Today's Reading

¹Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them;"

²Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

³in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows are darkened,

⁴and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be in the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

⁷and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

⁸Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity!

⁹Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written blamelessly, words of truth.

¹¹The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹²Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

¹The Song of songs, which is Solomon's. Beloved

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

³Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is oil poured forth, therefore the virgins love you.

⁴Take me away with you. Let us hurry. The king has brought me into his chambers. Friends We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! Beloved They are right to love you.

⁵I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar's tents, like Solomon's curtains.

⁶Do not stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother's sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven't kept my own vineyard.

⁷Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; For why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions? Lover

⁸If you do not know, most beautiful among women, follow the tracks of the sheep. Graze your young goats beside the shepherds' tents.

⁹I have compared you, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.

¹⁰Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.

¹¹We will make you earrings of gold, with studs of silver. Beloved

¹²While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

¹³My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.

¹⁴My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. Lover

¹⁵Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves. Beloved

¹⁶Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, yes, pleasant; and our couch is verdant. Lover

¹⁷The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs. Beloved

¹I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Lover

²As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. Beloved

³As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love.

⁵Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love.

⁶His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.

⁷I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.

⁸The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

⁹My beloved is like a roe or a young hart. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice.

¹⁰My beloved spoke, and said to me, "Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

¹¹For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.

¹²The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

¹³The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away." Lover

¹⁴My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding places of the mountainside, Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

¹⁵Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom. Beloved

¹⁶My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.

¹⁷Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of Bether.

¹Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

²I went up by revelation, and I explained to them the Good News which I proclaim among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

³But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

⁴This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage;

⁵to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

⁶But from those who were reputed to be important (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God does not show partiality to man)-they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

⁷but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcision

⁸(for he who appointed Peter to be an apostle of the circumcision appointed me also to the Gentiles);

⁹and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, Jacob and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

¹⁰They only asked us to remember the poor-which very thing I was also zealous to do.

¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.

¹²For before some people came from Jacob, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

¹³And the rest of the Jewish believers joined him in his hypocrisy; so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, how can you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

¹⁵"We, being Jews by birth, and not Gentile sinners,

¹⁶yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

¹⁷But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!

¹⁸For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.

¹⁹For I, through the law, died to the law, that I might live to God.

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

²¹I do not make void the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!"

¹Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

⁵"Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!

⁶Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding."

⁷He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.

⁸Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is loud, Undisciplined, and knows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,

¹⁶"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

¹⁷"Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he doesn't know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.