Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

16 Protect me, O God, because I take refuge in you.
² I said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord. Without you, I have nothing good.”
³ Those who lead holy lives on earth
are the noble ones who fill me with joy.
⁴ Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.
I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood
or use my lips to speak their names.

⁸ I hear my beloved’s voice.
Look! Here he comes,
sprinting over the mountains,
racing over the hills.
⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
peeking through the window,
looking through the lattice.
¹⁰ My beloved said to me,
“Get up, my true love, my beautiful one, and come with me.
¹¹ Look! The winter is past.
The rain is over and gone.
¹² Blossoms appear in the land.
The time of the songbird has arrived.
The cooing of the mourning dove is heard in our land.
¹³ The green figs ripen.
The grapevines bloom and give off a fragrance.
Get up, my true love, my beautiful one, and come with me.
¹⁴ My dove, in the hiding places of the rocky crevices,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
let me see your figure and hear your voice.
Your voice is sweet, and your figure is lovely.”