Today's Reading

¹Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? Beloved

²My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

³I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,

⁴You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.

⁵Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.

⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; none is bereaved among them.

⁷Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

⁸There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

⁹My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother's only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

¹⁰Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?

¹¹I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.

¹²Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people's chariots. Friends

¹³Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?

¹How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince's daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.

²Your body is like a round goblet, no mixed wine is wanting. Your waist is like a heap of wheat, set about with lilies.

³Your two breasts are like two fawns, that are twins of a roe.

⁴Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.

⁵Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.

⁶How beautiful and how pleasant you are, love, for delights!

⁷This, your stature, is like a palm tree, your breasts like its fruit.

⁸I said, "I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit." Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the smell of your breath like apples, Beloved

⁹Your mouth like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.

¹⁰I am my beloved's. His desire is toward me.

¹¹Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages.

¹²Let's go early up to the vineyards. Let's see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.

¹³The mandrakes give forth fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.

¹Oh that you were like my brother, who sucked the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me.

²I would lead you, bringing you into my mother's house, who would instruct me. I would have you drink spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.

³His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.

⁴I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires. Friends

⁵Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I aroused you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.

⁶Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yah.

⁷Many waters can't quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned. Friends

⁸We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?

⁹If she is a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver. If she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. Beloved

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I was in his eyes like one who found peace.

¹¹Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He leased out the vineyard to keepers. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

¹²My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon; two hundred for those who tend its fruit. Lover

¹³You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice! Beloved

¹⁴Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!

¹But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all;

²but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father.

³So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.

⁴But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,

⁵that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children.

⁶And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!"

⁷So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God.

⁸However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.

⁹But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?

¹⁰You observe days, months, seasons, and years.

¹¹I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you.

¹²I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong,

¹³but you know that because of weakness of the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time;

¹⁴and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Where was the blessing you enjoyed? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

¹⁶So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁷They zealously seek you, but for no good purpose; they desire to alienate you, that you may be zealous for them.

¹⁸But it is always good to be zealous in a good cause, and not only when I am present with you.

¹⁹My children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you-

²⁰but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

²¹Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?

²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman.

²³However, the son by the handmaid was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise.

²⁴These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar.

²⁵For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.

²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

²⁷For it is written, "Rejoice, you barren who do not bear. Break forth and shout, you that do not travail. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband."

²⁸Now you, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

²⁹But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

³⁰However what does the Scripture say? "Throw out the handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman."

³¹So then, brothers, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman.

¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but accurate weights are his delight.

²When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the unfaithful will be trapped by evil desires.

⁷When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, and expectation of power comes to nothing.

⁸A righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked takes his place.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge.

¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. When the wicked perish, there is shouting.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.

¹³One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.

¹⁴Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.

¹⁵He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman obtains honor, but violent men obtain riches.

¹⁷The merciful man does good to his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

¹⁸Wicked people earn deceitful wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

¹⁹He who is truly righteous gets life. He who pursues evil gets death.

²⁰Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those whose ways are blameless are his delight.

²¹Most certainly, the evil man will not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be delivered.

²²Like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good. The expectation of the wicked is wrath.

²⁴There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty.

²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.

²⁶People curse someone who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.

²⁸He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. He who is wise wins souls.

³¹Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner!