Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 I will (A)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [a]salvation to kings,
(B)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (C)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [b]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [c]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (D)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening
The Shulamite
2 I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
(A)He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, [a]my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My [b]locks with the drops of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
How can I [c]defile them?
4 My beloved put his hand
By the [d]latch of the door,
And my heart yearned for him.
5 I arose to open for my beloved,
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6 I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My [e]heart leaped up when he spoke.
(B)I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7 (C)The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.
8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
That you tell him I am lovesick!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
9 What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
(D)O fairest among women?
What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
That you so [f]charge us?
The Shulamite
10 My beloved is white and ruddy,
[g]Chief among ten thousand.
11 His head is like the finest gold;
His locks are wavy,
And black as a raven.
12 (E)His eyes are like doves
By the rivers of waters,
Washed with milk,
And [h]fitly set.
13 His cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Banks of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies,
Dripping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon,
Excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!
I Am My Beloved’s
The Daughters of Jerusalem
6 Where has your beloved gone,
(F)O fairest among women?
Where has your beloved turned aside,
That we may seek him with you?
The Shulamite
19 For this is (A)commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For (B)what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For (C)to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [a]us, (D)leaving [b]us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who(E) committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 (F)who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but (G)committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 (H)who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, (I)that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—(J)by whose [c]stripes you were healed. 25 For (K)you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned (L)to the Shepherd and [d]Overseer of your souls.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.