Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 45[a]
For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”;[b] by the Korahites, a well-written poem,[c] a love song.
45 My heart is stirred by a beautiful song.[d]
I say, “I have composed this special song[e] for the king;
my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”[f]
2 You are the most handsome of all men.[g]
You speak in an impressive and fitting manner.[h]
For this reason[i] God grants you continual blessings.[j]
6 Your throne,[a] O God, is permanent.[b]
The scepter[c] of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
7 You love[d] justice and hate evil.[e]
For this reason God, your God,[f] has anointed you[g]
with the oil of joy,[h] elevating you above your companions.[i]
8 All your garments are perfumed with[j] myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From the luxurious palaces[k] comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.[l]
9 Princesses[m] are among your honored women.[n]
Your bride[o] stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.[p]
The Lily among the Thorns and the Apple Tree in the Forest
The Beloved to Her Lover:
The Lover to His Beloved:
The Beloved about Her Lover:
3 Like[g] an apple tree[h] among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I delight[i] to sit[j] in his shade,[k]
and his fruit[l] is sweet[m] to my taste.[n]
The Banquet Hall for the Lovesick
The Beloved about Her Lover:
4 He brought me[o] into the banquet hall,[p]
and he looked[q] at me lovingly.[r]
5 Sustain[s] me with raisin cakes,[t]
refresh me with apples,[u]
for I am faint with love.[v]
The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
The Beloved to the Maidens:
9 Now the believer[a] of humble means[b] should take pride[c] in his high position.[d] 10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow.[e] 11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever.[f] So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. 12 Happy is the one[g] who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God[h] promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil,[i] and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.[j]
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