The Daily Audio Bible
Song of Songs, which is a “book” of the Bible, actually has more in common with Handel’s Messiah or Puccini’s Tosca than any prose work of the Old Testament—it’s a libretto, a record of the words sung in a musical or opera. While this song is certainly the longest libretto in the Bible, it is not the only one. The Book of Psalms is replete with them; and they often open with directions for musical instruments such as in Psalm 4, which begins, “For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.” Song of Songs lacks such instrumental direction; but through the poetic phrasing and pronoun usage, three distinct vocal parts are inherently identifiable: the female lover (who would sing soprano), the male lover (who would sing tenor), and the observing young women (who would function as the chorus). Even without the musical score, it is possible to imagine these actors breathing life into the libretto on a great stage.
1 For Solomon. The most sublime song of all.
2 Her (to him): Kiss me with the sweet kisses of your lips,
for your love delights me more than wine.
3 The pleasant aroma of your fragrance rises in the air;
your name is like precious perfume poured out:
This is why young women adore you.
4 Take me away with you;
let’s run away together!
(to the young women) The king has brought me into his bedroom.
Young Women of Jerusalem (to him): We will shout for joy and celebrate over you.
We will make it known that your love is better than the finest of wines.
Her (to him): Everyone loves you, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t.
5 (to the young women) Look at me, young women of Jerusalem.
I am dark but beautiful.
I am dark like the tents of Kedar;
I am beautiful like the curtains of Solomon’s temple.
6 Don’t stare at my dark skin,
for the sun looked down on me.
My brothers’ anger scorched me;
they made me work all day long in the vineyards,
So I did not have time to care for my own vineyard,
to cultivate my own body.
7 (to him) Tell me, my dearest love,
where are your sheep grazing today?
Where are you resting with your flock at midday?
I want to come to you.
Why must I go looking for you like the veiled women
wandering among the flocks of your friends?
8 Him (to her): If you do not know where I am,
most beautiful of women,
Follow the tracks of my sheep—
they will lead you to me—
And graze your flocks of young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 You remind me, my dear,
of an honored mare among Pharaoh’s stallion-driven chariots;
10 The strings of jewels against your cheeks frame your elegance,
as also the tender curve of your neck with precious gems.
11 Young Women of Jerusalem (to her): We will make for you golden jewelry to lay against your skin,
golden jewelry studded with silver to frame your elegance.
12 Her: When the king was relaxing at his table,
the seductive fragrance of my perfume filled the air.
13 My love is close to my heart,
like a sachet of myrrh tucked between my breasts.
14 My love is like a fragrant bouquet of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of Engedi.
Him: 15 How beautiful you are, my dear! How so very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
16 Her: You, my love, are so handsome! A pleasure to behold!
Our bed is a lush, green field,
17 The beams of our house are majestic cedars,
and the rafters are tall pines.
2 Her: I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily found in one of the valleys.
2 Him: Like a lily among thorns, that is what she is;
my dear is a captivating beauty among the young women.
3 Her: My love is like an apple tree in a wooded forest;
he is a ripe tree among a grove of saplings, those young men.
I sat beneath his ample shade, filled with such joy.
I tasted the sweetness of his fruit and longed for more.
4 He placed me at his banquet table,
for everyone to see that his banner over me declares his love.
5 (to those around) Sustain me with sweet raisins.
Refresh my energy with apples
Because I am lovesick for him.
6 His left hand cradles my head;
his right embraces me.
7 (to the young women) You of Jerusalem heed my warning.
By the gazelles and deer of the field,
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.
8 I hear his voice! The voice of my love!
Here he comes,
Leaping over the mountains,
bounding among the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle,
sure-footed and swift as a young stag.
Look, there he is! Standing behind my wall,
watching through the windows, peering through the lattice.
10 My love responded and said to me,
Him: Arise, my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
11 Don’t you see? The winter is done.
The rains and clouds have come and gone.
12 The flowers are unfolding in the fields;
the birds are warming up their songs,
The cooing of the turtledove
is heard throughout the land.
13 The fig trees are bringing forth their first fruit,
and the vines are in blossom, filling the air with their fragrance.
So arise my dearest, my beauty,
and come away with me.
14 Now, my dove, don’t be shy.
Don’t hide from me in the clefts of the rock
or nest like a bird in secret among the cliffs.
Show me your lovely form.
Let me hear your beautiful voice,
For it sounds so sweet,
and your face is so lovely.
15 Young Women of Jerusalem (to the couple): Catch the foxes for us,
those little foxes that menace the vineyards,
For our vineyards are so vulnerable when they are in full bloom.
16 Her: My love is mine, and I am his.
He grazes among my lilies.
17 As the day breathes its morning breeze
and shadows turn and flee,
Turn to me, my love, like a gazelle;
come to me like a young stag on rugged mountains.
3 Her: Restless night after night in my bed,
I longed and looked for my soul’s true love;
I searched for him,
but I could not find him.
2 I will get up now and search the city,
wander up and down streets and plazas;
I will look for my soul’s true love.
I searched for him, but I could not find him.
3 The watchmen found me as they kept watch on the silent city.
“Have you seen my soul’s true love?” I asked.
4 Not long after I left them,
I found him—I found my soul’s true love.
This libretto is full of imagery. Two of the most common images are that of the gazelle and the lotus blossom (translated here as “lily”), both frequently used in many ancient Near Eastern cultures. The gazelle is a species of antelope whose males have long horns. Both males and females move with grace and strength as they cross flat savannahs or climb steep cliffs. It is because of these traits that the gazelle is equated with sexuality, youth, and stamina. The Israelites used it in poetry to represent the youthful joys of love and sexual vigor, while many Near Eastern pagan religions used it in images honoring fertility goddesses. The lotus is a type of lily found in watery regions. Because of its shape, which resembles the womb, and its fragrance, which is alluring, the lotus became the flower of choice for lovers across the Near East. In Israel it was featured in poetry and even dominated the capitals of the columns supporting Solomon’s temple; in Egyptian and Phoenician cultures, it represented the gods themselves. With just one word, “gazelle” or “lotus,” this poet conveys a bevy of ideas about love, youth, strength, and passion.
I pulled him to me and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
to the very room where she conceived me.
5 (to the young women of Jerusalem) Heed my warning:
By the gazelles and deer of the field,
I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready.
Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.
6 Young Women of Jerusalem: Who is this coming up from the desert,
with billowing clouds of dust and smoke,
with a sweet aroma of burning myrrh and frankincense,
with fragrant spices fresh from the merchant?
The royal litter carries the groom to the wedding, and upon the litter is the king with his crown.
7 Look, it is Solomon’s litter,
surrounded by 60 strong men,
some of the very best soldiers in Israel,
8 All armed swordsmen,
battle-hardened heroes, experts at war,
Marching with swords at their sides,
ready to guard the king from the terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon built his own royal carriage
from the trees of Lebanon.
10 He had its posts fashioned from silver,
its back made of gold,
its seat covered with royal purple,
its interior decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.
11 O go out, young women of Zion,
and see King Solomon
Wearing the crown with which his mother has crowned him on his wedding day,
on the day his heart overflows with joy.
4 Him (to her): You, my love, are beautiful.
So beautiful!
Because stimulating images come forth when the lovers describe in intimate detail each other’s bodies, Jewish men were discouraged from reading this greatest of songs until the age of 30.
Your eyes are like doves
nestled behind your veil.
Your hair moves as gracefully as a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are pearl white like a flock of sheep shorn,
fresh up from a wash.
Each perfect and paired with another;
not one of them is lost.
3 Your lips are as red as scarlet threads;
your mouth is beautiful.
Your cheeks rosy and round are beneath your veil,
like the halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is elegant like the tower of David,
perfectly fit stone-by-stone.
There hang a thousand shields,
the shields of mighty men.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin gazelles grazing in a meadow of lilies.
6 As the day breathes its morning breeze
and shadows turn and flee,
I will go up your myrrh mountain
and climb your frankincense hill.
7 You are so beautiful, my love,
without blemish.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Journey with me from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir even the summit of Hermon,
From the lions’ dangerous den,
from the mountain hideouts of leopards.
9 My heart is your captive, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen it with one glance,
caught it with a single strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
Your love is more pleasing than the finest wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume brings more delight than any spice!
11 Your lips taste sweet like honey off the comb, my bride;
milk and honey are beneath your tongue.
The scents of your clothes are like the fresh air of Lebanon.
12 You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride, open only to me;
a spring closed up tight, a sealed fountain.
13 Your sprouts are an orchard of pomegranates and exotic fruits—
with henna and nard,
14 With nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon—
With rows of frankincense trees
and myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15 My bride, you are a fountain in a garden,
a well of life-giving water flowing down from Lebanon.
What does he mean by “my sister, my bride”? Is this a sudden revelation of an incestuous relationship? No. He is describing how sexual expression can bring two people intimately together, as close as two people can be; the man and woman are now family. This image would have been particularly meaningful in ancient Israelite society, where life was centered on familial relationships and calling someone “brother” or “sister” was a sign of deep intimacy and care. Blood relatives lived together, worked together, traded with each other, and were buried together. By calling the woman “sister,” he is declaring they are now blood relatives. In the covenant relationship called marriage, blood is drawn during consummation, bonding the two parties together as man and wife, as brother and sister, forever.
16 Him (to the winds): Rise, you north wind;
come, you south wind.
Breathe on my garden,
and let the fragrance of its natural spices fill the air.
Her: Let my love come into his garden
and feast from its choice fruits.
16 I praise God who lovingly burdened Titus’s heart for you just as He did mine. 17 You see, when we approached him about you, he eagerly stepped up, not only because of our request but because of his own desire to help. 18 We’re also sending with him a brother who is well known among the gatherings of believers because of how well he proclaims the good news. 19 And there’s more you should know: he has been handpicked by the churches to accompany us as we carry on this work of grace. All this is being done for the glory of the Lord and to show our own good will. 20 We’re being careful so that no one can claim that we are mishandling the funds we’ve collected. 21 For we are taking every precaution to remain aboveboard—not only in the Lord’s eyes, but in the eyes of the people too. 22 So we are also sending another brother who’s proven himself time and again. He’s certainly trustworthy and enthusiastic for the gospel; and after hearing about all you are doing, he’s even more excited because he has confidence in you. 23 If anyone asks about Titus, he’s my partner and coworker in this ministry to you. If there’s any question about who the other brothers and sisters are, they are emissaries[a] of the churches, traveling to bring glory to the Anointed One, our Liberating King. 24 So welcome them before the community in love; show the churches they represent that I have not exaggerated your charity and kindness.
Psalm 50
A song of Asaph.
1 The Mighty God, the Eternal—God of past, present, and future—
has spoken over the world,
calling together all things from sunrise to sunset.
2 From Zion, that perfectly beautiful holy place,
shines the radiance of God.
3 Our God will come, and He will not enter on a whisper.
A fire will devour the earth before Him;
the wind will storm wildly about Him.
4 He calls heaven above and earth below
to assist in bringing judgment on His people.
5 “Gather up those who are aligned with Me; bring them to Me;
bring everyone who belongs to Me who have made covenant sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens shout of His justice,
for He is the True God, an honest judge.
[pause][a]
7 “Listen, My people, I have something to say:
O Israel, My testimony comes against you;
I am God, your God.
8 I am not going to scold you because of your sacrifices;
your burnt offerings are always before Me.
9 I will not accept the best bull from your fields
or goats from your meadow,
10 For they are already Mine, just as the forest beast
and the cattle grazing over a thousand hills are Mine.
11 Every bird flying over the mountains I know;
every animal roaming over the fields belongs to Me.
12 I would not come to you if I were hungry,
for the world and all it contains are Mine.
13 Do you really think I eat bull meat?
Or drink goat’s blood?
14 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Be true to your word to the Most High.
15 When you are in trouble, call for Me.
I will come and rescue you,
and you will honor Me.”
16 But to those acting against Him, God says,
“Who do you think you are?
Listing off My laws,
acting as if your life is in alignment with My ways?
17 For it’s clear that you despise My guidance;
you throw My wise words over your shoulder.
18 You play with thieves,
spend your time with adulterers.
19 Evil runs out of your mouth;
your tongue is wrapped in deceit.
20 You sit back and gossip about your brother;
you slander your mother’s son.
21 While you did these things, I kept silent;
somehow you got the idea that I was like you.
But now My silence ends, and I am going to indict you.
I’ll state the charge against you clearly, face-to-face.
22 All you who have forgotten Me, your God, should think about what I have said,
or I will tear you apart and leave no one to save you.
23 Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
Do this, and you will honor Me.
Those who straighten up their lives
will know the saving grace of God.”
22 Do not cheat poor people just because they are vulnerable
or use shady tactics in court to crush those already suffering;
23 For the Eternal is ready to take their case,
and He ruins anyone who is out to ruin them.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.