: Just as he came, so he will go. So what does he gain, he who works for the wind? 17 Besides this, during all his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, sickness, and anger.
18 So then, here is what I have seen to be good: It is beautiful to eat, to drink, and to look for good in all a person’s hard work which he has done under the sun, during the few days of his life that God has given him, for that is his reward. 19 Likewise, for everyone to whom God has given wealth and riches, if God has also given him ability to eat from it, to enjoy his reward,[l] and to rejoice in the results of his hard work—this is a gift of God, 20 for the man seldom reflects on the days of his life, since God keeps him busy with the joy in his heart.
6 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, a common burden that people bear:[m] 2 God gives somebody wealth, riches, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of everything that he craves, but God does not give him the opportunity to eat it. Instead, a stranger eats it. This is vapor, and a sickening evil.
3 A man may father a hundred children and live many years, but if his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, no matter how many days he lives, I say, “A stillborn baby is better off than he is.” 4 Why? Because that baby comes like a vapor and leaves in darkness, and its name gets covered in darkness. 5 The baby does not see the sun or know it,[n] but it enjoys more peaceful rest than that man does, 6 even if that man would live a thousand years two times without enjoying good things. They all go to the same place, don’t they?
7 All of a man’s hard work is to feed his mouth, but his appetite[o] never feels satisfied.
8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? What advantage does a poor man gain, who knows how to keep walking among the living?[p] 9 Better to have eyes that look at what is actually there than desires that roam. This too is vapor and chasing the wind.
10 Whatever exists already has its name,[q] and it is already known what man is. He is not able to win in court against one who is stronger than he is.[r]
11 Yes, the more words,[s] the more vapor. What advantage does a man have?
12 For who knows what is good for a man in life, in the few days of his life, that vanishes like vapor, that passes like a shadow?[t] Who will tell the man what will be after him, under the sun?
What Is Better?
7 A good reputation is better than the best perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of his birth. 2 Better to go to a funeral than to a feast,[u] since death is the final destination for all mankind. The living must take this to heart! 3 Grief is better than laughter, because a sad face does a heart good.
4 The hearts of the wise think about the funeral, but the hearts of fools think about the feast. 5 It is better to hear a rebuke from a wise man than to listen to a happy song from fools, 6 for the fool’s laughter sounds like thorns crackling under a cooking pot. This too is vapor.
7 To be sure, oppressing others[v] turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts his heart.
8 It is better to finish something than to begin something. A patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.
9 Do not be quick to lose your temper, for outrage is embraced by fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” Wisdom would not lead you to ask such a question.
11 Wisdom along with an inheritance[w] is good. It is an advantage for those who see the sun, 12 because wisdom gives shade as money gives shade, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom keeps its owner alive.
Keep Your Balance
13 Look at the work of God. Indeed, who can straighten what he has bent?
14 On a good day, enjoy the good, but on a bad day, consider carefully. God has made the one as well as the other, so no man can find out about anything that will come later.
15 During my days that vanish like vapor, I have seen it all. For instance, a righteous man perishes despite being righteous, while an evil man lives for a long time in spite of his evil.
16 Do not be overly righteous. Do not trust too much in wisdom. Why ruin yourself? 17 Do not be overly wicked, either, and do not be a fool. Why die before your time? 18 It is good that you hang on to one alternative, but do not let go of the other, for one who fears God will avoid both extremes.[x]
19 Wisdom makes one wise man stronger than ten rulers who are in the city.
20 There is surely not a righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin.
21 Furthermore, do not take to heart all the words people say, so that you do not hear your servant cursing you. 22 Yes, you know in your heart that many times you too have cursed others.
23 All this I tested with wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was out of reach for me. 24 What has already happened is out of reach, and deeper than deep. Who can find it?
25 I turned my heart to know, to investigate, and to seek wisdom, and to find out how things fit together,[y] and to know that wickedness is foolishness and stupidity is madness.
26 I kept finding out that a woman whose heart is a trap is more bitter than death. Her heart is a hunter’s net. Her hands are chains. The man whom God recognizes as good will escape from her, but the sinner gets trapped by her.
27 “Look,” says Ecclesiastes, “this is what I found by adding one thing to another in my attempts to find how things fit together— 28 this is something my soul keeps seeking but has not found. One man out of a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found.[z]
29 “Look, I have found only this: I have found that God made mankind[aa] upright, but they have gone off looking for many schemes.”
8 Who is such a wise man? And who knows how to explain a situation? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine and softens the hard look on his face.
2 Obey the king’s command[ab] because of your oath before God.[ac] 3 Do not quickly leave his presence. Do not stand up for[ad] a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 For a king’s word is supreme, and who will say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 Whoever obeys a command will experience no harm, and a wise heart will know the right time and the right way to act, 6 because for each situation there is a right time and a right way to act, although evil may weigh a man down. 7 But no one knows what will be. Indeed, who can tell him what will be?[ae] 8 As no one has power to restrain the wind, there is no power over the day of death. No discharge is granted during war, and wickedness will not deliver those who practice it.
Life Is Not Fair
9 All this I saw while I was applying my heart to every work done under the sun, during this time when one man has power over another to harm him.[af] 10 While doing this, I have seen wicked people buried. They had come and gone from the holy place, and they were praised[ag] in the city where they had done so! This too is vapor.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not carried out quickly, people’s hearts are emboldened to do evil.
12 Though a sinner commits a hundred crimes and lives for a long time,[ah] I nevertheless know that it will turn out well for those who fear God, who stand in awe before him. 13 But it will not be good for the wicked. Such a man will not lengthen his days like a shadow, since he does not stand in fear before God.
14 Another example of vapor that appears on the earth is when righteous people get what the wicked deserve for their actions, and wicked people get what the righteous deserve for their actions. I said, “This too is vapor.”
15 So I sang the praises of pleasure, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. Such joy will stay with him during his hard work, throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to observe the tiresome business done on the earth (even though it keeps a person from sleeping day or night), 17 I saw everything that God has done, but no man can grasp all the work that is done under the sun. No matter how hard a man works to explore it, he cannot discover it all. Even if the wise man claims to know it, he cannot find it.
9 Nevertheless, as I pondered all this in my heart, I wanted to make all this clear—that the righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hand. Will there be love or hate? No one knows anything that is ahead of him. 2 Everything turns out the same for everyone. One destination waits for the righteous and the wicked, and the good,[ai] the ceremonially clean and the unclean, the one who brings sacrifices and the one who does not. As it will be for the good, so it will be for the sinner. As it will be for the one who swears an oath, so it will be for the one who is afraid to take an oath.
3 This is an evil that infects everything done under the sun. Yes, they all share one fate. What’s more, people’s hearts are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts as long as they live. After that they go to the dead.
4 Now, whoever is still joined to all the living has hope, because a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 At least the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have already perished, and they will never again take part in anything done under the sun.
7 Go ahead, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God is already pleased with what you do. 8 Wear white clothes all the time. Always put lotion on your head.
9 Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your life, that vanishes like vapor, the life which God has given you under the sun, all the days that vanish like vapor,[aj] for that is your portion in life and your reward from all the hard work at which you worked so hard under the sun.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength, for there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, where you are heading.
11 I looked again and saw that under the sun the race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the strong. Food is not given to the wise, nor is wealth given to those who have good judgment, nor is success given to those who have knowledge, because time and chance come upon all of them.
12 Certainly, no man knows his time. Like fish caught in a deadly net and like birds caught in a trap, people are trapped at an evil time which falls on them suddenly.
Wisdom Has Some Value
13 I also saw this example of wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.[ak] 14 There was a small city that had few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built great siege works against it. 15 A poor man who was wise was found in it, and he saved the city by his wisdom, but no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than might, but the wisdom of the poor man gets despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heeded more than the rant of a ruler among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
10 Dead flies make perfumed oil ferment and stink, just as a little stupidity outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart heads right, but a fool’s heart heads left.
3 Even when a fool is walking down the road, he does not know where he is going, and he advertises to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not abandon your post, because keeping calm puts serious sins to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun. What a mistake rulers make! 6 Stupidity is placed in many high places, but the rich are seated in low positions. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
8 A person who digs a pit might fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9 A person who quarries stones may be hurt by them. Someone who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the person chopping must apply more strength, but an advantage of wisdom is that it gives success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to having a charmer.[al]
12 Words from a wise man’s mouth bring favor, but a fool’s lips swallow him up.
13 The fool starts out by saying stupid things, but he ends up speaking wicked madness. 14 The fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will be in the future, and who can tell him what will come after him?
15 The hard work of fools wears them out so much that they no longer know their way to town.[am]
16 How unfortunate you are, O land, when your king once was a servant,[an] and your officials overeat in the morning. 17 How blessed you are, O land, when your king is a son of nobles, and your officials eat at the right time—to get stronger, not to get drunk.
18 Because of laziness, roof beams sag. Because of idle hands, the house leaks.
19 Food is made for pleasure. Wine makes life happy, but money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person in your bedroom, for a bird in the skies might carry your voice, or a bird in flight might reveal the matter.
11 Cast your bread on the surface of the water. Then, after many days you will find it again.[ao]
2 Put part of your investment into seven or even into eight ventures, for you do not know what disaster might come upon the land.
3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, wherever it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever keeps watching the wind will never sow, and anyone who keeps looking at the clouds will never reap.
5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind,[ap] or how bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand rest, for you do not know which effort will succeed, this one or that, or if both of them will be equally good.
7 Light is sweet, and it is good for eyes to see the sun.
8 Yes, even if a man lives many years, in all of them let him find joy, but let him keep in mind the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come is vapor.
Advice to the Young
9 Young man, be happy while you are a child, and let your heart make you glad during the days of your youth. Walk down the roads on which your heart leads you and on the way your eyes see—but know that for all these, God will bring you into judgment.
10 Put frustration out of your mind, and ignore the troubles of your body, because youth and the dawn of life are vapor.[aq]
12 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the bad days come and the years arrive when you will say,
“I have no delight in them,”
2 before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars are darkened,
before the clouds return after the rain,
3 before the day when the watchmen of the house tremble,
and the strong men are bent over,
and the women who grind grain cease because they are few,
and those watching through the windows can barely see.
4 Then the double doors to the street are shut,
as the grinding of the mill grows quiet.
A person wakes up at the sound of a bird,
but all the sounds of music are muffled.
5 Then they fear heights and terrors along the road.
The almond blossoms become white.
The grasshopper drags himself along,
and the caperberry has no effect.[ar]
Why? Because the man is heading to his eternal home.
Then the wailing mourners will go around in the street.
6 Remember your Creator
before the silver cord is snapped,
and the golden bowl is broken,
before the jar is shattered by the spring,
and the waterwheel is broken by the well,
7 and the dust goes back into the ground—just as it was before,
and the spirit goes back to God who gave it.
8 “Nothing but vapor,” said Ecclesiastes, the speaker.[as] “It is all vapor.”
9 Besides being wise, Ecclesiastes taught the people knowledge, and he weighed, collected, and arranged many proverbs. 10 Ecclesiastes searched to find just the right words. What was written was honest—they were true words. 11 Sayings of wise men are like cattle prods, and those sayings collected by experts are like firmly fixed nails, given by one Shepherd.
12 My son, beware of anything in addition to these. There is no end of making many books, and much study wears out the body.
13 This is the conclusion of the matter. Everything has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments. For mankind, this is everything.[at]
14 Yes, God will bring everything that is done into judgment, including everything that is hidden, whether good or evil.
Title
1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Anticipation—Take Me Away
The Woman
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
Experiencing your love is better than wine.
3 Your perfumes are fragrant.
Your name is perfume poured out.[au]
That is why the virgins love you!
4 Carry me away with you—let us run.
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
Best Wishes to the Man
The Friends
We rejoice and are happy because of you.
We celebrate your expressions of love
more than we celebrate wine.
How right the virgins[av] are to love you!
My Own Vineyard
The Woman
5 Dark am I, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark
because the sun gazed at me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me.
They made me take care of the vineyards.
I could not take care of my own vineyard.
Escape to the Country
The Woman
7 You whom my soul loves, tell me
where you pasture your flock,
where you rest your sheep at noon.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
A Reply to the Woman
8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
go out and follow the tracks of the flock
and graze your young goats
by the dwellings of the shepherds.
Most Beautiful of Women
The Man
9 My darling, I compare you
to a mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 Your cheeks are adorned with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make for you gold earrings decorated with silver.
The Woman
12 While the king was at his couch,
my nard[aw] gave off its fragrance.
13 My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh,
spending the night between my breasts.
14 My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
Our House
The Man
15 How beautiful you are, my darling!
How beautiful! Your eyes are doves.
The Woman
16 How beautiful you are, my lover.
How delightful!
Yes, our bed is fresh.
17 The beams of our house are cedar.
Our rafters are fir.
The Woman
The Man
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the girls.
He Embraces Me
The Woman
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my lover among the boys.
I desire to sit in his shade.
His fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He has brought me to the reception hall,[az]
and his banner over me is love.[ba]
5 Strengthen me with raisin cakes.
Refresh me with apples,
for I am weak from love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem,
you must swear to me by the gazelles,
or by the does of the field,
that you will not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Let Us Go to the Country
The Woman
8 Listen! It’s my lover!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping on the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My lover is like a gazelle,
or like a young buck.
Look! There he is, standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peeking through the lattice.
10 My lover responded and said to me,
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
and come.”
The Man
11 Look! Winter is over.
The rainy season has come to an end.
12 Flowers appear in the land.
The season of singing has arrived.
The cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fruit of the fig tree is beginning to ripen.
The grapevines are in blossom.
They spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling.
My beautiful one, come.
Let Me See You!
The Man
14 My dove is in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside.
Let me see how you look.
Let me hear your voice,
because your voice is pleasant,
and you are lovely to look at.
Foxes in Our Vineyard
To the Workers
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in blossom.
My Lover Is Mine
The Woman
16 My lover is mine and I am his.
He browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle,
or like a young buck on the divided mountains.[bb]
At Night
The Woman
3 All night long on my bed
I sought the one my soul loves.
I sought him, but I did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go around the city.
I will go through its markets and squares.
I will seek the one my soul loves.
I sought him, but I did not find him.
3 The watchmen who patrol the city found me.
“Have you seen the one my soul loves?”
4 I had hardly passed them,
when I found the one my soul loves.
I held him and would not let him go,
until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
5 Daughters of Jerusalem,
you must swear to me by the gazelles,
and by the does of the field,
that you will not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Who Is This?
The Friends and Other Bystanders
6 Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and with incense,
made from all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look! It’s Solomon’s own carriage.[bc]
Sixty warriors surround it,
the most heroic of Israel,
8 all of them wearing a sword,
all trained for battle,
each man with his sword at his side,
ready for the terrors of the night.
9 This palanquin[bd] King Solomon made for himself
out of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver.
Its base he made of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple.
Its interior was inlaid with love[be]
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Come out, you daughters of Zion,
and look at King Solomon wearing the crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day his heart rejoiced.
Beautiful From Top to Bottom
The Man
4 Look at you. You are beautiful, my darling!
Look at you. You are beautiful!
Your eyes are doves behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
which flows down from Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock,
ready to be sheared,
which comes up from the washing.
Each is a twin. Not one of them is left by itself.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon.
Your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Like the tower of David,
your neck is adorned with rows of stones.[bf]
A thousand shields hang on it,
all of them the equipment of warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle, that browse among the lilies.
6 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh,
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling.
There is no flaw in you.
Spices and Wine, Milk and Honey
The Man
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.
With me from Lebanon, come.
Descend from the top of Amana,
from the top of Senir and Hermon,
from the lions’ dens,
and from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have stirred my heart, my sister, my bride.
You have stirred my heart
with one, just one of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful it is to experience your love,
my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
11 Your lips drip like a honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride.
You are an enclosed spring,[bg] a sealed fountain.
13 Your plants are an orchard,
pomegranates with other choice fruits,
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden fountain,
a well of water flowing and streaming down from Lebanon.
Come Into Your Garden
The Woman
16 Arise, north wind! Come, south wind!
Blow on my garden, so that its spices spread abroad.
Let my lover come into his garden,
and eat its choice fruits.
I Have Come Into My Garden
The Man
5 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride.
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey.
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat and Drink
The Friends Address the Couple[bh]
Eat, friends! Drink!
Be intoxicated with love!
At Night. . .the Watchmen
The Woman
2 I was sleeping but my heart was awake.
A sound! My lover is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister,
my darling, my dove, my perfect one,
because my head is soaked with dew,
my locks with the dampness of the night.”
3 “I have taken off my robe.
Why should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Why should I get them dirty again?”
4 My lover thrust his hand
through the opening in the door.
My feelings were aroused for him.
5 I arose to open for my lover.
My hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the lock.
6 I opened for my lover,
but my lover had left.
He was gone.
My spirits sank when he left.[bi]
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him, but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen who patrol the city found me.
They beat me. They bruised me.
They took my shawl away from me,
those watchmen of the walls!
8 Daughters of Jerusalem, you must swear to me—
if you find my lover—
what will you tell him?
—that I am sick with love.
The Friends
9 What makes your lover better than any other lover,
most beautiful of women?
What makes your lover better than any other lover,
that you make us swear in this way?
My Lover Is Radiant
The Woman
10 My lover is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is the best gold, the purest gold.
His locks are wavy, black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves by streams of water.
They are washed in milk.
They are set in sockets.
13 His cheeks are like a bed of spice,
like towers of perfumes.
His lips are lilies, dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold, set with topaz.[bj]
His stomach is like polished ivory,
decorated with sapphires.[bk]
15 His thighs are pillars of marble,[bl]
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as cedars.
16 His mouth is so sweet.
He is completely desirable.
This is my lover.
This is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
The Friends
6 Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful of women?
Where did your lover turn?
We will look for him with you.
I Am His. He Is Mine.
The Woman
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to browse in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.
He browses among the lilies.
You Are Beautiful
The Man
4 You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,[bm]
lovely as Jerusalem,
majestic as troops with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
because they arouse me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
flowing down from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin. Not one of them is alone.
7 Your cheeks behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
8 There may be sixty queens,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number,
9 but my dove, my perfect one, is one of a kind.
She is the only daughter of her mother,
pure to the one who bore her.
The girls saw her and called her blessed.
The queens and concubines also praised her.
The Friends
10 Who is this woman that appears like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?
A Puzzling Interlude
The Woman or The Man[bn]
11 I went down to the grove of nut trees,
to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates had blossomed.
12 Before I realized it, my desire set me
among the chariots of my willing people.[bo]
Beautiful From Bottom to Top
The Friends
13 Turn back, turn back, O Shulammite.
Turn back, turn back, so that we may look at you![bp]
The Woman[bq]
7 Why would you look at the Shulammite.
as at the dance of Mahanaim?[br]
The Friends or The Man
2 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter!
Your hips are curved like a necklace,
the work of the hands of a craftsman.
3 Your navel is a round mixing bowl.
It never lacks blended wine.
Your belly is a mound of wheat, encircled by lilies.
4 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
5 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools in Heshbon,
by the gate of Bat Rabbim.[bs]
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
overlooking Damascus.
6 Your head rises above you like Mount Carmel.
The flowing hair of your head is like purple.
The king is captivated by its curls.
The Man
7 How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
O loved one, daughter of delights![bt]
8 Your height is like that of the date palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
9 I said, “I will climb the date palm.
I will take hold of its bunches of fruit.”
May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
10a and your mouth like the best wine—
The Woman
10b —flowing to my lover,
gliding smoothly over lips and teeth.[bu]
11 I belong to my lover,
and his desire is for me.
12 Come, my lover,
let us go to the fields.
Let us spend the night in the villages.
13 Let us go early to the vineyards.
We will see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
if the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give my love to you.
The mandrakes send out their fragrance.
At our door is every delicacy,
new as well as old,
that I have stored up for you, my lover.
He Embraces Me
The Woman
8 I wish that you were like a brother to me,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts.
Then if I would meet you in public,
I could kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you.
I would bring you to my mother’s house
where she used to teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranates.
3 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, you must swear
that you will not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
The Friends
5 5a Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her lover?
The Wealth of Our House
The Woman
5b Under the apple tree I roused you.
There your mother conceived you.
There she who gave birth to you was in labor.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm,
because love is as strong as death.
Its passion is as relentless as the grave.
Its flames are flames of fire, a mighty blaze.[bv]
7 Many waters cannot quench such love.
Rivers cannot wash it away.
If a man were to offer all the wealth
of his house for love,
he would be utterly scorned.
The Brothers. . .Decorated With Silver
The Brothers
8 We have a little sister.
She has no breasts.
What shall we make 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.
My Own Vineyard
The Woman
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one who delivers contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon.
He leased his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels of silver.
12 But my own vineyard is before me.
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.
The Last Call to Love
The Man
13 You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
Run Away With Me
The Woman
14 Run away, my love,
and be like a gazelle,
or like a young buck
on the mountains of spices.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.