Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁹ ¶ I will sing a new song unto thee, O God; upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises unto thee.

¹⁰ Thou, he who gives salvation unto kings, who redeems David his slave from the evil sword.

¹¹ Redeem me, and save me from the hand of strange sons, whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

¹² That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace;

¹³ that our garners may be full, affording all manner of store; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets;

¹⁴ that our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in nor going out; that there be no shout of alarm in our streets.

¹⁵ Blessed is that people, that is in such a case; yea, blessed is that people, whose God is the LORD.

² ¶ I sleep, but my heart watches for the voice of my beloved that knocks at the door, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

³ I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

⁴ My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

⁵ I rose up to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

⁶ I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone; my soul went after his speech; I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

⁷ The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my outer cloak from me.

⁸ I charge you, O virgins of Jerusalem, if ye should find my beloved that ye cause him to know how sick I am with love.

⁹ ¶ What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us?

¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy; the standard-bearer among the ten thousands.

¹¹ His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy and black as a raven.

¹² His eyes are as doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, as doves that are next to abundance.

¹³ His cheeks are as a bed of aromatic spices, as fragrant flowers; his lips like lilies, dripping sweet smelling myrrh that transcends.

¹⁴ His hands are as gold rings set with beryls; his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵ His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, chosen as the cedars.

¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O virgins of Jerusalem.

6 ¶ Where has thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? where didst thy beloved separate himself? that we may seek him with thee.

² My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather the lilies.

³ I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine; he feeds among the lilies.

¹⁹ For this is due to grace, if a man for conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

²⁰ For what glory is it if, when ye are buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is due to grace from God.

²¹ Because for this were ye called: for the Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps

²² who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth,

²³ who, when he was cursed, did not return the curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him that judges righteously;

²⁴ he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed.

²⁵ For ye were as sheep that had gone astray, but are now converted unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.