SONG OF SOLOMON 3

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The Bride’s Troubled Dream3:1 “On my bed night after night I sought him

Whom my soul loves;

I sought him but did not find him.

2 ‘I must arise now and go about the city;

In the streets and in the squares

I must seek him whom my soul loves.’

I sought him but did not find him.

3 “The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,

And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’

4 “Scarcely had I left them

When I found him whom my soul loves;

I held on to him and would not let him go

Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,

And into the room of her who conceived me.”

5 “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,

That you will not arouse or awaken my love

Until she pleases.”

Solomon’s Wedding Day6 “What is this coming up from the wilderness

Like columns of smoke,

Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

With all scented powders of the merchant?

7 “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;

Sixty mighty men around it,

Of the mighty men of Israel.

8 “All of them are wielders of the sword,

Expert in war;

Each man has his sword at his side,

Guarding against the terrors of the night.

9 “King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair

From the timber of Lebanon.

10 “He made its posts of silver,

Its back of gold

And its seat of purple fabric,

With its interior lovingly fitted out

By the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 “Go forth, O daughters of Zion,

And gaze on King Solomon with the crown

With which his mother has crowned him

On the day of his wedding,

And on the day of his gladness of heart.”

SONG OF SOLOMON 4

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Solomon’s Love Expressed4:1 “How beautiful you are, my darling,

How beautiful you are!

Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;

Your hair is like a flock of goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead.

2 “Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes

Which have come up from their washing,

All of which bear twins,

And not one among them has lost her young.

3 “Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

And your mouth is lovely.

Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate

Behind your veil.

4 “Your neck is like the tower of David,

Built with rows of stones

On which are hung a thousand shields,

All the round shields of the mighty men.

5 “Your two breasts are like two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle

Which feed among the lilies.

6 “Until the cool of the day

When the shadows flee away,

I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense.

7 “You are altogether beautiful, my darling,

And there is no blemish in you.

8 “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,

May you come with me from Lebanon.

Journey down from the summit of Amana,

From the summit of Senir and Hermon,

From the dens of lions,

From the mountains of leopards.

9 “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;

You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,

With a single strand of your necklace.

10 “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

And the fragrance of your oils

Than all kinds of spices!

11 “Your lips, my bride, drip honey;

Honey and milk are under your tongue,

And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride,

A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.

13 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates

With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,

14 Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,

With all the trees of frankincense,

Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.

15 “You are a garden spring,

A well of fresh water,

And streams flowing from Lebanon.”

16 “Awake, O north wind,

And come, wind of the south;

Make my garden breathe out fragrance,

Let its spices be wafted abroad.

May my beloved come into his garden

And eat its choice fruits!”

PROVERBS 3

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The Rewards of Wisdom3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your heart keep my commandments;

2 For length of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good repute

In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones.

9 Honor the LORD from your wealth

And from the first of all your produce;

10 So your barns will be filled with plenty

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD

Or loathe His reproof,

12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves,

Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom

And the man who gains understanding.

14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver

And her gain better than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than jewels;

And nothing you desire compares with her.

16 Long life is in her right hand;

In her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who hold her fast.

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth,

By understanding He established the heavens.

20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up

And the skies drip with dew.

21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight;

Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22 So they will be life to your soul

And adornment to your neck.

23 Then you will walk in your way securely

And your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear

Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;

26 For the LORD will be your confidence

And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

When it is in your power to do it.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor,

While he lives securely beside you.

30 Do not contend with a man without cause,

If he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy a man of violence

And do not choose any of his ways.

32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD;

But He is intimate with the upright.

33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,

But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers,

Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.

35 The wise will inherit honor,

But fools display dishonor.

2 TIMOTHY 1

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Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust  1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
    2 To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
    3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
    8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
    15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me-- 18 the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day--and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.