SONG OF SOLOMON 1

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  1:1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. The Bride Confesses Her LoveShe2

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!

For your love is better than wine; 3

your anointing oils are fragrant;

your name is oil poured out;

therefore virgins love you.
4

Draw me after you; let us run.

The king has brought me into his chambers.Others

We will exult and rejoice in you;

we will extol your love more than wine;

rightly do they love you. She5

I am very dark, but lovely,

O daughters of Jerusalem,

like the tents of Kedar,

like the curtains of Solomon. 6

Do not gaze at me because I am dark,

because the sun has looked upon me.

My mother’s sons were angry with me;

they made me keeper of the vineyards,

but my own vineyard I have not kept! 7

Tell me, you whom my soul loves,

where you pasture your flock,

where you make it lie down at noon;

for why should I be like one who veils herself

beside the flocks of your companions? Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each OtherHe8

If you do not know,

O most beautiful among women,

follow in the tracks of the flock,

and pasture your young goats

beside the shepherds’ tents.
9

I compare you, my love,

to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. 10

Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,

your neck with strings of jewels. Others11

We will make for you ornaments of gold,

studded with silver. She12

While the king was on his couch,

my nard gave forth its fragrance. 13

My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh

that lies between my breasts. 14

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms

in the vineyards of Engedi. He15

Behold, you are beautiful, my love;

behold, you are beautiful;

your eyes are doves. She16

Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.

Our couch is green; 17

the beams of our house are cedar;

our rafters are pine.

SONG OF SOLOMON 2

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2:1

I am a rose of Sharon,

a lily of the valleys. He2

As a lily among brambles,

so is my love among the young women. She3

As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

so is my beloved among the young men.

With great delight I sat in his shadow,

and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4

He brought me to the banqueting house,

and his banner over me was love. 5

Sustain me with raisins;

refresh me with apples,

for I am sick with love. 6

His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me! 7

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles or the does of the field,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases. The Bride Adores Her Beloved8

The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes,

leaping over the mountains,

bounding over the hills. 9

My beloved is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Behold, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

looking through the lattice. 10

My beloved speaks and says to me:

“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away, 11

for behold, the winter is past;

the rain is over and gone. 12

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land. 13

The fig tree ripens its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my beautiful one,

and come away. 14

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

in the crannies of the cliff,

let me see your face,

let me hear your voice,

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely. 15

Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes

that spoil the vineyards,

for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16

My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies. 17

Until the day breathes

and the shadows flee,

turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle

or a young stag on cleft mountains.

PROVERBS 29

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29:1

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,

will suddenly be broken beyond healing. 2

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 3

He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. 4

By justice a king builds up the land,

but he who exacts gifts tears it down. 5

A man who flatters his neighbor

spreads a net for his feet. 6

An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,

but a righteous man sings and rejoices. 7

A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;

a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. 8

Scoffers set a city aflame,

but the wise turn away wrath. 9

If a wise man has an argument with a fool,

the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. 10

Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless

and seek the life of the upright. 11

A fool gives full vent to his spirit,

but a wise man quietly holds it back. 12

If a ruler listens to falsehood,

all his officials will be wicked. 13

The poor man and the oppressor meet together;

the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14

If a king faithfully judges the poor,

his throne will be established forever. 15

The rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 16

When the wicked increase, transgression increases,

but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 17

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will give delight to your heart. 18

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,

but blessed is he who keeps the law. 19

By mere words a servant is not disciplined,

for though he understands, he will not respond. 20

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21

Whoever pampers his servant from childhood

will in the end find him his heir. 22

A man of wrath stirs up strife,

and one given to anger causes much transgression. 23

One’s pride will bring him low,

but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. 24

The partner of a thief hates his own life;

he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. 25

The fear of man lays a snare,

but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. 26

Many seek the face of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice. 27

An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,

but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

PSALM 101

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I Will Walk with IntegrityA Psalm of David.
101:1

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

to you, O Lord, I will make music. 2

I will ponder the way that is blameless.

Oh when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart

within my house; 3

I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me. 4

A perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will know nothing of evil.
5

Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly

I will destroy.

Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart

I will not endure.
6

I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he who walks in the way that is blameless

shall minister to me.
7

No one who practices deceit

shall dwell in my house;

no one who utters lies

shall continue before my eyes.
8

Morning by morning I will destroy

all the wicked in the land,

cutting off all the evildoers

from the city of the Lord.

PSALM 102

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Do Not Hide Your Face from MeA Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102:1

Hear my prayer, O Lord;

let my cry come to you! 2

Do not hide your face from me

in the day of my distress!

Incline your ear to me;

answer me speedily in the day when I call!
3

For my days pass away like smoke,

and my bones burn like a furnace. 4

My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;

I forget to eat my bread. 5

Because of my loud groaning

my bones cling to my flesh. 6

I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,

like an owl of the waste places; 7

I lie awake;

I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. 8

All the day my enemies taunt me;

those who deride me use my name for a curse. 9

For I eat ashes like bread

and mingle tears with my drink, 10

because of your indignation and anger;

for you have taken me up and thrown me down. 11

My days are like an evening shadow;

I wither away like grass.
12

But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever;

you are remembered throughout all generations. 13

You will arise and have pity on Zion;

it is the time to favor her;

the appointed time has come. 14

For your servants hold her stones dear

and have pity on her dust. 15

Nations will fear the name of the Lord,

and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. 16

For the Lord builds up Zion;

he appears in his glory; 17

he regards the prayer of the destitute

and does not despise their prayer.
18

Let this be recorded for a generation to come,

so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord: 19

that he looked down from his holy height;

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, 20

to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to set free those who were doomed to die, 21

that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,

and in Jerusalem his praise, 22

when peoples gather together,

and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
23

He has broken my strength in midcourse;

he has shortened my days. 24

“O my God,” I say, “take me not away

in the midst of my days—

you whose years endure

throughout all generations!”
25

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26

They will perish, but you will remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27

but you are the same, and your years have no end. 28

The children of your servants shall dwell secure;

their offspring shall be established before you.