Old/New Testament
Solomon’s Love Expressed
4 “[a]How beautiful (A)you are, my darling,
[b]How beautiful you are!
Your (B)eyes are like doves (C)behind your veil;
Your (D)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (E)Gilead.
2 Your (F)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
Which have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
3 Your lips are like a (G)scarlet thread,
And your (H)mouth is beautiful.
Your (I)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 Your (J)neck is like the tower of David,
Built with layers of stones
On which are (K)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (L)shields of the warriors.
5 Your (M)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
That (N)graze among the lilies.
6 (O)Until [c]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (P)myrrh
And to the hill of (Q)frankincense.
7 “(R)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish on you.
8 Come with me from (S)Lebanon, my (T)bride,
You shall come with me from Lebanon.
You shall [d]come down from the summit of (U)Amana,
From the summit of (V)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 You have [e]enchanted my heart, (W)my sister, my bride;
You have [f]enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (X)necklace.
10 (Y)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much [g](Z)sweeter is your love than wine,
And the (AA)fragrance of your oils
Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
11 Your lips (AB)drip (AC)honey, my bride;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (AD)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A locked garden is my sister, my bride,
A locked spring, a (AE)sealed (AF)fountain.
13 Your branches are an [h](AG)orchard of (AH)pomegranates
With (AI)delicious fruits, (AJ)henna with nard plants,
14 (AK)Nard and saffron, spice reed and (AL)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (AM)frankincense,
(AN)Myrrh, and aloes, along with all the finest balsam oils.
15 You are a garden spring,
A well of [i](AO)fresh water,
And flowing streams from Lebanon.”
The Bride
16 “Awake, north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
[j]Make my (AP)garden breathe out fragrance,
May its balsam oils flow.
May (AQ)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (AR)delicious fruits!”
The Torment of Separation
The Groom
5 “I have (AS)come into my garden, (AT)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (AU)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (AV)honey;
I have (AW)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (AX)friends;
Drink and [k]drink deeply, lovers.”
The Bride
2 “I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (AY)my sister, my darling,
(AZ)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is [l]drenched with dew,
My (BA)locks with the dew drops of the night.’
3 I have (BB)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (BC)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my (BD)feelings were stirred for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (BE)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (BF)turned away and had gone!
My [m]heart went out to him as he (BG)spoke.
I (BH)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (BI)called him but he did not answer me.
7 The (BJ)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8 (BK)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (BL)I am lovesick.”
The Chorus
9 “[n]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (BM)most beautiful among women?
[o]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 “My beloved is dazzling and [p](BN)reddish,
(BO)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (BP)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (BQ)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (BR)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (BS)bed of balsam,
[q]Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (BT)lilies
(BU)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (BV)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with [r](BW)sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (BX)Lebanon,
Choice as the (BY)cedars.
16 His [s](BZ)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (CA)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”
Faith Brings Righteousness
3 [a]You foolish (A)Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ (B)was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of [b]the Law, or by (C)hearing [c]with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun [d]by the Spirit, are you now [e]being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you [f]suffer so many things in vain—(D)if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who (E)provides you with the Spirit and (F)works [g]miracles among you, do it by works of [h]the Law, or by (G)hearing [i]with faith?
6 Just as (H)Abraham (I)believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, recognize that (J)it is those who are of faith who are (K)sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God [j]would justify the [k]Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “(L)All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then, (M)those who are of faith are blessed with [l]Abraham, the believer.
10 For all who are of works of [m]the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “(N)Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.” 11 Now, that (O)no one is justified [n]by [o]the Law before God is evident; for, “[p](P)the righteous one will live by faith.” 12 [q]However, the Law is not [r]of faith; on the contrary, “(Q)The person who performs [s]them will live by [t]them.” 13 Christ (R)redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “(S)Cursed is everyone who hangs on (T)a [u]tree”— 14 in order that (U)in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we (V)would receive (W)the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Intent of the Law
15 (X)Brothers and sisters, (Y)I speak [v]in terms of human relations: (Z)even though it is only a man’s [w]covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds [x]conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken (AA)to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as one would in referring to many, but rather as in referring to one, “(AB)And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came (AC)430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For (AD)if the inheritance is [y]based on law, it is no longer [z]based on a promise; but (AE)God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
19 (AF)Why the Law then? It was added on account of the [aa]violations, having been (AG)ordered through angels (AH)at the hand of a [ab]mediator, until (AI)the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now (AJ)a mediator is not [ac]for one party only; but God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? [ad](AK)Far from it! For (AL)if a law had been given that was able to impart life, then righteousness [ae]would indeed have been [af]based on law. 22 But the Scripture has (AM)confined [ag]everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, [ah]we were kept in custody under the Law, (AN)being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our [ai](AO)guardian to lead us to Christ, so that (AP)we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a [aj](AQ)guardian. 26 For you are all (AR)sons and daughters of God through faith in (AS)Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were (AT)baptized into Christ have (AU)clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 (AV)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is [ak]neither male nor female; for (AW)you are all one in (AX)Christ Jesus. 29 And if (AY)you [al]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s [am]descendants, heirs according to (AZ)promise.
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