The Daily Audio Bible
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5 M I have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.
I gather[a] my myrrh with my spices.
I eat my honeycomb with my honey.
I drink my wine with my milk.
2 W I sleep, but my heart is awake.
A sound! My love is knocking!(B)
M Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,
my hair with droplets of the night.
3 W I have taken off my clothing.(C)
How can I put it back on?
I have washed my feet.
How can I get them dirty?
4 My love thrust his hand through the opening,
and my feelings were stirred for him.
5 I rose to open for my love.
My hands dripped with myrrh,(D)
my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
I was crushed[c] that he had left.[d]
I sought him, but did not find him.(E)
I called him, but he did not answer.
7 The guards who go about the city found me.(F)
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak[e] from me—
the guardians of the walls.(G)
8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:(H)
if you find my love,
tell him that I am lovesick.(I)
9 Y What makes the one you love better than another,
most beautiful of women?(J)
What makes him better than another,
that you would give us this charge?
10 W My love is fit and strong,[f](K)
notable among ten thousand.(L)
11 His head is purest gold.
His hair is wavy[g](M)
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(N)
beside streams of water,
washed in milk
and set like jewels.[h]
13 His cheeks(O) are like beds of spice,
towers of[i] perfume.
His lips are lilies,
dripping with flowing myrrh.(P)
14 His arms[j] are rods of gold
set[k] with topaz.[l](Q)
His body[m] is an ivory panel
covered with sapphires.(R)
15 His legs are alabaster pillars
set on pedestals of pure gold.
His presence is like Lebanon,(S)
as majestic as the cedars.(T)
16 His mouth is sweetness.
He is absolutely desirable.(U)
This is my love, and this is my friend,
young women of Jerusalem.
6 Y Where has your love gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way has he[n] turned?
We will seek him with you.
2 W My love has gone down to his garden,(V)
to beds of spice,(W)
to feed in the gardens(X)
and gather lilies.(Y)
3 I am my love’s and my love is mine;(Z)
he feeds among the lilies.
4 M You are as beautiful as Tirzah,[o] my darling,
lovely as Jerusalem,
awe-inspiring as an army with banners.(AA)
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
for they captivate me.(AB)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down from Gilead.(AC)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
coming up from washing,
each one having a twin,
and not one missing.[p](AD)
7 Behind your veil,(AE)
your brow[q] is like a slice of pomegranate.
8 There are 60 queens
and 80 concubines(AF)
and young women[r] without number.
9 But my dove,(AG) my virtuous one, is unique;(AH)
she is the favorite of her mother,
perfect to the one who gave her birth.
Women see her and declare her fortunate;(AI)
queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises:
10 Y[s] Who is this[t](AJ) who shines like the dawn—
as beautiful as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army with banners?(AK)
11 W I came down to the walnut grove
to see the blossoms of the valley,
to see if the vines were budding(AL)
and the pomegranates blooming.
12 Before I knew it,
my desire put me
among the chariots of my noble people.[u]
M Why are you looking at the Shulammite,
as you look at the dance(AM) of the two camps?[y](AN)
7 How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess
The curves of your thighs are like jewelry,
the handiwork of a master.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl;
it never lacks mixed wine.
Your waist[aa] is a mound of wheat
surrounded by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.(AP)
4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory,(AQ)
your eyes like pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you[ab] like Mount Carmel,
the hair of your head like purple cloth—
a king could be held captive(AR) in your tresses.
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasant,(AS)
my love, with such delights!
7 Your stature is like a palm tree;
your breasts are clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”(AT)
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,
and the fragrance of your breath like apricots.(AU)
9 Your mouth[ac] is like fine wine(AV)—
W flowing smoothly for my love,
gliding past my lips and teeth![ad]
10 I belong to my love,
and his desire(AW) is for me.(AX)
11 Come, my love,
let’s go to the field;
let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms.[ae]
12 Let’s go early to the vineyards;
let’s see if the vine has budded,
if the blossom has opened,
if the pomegranates are in bloom.(AY)
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(AZ) give off a fragrance,
and at our doors is every delicacy—
new as well as old.
I have treasured them up for you, my love.
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[af]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(BA) who taught me.[ag]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
3 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(BB)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(BC)
5 Y Who is this(BD) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
W I awakened you under the apricot tree.(BE)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(BF)
For love is as strong as death;(BG)
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(BH)—
the fiercest of all.[ah]
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[ai] for love,(BI)
it would be utterly scorned.
8 B Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(BJ)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver parapet on it.
If she is a door,
we will enclose it with cedar planks.[aj](BK)
10 W I am[ak] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.[al]
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(BL)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(BM)
Each was to bring for his fruit
1,000 pieces of silver.(BN)
12 I have my own vineyard.[am](BO)
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.
13 M You[an] who dwell in the gardens—
companions(BP) are listening for your voice—
let me hear you!(BQ)
14 W Hurry to me, my love,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.(BR)
Motivations for Giving
9 Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. 2 For I know your eagerness, and I brag about you to the Macedonians:[a](A) “Achaia[b](B) has been prepared since last year,” and your zeal(C) has stirred up most of them.(D) 3 But I sent the brothers so our boasting about you in the matter would not prove empty, and so you would be prepared just as I said. 4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be embarrassed in that situation.[c] 5 Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift(E) you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.(F)
6 Remember this:[d] The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves(G) a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able(H) to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 9 As it is written:
10 Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.(K) 11 You will be enriched(L) in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service(M) is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. 13 They will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of[f] the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity(N) in sharing with them and with others through the proof provided by this service. 14 And they will have deep affection for[g] you in their prayers on your behalf because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.
Psalm 51
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.(A)
1 Be gracious to me, God,
according to Your faithful love;
according to Your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.(B)
2 Wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.(C)
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.(D)
4 Against You—You alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in Your sight.(E)
So You are right when You pass sentence;
You are blameless when You judge.(F)
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.(G)
6 Surely You desire integrity in the inner self,
and You teach me wisdom deep within.(H)
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(I)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.(J)
9 Turn Your face away[a] from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.(K)
10 God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast[b] spirit within me.(L)
11 Do not banish me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.(M)
12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me,
and give me a willing spirit.[c](N)
13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.(O)
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God,(P)
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.(Q)
15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.(R)
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.(S)
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is[d] a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.(T)
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