Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the chief Musician. Upon Shoshannim. Of the sons of Korah. An instruction;—a song of the Beloved.

45 My heart is welling forth [with] a good matter: I say what I have composed touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

² Thou art fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

⁶ Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom:

⁷ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions.

⁸ Myrrh and aloes, cassia, are all thy garments; out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.

⁹ Kings' daughters are among thine honourable women; upon thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; For thy love is better than wine.

³ Thine ointments savour sweetly; Thy name is an ointment poured forth: Therefore do the virgins love thee.

⁴ Draw me, we will run after thee!—The king hath brought me into his chambers—We will be glad and rejoice in thee, We will remember thy love more than wine. They love thee uprightly.

⁵ I am black, but comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.

⁶ Look not upon me, because I am black; Because the sun hath looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me: They made me keeper of the vineyards; Mine own vineyard have I not kept.

⁷ Tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest it to rest at noon; For why should I be as one veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?

⁸ If thou know not, thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' booths.

⁹ I compare thee, my love, To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.

¹⁰ Thy cheeks are comely with bead-rows, Thy neck with ornamental chains.

¹¹ We will make thee bead-rows of gold With studs of silver.

¹² While the king is at his table, My spikenard sendeth forth its fragrance.

¹³ A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; He shall pass the night between my breasts.

¹⁴ My beloved is unto me a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of Engedi.

¹⁵ Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold, thou art fair: thine eyes are doves.

¹⁶ Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our bed is green.

¹⁷ The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are cypresses.

1 James, bondman of God and of [the] Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which [are] in the dispersion, greeting.

² Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various temptations,

³ knowing that the proving of your faith works endurance.

⁴ But let endurance have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any one of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and reproaches not, and it shall be given to him:

⁶ but let him ask in faith, nothing doubting. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed about;

⁷ for let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord;

⁸ [he is] a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.