Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

16 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.
²     I say to the Lord, “Thou art my Lord;
    I have no good apart from thee.”^[a]

⁸ The voice of my beloved!
    Behold, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle,
    or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
    behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
    looking through the lattice.
¹⁰ My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away;
¹¹ for lo, the winter is past,
    the rain is over and gone.
¹² The flowers appear on the earth,
    the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig tree puts forth its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away.
¹⁴ O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face,
    let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is comely.
¹⁵ Catch us the foxes,
    the little foxes,
that spoil the vineyards,
    for our vineyards are in blossom.”