Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 To You, my God, I will sing a new song;
I will sing Your sweet praises to the sound of a ten-stringed harp,
10 For You deliver kings from their enemies
and You rescue Your servant, David, from the sword of evil.
11 Rescue me,
and save me from the grasp of these foreigners
Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.
12 May our sons be like healthy plants
as they grow and mature,
And may our daughters be like the corner pillars
that decorate a palace.
13 May our storehouses be full
with abundant supplies of every crop,
And may the flocks of our fields
multiply into thousands and tens of thousands!
14 May our cattle be strong and productive,
without miscarriage, without loss,
and may there be no riots or protests in our streets!
15 Happy are the people for whom all this is true;
happy are the people whose God is the Eternal!
2 Her: I was sleeping, but my heart was awake
when I heard a sound, the sound of my love pounding at the door.
Him: Open yourself to me, my sister, my dearest,
my sweet dove, my flawless beauty.
My head is drenched with dew;
my hair is soaked with the wetness of the night.
Her: 3 I have taken off my robe.
How could I ever put it on again?
I have washed my feet.
How could I walk across this dirty floor?
4 My love put his hand on the latch;
my insides began to throb for him.
5 I leaped from my bed to let my love in.
My hands were dripping sweet myrrh,
My fingers were coated with myrrh
as I reached for the handles of the lock.
6 I opened for my love, but he had turned away and was gone.
He’d left, and my heart sank.
I looked for him, but I did not see him.
I called out to him, but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they left bruises on my skin,
and they took away my veil, those watchmen on the walls.
8 (to the young women of Jerusalem)
Promise me that if you find my love,
you will speak with him, telling him that I am faint with love.
9 Young Women of Jerusalem: How is your beloved better than all the other lovers,
most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved worth more than all the rest,
that you would make us promise this?
10 Her: Because my love is radiant and ruddy,
he stands out above 10,000 other men.
11 His head is pure gold;
his hair is thick and wavy and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves at the edge of a stream,
mounted like jewels and bathed in pools of milk.
13 His bearded cheeks are like a spice garden, with towers of spice:
His lips are lilies dripping and flowing with myrrh,
14 His hands are like strong rods of gold, each set with jewels.
His body displays his manhood like an ivory tusk inlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are like pillars of white marble,
both set on bases of gold.
He stands tall and strong like the mountains of Lebanon,
with all its majestic cedars.
16 His mouth tastes sweet, so sweet;
he is altogether desirable.
This is my love. This is my dear one, as I am his,
O young women of Jerusalem.
6 Young Women of Jerusalem (to her): Where has your love gone,
most beautiful of women?
Do you know which direction he went
so we can help you find him?
They pass through many obstacles as they celebrate their union in different venues. Love is found in a garden or a parental home. Ecstasy comes in a dream or reality.
2 Her: Women of Jerusalem, I know where my love is.
My love has gone into his garden
Among the beds of aromatic spices,
like a gazelle grazing among his gardens
and a gardener gathering the lilies.
3 I belong to my love, and my love to me.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
19 For grace is clearly at work when a person accepts undeserved pain and suffering and does so because he is mindful of God. 20 For what credit is there in enduring punishment you deserve? But if you do what is right and yet are punished and endure it patiently, God will be pleased with you. 21-22 For you were called to this kind of life, as Isaiah said,
He did no wrong deed,
and no evil word came from His mouth.[a]
Many believers face intense persecution, but western Christians tend not to experience anything beyond social pressure. Are we merely pursuing comfort, or are we willing to swim against culture?
The Anointed One suffered for us and left us His example so that we could follow in His steps. 23 When He was verbally abused, He didn’t return the abuse; when He suffered, He didn’t make threats to cause suffering in return; instead, He trusted that all would be put right by the One who is just when He judges. 24 He took on our sins in His body when He died on the cross[b] so that we, being dead to sin, can live for righteousness. As the Scripture says, “Through His wounds, you were healed.”[c] 25 For there was a time when you were like sheep that wandered from the fold, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your lives.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.