Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

45 To the overcomer for the lilies, the most loved song of learning of the sons of Korah. Mine heart hath told out a good word; I say my works to the king. My tongue is the pen of a writer; writing swiftly. (To the overcomer, for the lilies, the most loved song, for the sons of Korah, for their teaching. My heart hath told out a good word; I tell of my works to the king. My tongue is like the pen of a writer, yea, writing swiftly.)

² Christ, thou art fairer in shape than the sons of men; grace is spread abroad in thy lips; therefore God blessed thee [into] without end. (Thou anointed king, thou art more comely in appearance than any other man; grace is spread abroad by thy lips/thy lips speak most eloquently; yea, God hath blessed thee forever.)

⁶ God, thy seat is into the world of world; the rod of thy realm is a rod of right ruling, or of equity. (Like God, thy throne shall last forever; and the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of justice, yea, of equity and fairness.)

⁷ Thou lovedest rightfulness, and hatedest wickedness; therefore thou, God, thy God (and so God, thy God), anointed thee with the oil of gladness, more than thy fellows.

⁸ Myrrh, and gum, and cassia, of thy clothes, (out) of the ivory houses/(out) of the house of ivory; of which the daughters of kings delighted thee. (Myrrh, and gum, and cassia be the perfumes of thy clothes; and the sound of music coming forth from the ivory palace delighteth thee.)

⁹ A queen stood nigh on thy right side, in clothing overgilded; compassed with diversity. (The daughters of kings be there among thy honourable women; the queen standeth nigh on thy right side, in clothing overgilded with the gold of Ophir.)

1 Here beginneth the Song of Songs^[a].

² Kiss he me with the kiss of his mouth. For thy loves be better than wine (For thy love is better than wine)^[b],

³ and give odour with best ointments. Thy name is (like) oil shed out; therefore young damsels loved thee. (and thy aroma is equal to the best perfumes. Thy name is like oil poured out; and so the young women, or the maidens, loved thee.)

⁴ Draw thou me after thee; we shall run. The king led me into his cellars; we mindful of thy loves above wine, shall make full out joy, and we shall be glad in thee; rightful men love thee. (Draw thou me after thee; and we shall run away/and we shall run together. The king led me into his chamber; and we thinking more about thy love than about wine, shall rejoice, and we shall be glad for thee; yea, all the upright people love thee.)

⁵ Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, but fair, as the tabernacles of Kedar, as the skins of Solomon. (Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, and beautiful, like the tents of Kedar, and like Solomon’s curtains.)

⁶ Do not ye behold me, that I am black, for the sun hath discoloured me; the sons of my mother fought against me, they set me a keeper in vineries; I kept not my vinery. (Do not ye look down upon me, because I am black, for the sun hath coloured me, that is, it hath tanned me; the sons of my mother fought against me, and they made me the guardian of the vineyards; and so I could not look after my own vineyard.)

⁷ Thou spouse, whom my soul loveth, show to me, where thou pasturest, (yea,) where thou restest in midday; lest I begin to wander, after the flocks of thy fellows.

⁸ A! thou fairest among women, if thou knowest not thyself, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy kids, beside the tabernacles of shepherds. (O! thou most beautiful among women, if thou thyself knowest not, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy goat kids, beside the shepherds’ tents.)

⁹ My love, I likened thee to mine host of knights in the chariots of Pharaoh. (My love, I would liken thee to Pharaoh’s army of chariot drivers.)

¹⁰ Thy cheeks be fair, as of a turtle; thy neck is as brooches. (Thy cheeks be beautiful, like a turtledove; thy neck is adorned with jewels.)

¹¹ We shall make to thee golden ornaments, parted and made diverse with silver. (We shall make golden ornaments for thee, set with silver beads.)

¹² When the king was in his resting place, my nard gave his odour. (While the king lieth on his couch, my spikenard gave forth its aroma.)

¹³ My darling is a bundle of myrrh to me; he shall dwell betwixt my teats. (My darling is like a bundle of myrrh for me; and he shall rest between my breasts.)

¹⁴ My darling is to me (as) a cluster of cypress tree(s), among the vineries of Engedi. (My darling is like a cluster of cypress trees for me, among the vineyards of Engedi.)

¹⁵ Lo! my love, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thine eyes be the eyes of culvers. (Lo! my love, thou art beautiful; lo! thou art beautiful, thine eyes be like doves.)

¹⁶ Lo! my darling, thou art fair and shapely; our bed is fair as flowers. (Lo! my darling, thou art beautiful and shapely; the grass and the flowers shall be our bed.)

¹⁷ The beams of our houses be of cedar; our couplings be of cypress. (The beams of our house shall be the cedars; our couplings shall be the cypress trees.)

1 James, the servant of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve kindreds, that be in scattering abroad, health.

² My brethren, deem ye all joy [guess ye all joy], when ye fall into diverse temptations,

³ witting, that the proving of your faith worketh patience;

⁴ and patience hath a perfect work, that ye be perfect and whole, and fail in nothing. [soothly patience hath a perfect work, that ye be perfect and whole, in nothing failing.]

⁵ And if any of you needeth wisdom, ask he of God, which giveth to all men largely [that giveth to all men largely], and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.

⁶ But ask he in faith, and doubt nothing [nothing doubting]; for he that doubteth, is like to a wave of the sea, which is moved and borne about of the wind [the which of wind is moved and borne about].

⁷ Therefore guess not that man, that he shall take any thing of the Lord.

⁸ A man double in soul is unstable in all his ways.