Old/New Testament
Solomon’s Love Expressed
4 “[a][b]How beautiful (A)you are, my darling,
[c]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 ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has [d]lost her young.
3 “Your lips are like a (G)scarlet thread,
And your (H)mouth is lovely.
Your (I)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 “Your (J)neck is like the tower of David,
Built [e]with rows of stones
On which are (K)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (L)shields of the mighty men.
5 “Your (M)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which (N)feed among the lilies.
6 “(O)Until [f]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
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 in you.
8 “Come with me from (S)Lebanon, my (T)bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
[g]Journey 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 made my heart beat faster, (W)my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster 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 (Z)better is your love than wine,
And the (AA)fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of [h]spices!
11 “Your lips, my bride, (AB)drip (AC)honey;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (AD)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A [i]rock garden locked, a (AE)spring (AF)sealed up.
13 “Your shoots are an [j](AG)orchard of (AH)pomegranates
With (AI)choice fruits, (AJ)henna with nard plants,
14 (AK)Nard and saffron, calamus and (AL)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (AM)frankincense,
(AN)Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest [k]spices.
15 “You are a garden spring,
A well of [l](AO)fresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”
16 “[m]Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my (AP)garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its [n]spices [o]be wafted abroad.
May (AQ)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (AR)choice fruits!”
The Torment of Separation
5 “[p]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 [q]and my (AV)honey;
I have (AW)drunk my wine [r]and my milk.
Eat, (AX)friends;
Drink and [s]imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
2 “[t]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 [u]drenched with dew,
My (BA)locks with the [v]damp 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 [w](BD)feelings were aroused for him.
5 “I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (BE)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with [x]liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 “I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (BF)turned away and had gone!
My [y]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 guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.
8 “I (BK)adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (BL)I am lovesick.”
9 “[z][aa]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (BM)most beautiful among women?
[ab]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That thus you adjure us?”
Admiration by the Bride
10 “[ac]My beloved is dazzling and (BN)ruddy,
[ad](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 [ae]reposed in their (BR)setting.
13 “His cheeks are like a (BS)bed of balsam,
Banks of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are (BT)lilies
(BU)Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 “His hands are rods of gold
Set with (BV)beryl;
His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with [af](BW)sapphires.
15 “His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (BX)Lebanon
Choice as the (BY)cedars.
16 “His [ag](BZ)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (CA)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O 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 the works of [b]the Law, or by [c](C)hearing 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 the works of [h]the Law, or by [i](G)hearing with faith?
6 [j]Even so (H)Abraham (I)believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, [k]be sure that (J)it is those who are of faith who are (K)sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God [l]would justify the [m]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 [n]Abraham, the believer.
10 For as many as are of the works of [o]the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “(N)Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 11 Now that (O)no one is justified [p]by [q]the Law before God is evident; for, “[r](P)The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 [s]However, the Law is not [t]of faith; on the contrary, “(Q)He who practices them shall live [u]by 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 [v]tree”— 14 in order that (U)in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might [w]come to the Gentiles, so that we (V)would receive (W)the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Intent of the Law
15 (X)Brethren, (Y)I speak [x]in terms of human relations: (Z)even though it is only a man’s [y]covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds [z]conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken (AA)to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “(AB)And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came (AC)four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For (AD)if the inheritance is [aa]based on law, it is no longer [ab]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 [ac]because of transgressions, having been (AG)ordained through angels (AH)by the [ad]agency of a mediator, until (AI)the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now (AJ)a mediator is not [ae]for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? (AK)May it never be! For (AL)if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness [af]would indeed have been [ag]based on law. 22 But the Scripture has (AM)shut up [ah]everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, (AN)being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our (AO)tutor 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 [ai](AQ)tutor. 26 For you are all (AR)sons 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 man, there is [aj]neither male nor female; for (AW)you are all one in (AX)Christ Jesus. 29 And if (AY)you [ak]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s [al]descendants, heirs according to (AZ)promise.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.