The Daily Audio Bible
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The Man Speaks
5 I have entered my garden, my sister [4:9], my bride.
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey.
I have drunk my wine and my milk [C he enjoys physical intimacy with her].
The Friends Speak
Eat, friends, and drink;
yes, ·drink deeply [be intoxicated], lovers.
The Woman Dreams
2 I sleep, but my ·heart [mind] ·is awake [was alert].
·I hear [L The sound of] my lover knocking.
“Open to me, my sister [4:9; C he desires physical intimacy], my darling,
my dove, my ·perfect [flawless] one.
My head is ·wet with [L full of] dew,
and my hair with the ·dampness [drizzle] of the night.”
3 I have taken off my ·garment [clothes]
·and don’t want to put it on [L should I get dressed…?] again.
I have washed my feet
·and don’t want to get [L should I get…?] them dirty again.
4 My lover put his hand through the ·opening [L hole],
and I felt ·excited inside [aroused; warmed].
5 I got up to open the door for my lover.
Myrrh was dripping from my hands
and liquid myrrh [4:14] was flowing from my fingers,
onto the handles of the lock.
6 I opened the door for my lover,
but my lover had left and was gone.
When he spoke, ·he took my breath away [L my spirit went out].
I ·looked for [sought] him, but I could not find him;
I called for him, but he did not answer.
7 The ·watchmen [guards; C an ancient equivalent to police; 3:3] found me
·as they patrolled [those who make their rounds in] the city.
They hit me and ·hurt [bruised] me;
the guards ·on the wall took away my veil [L lifted my garments from me].
8 ·Promise me [I adjure you], ·women [L daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5],
if you find my lover,
·tell him [L what should you say to him? That] I am weak with love.
The Friends Answer the Woman
9 How is your lover better than other lovers,
most beautiful of women?
How is your lover better than other lovers?
Why do you want us to promise this?
The Woman Answers the Friends
10 My lover is ·healthy [radiant] and ·tan [ruddy],
·the best of [distinguished among] ten thousand men.
11 His head is like ·the finest [pure] gold;
his hair is wavy and black like a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves [1:15]
by ·springs [streams] of water.
They seem to be bathed in ·cream [milk; C referring to the white of the eye]
·and are set like jewels [or sitting by pools].
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices [C his beard is perfumed];
·they smell like mounds of perfume [L growing aromatics].
His lips are like lilies
flowing with myrrh [4:14].
14 His ·hands [or arms] are like gold ·hinges [or bars],
·filled with jewels [L set with Tarshish stones; C a location in Spain; perhaps a black jet stone or golden topaz].
His ·body [or member] is like ·shiny ivory [or an ivory tusk]
·covered with sapphires [ornamented with lapis].
15 His legs are like large marble ·posts [pillars],
standing on ·bases [pedestals] of fine gold.
·He is like a cedar of [L His appearance is like] Lebanon,
·like the finest of the trees [L choice like the cedars].
16 His mouth is sweet [C to kiss],
and ·I desire him very much [he is totally desirable].
Yes, ·daughters [women] of Jerusalem [1:5],
this is my lover
and my ·friend [darling].
The Friends Speak to the Woman
6 Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your lover turn?
We will ·look [search] for him with you.
The Woman Answers the Friends
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to ·feed [graze] in the gardens
and to ·gather [pluck] lilies.
3 I belong to my lover,
and my lover belongs to me [2:16; 7:11].
He ·feeds [grazes] among the lilies.
The Man Speaks to the Woman
4 My darling, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah [C onetime capital of the northern kingdom of Israel; the name means “pleasant”; 1 Kin. 14:17; 15:21],
as lovely as the city of Jerusalem [C the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah; Ps. 122],
·like an army flying flags [L awesome like an army under banners].
5 Turn your eyes from me,
because they ·excite me too much [unsettle me].
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead [4:1].
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
just coming from ·their bath [a washing; C white];
each one has a twin,
and none of them is missing [4:2].
7 Your ·cheeks [or temple] behind your veil
are like slices of a pomegranate [reddish orange; 4:3].
8 There may be sixty queens and eighty ·slave women [concubines; C secondary wives]
and so many girls you cannot count them,
9 but there is only one like my dove, my ·perfect [flawless] one.
She is her mother’s only daughter,
the ·brightest [favored] of the one who gave her birth.
The ·young women [L daughters] saw her and called her ·happy [blessed];
the queens and the ·slave women [concubines, v. 8] also praised her.
The Young Women Praise the Woman
10 Who is that young woman
that ·shines out [L looks down] like the dawn?
She is as ·pretty [beautiful] as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
·as wonderful as an army flying flags [awesome like an army under banners; v. 4].
The Man Speaks
11 I went down into the ·orchard [grove] of nut trees
to see the ·blossoms [new growth] of the valley,
to look for buds on the vines,
to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.
12 Before I realized it, my desire ·for you made me feel
like a prince in a chariot [or placed me in the chariots of Amminadab; C perhaps a well-known lover like Romeo].
The Friends Call to the Woman
13 ·Come back [or Turn around], ·come back [or turn around], woman of Shulam [C feminine form of Solomon, both based on the Hebrew root meaning “peace”; their union brings contentment].
·Come back [or Turn around], ·come back [or turn around],
so we may look at you!
The Woman Answers the Friends
Why do you want to look at the woman of Shulam
as you would at the dance of two armies [C as at a mesmerizing sight]?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
7 Your feet are beautiful in sandals,
you ·daughter of a prince [noble daughter].
Your round ·thighs [or hips] are like ·jewels [L rings]
·shaped by an artist [L the work of the hands of a craftsman].
2 Your navel is like a round drinking cup
·always filled with [L that does not lack] wine.
Your ·stomach [belly] is like a ·pile [heap] of wheat
·surrounded [bordered] with lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twins of a gazelle [4:5].
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower [C grand, strong, dignified].
Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon [C a beautiful area located near the Dead Sea]
near the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the mountain of Lebanon
·that looks down on [keeping watch toward] Damascus.
5 Your head is like Mount Carmel [C a prominent, rounded, and attractive mountain],
and your hair is like purple cloth [C a royal color];
the king is ·captured [ensnared] in its folds.
6 You are beautiful and pleasant;
my love, you are full of delights.
7 You are like a palm tree [C tall and slender],
and your breasts are like its bunches of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb up the palm tree
and ·take hold of [grasp] its fruit.”
Let your breasts be like ·bunches of grapes [L clusters of the vine],
the smell of your breath like apples,
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
The Woman Speaks to the Man
Let this wine go down sweetly for my lover;
may it flow gently past the lips and teeth.
10 I belong to my lover,
and he desires only me [2:16; 6:3].
11 Come, my lover,
let’s go out ·into the country [L to the field; C a private place for intimacy]
and spend the night in the ·fields [villages].
12 Let’s go early to the vineyards
and see if the buds are on the vines.
Let’s see if the blossoms have already opened
and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes [C an aphrodisiac; Gen. 30:14–16] give their sweet smell,
and all the best ·fruits [gifts] are at our ·gates [entrance].
I have ·saved them [treasured them up] for you, my lover,
the old and the new [C everything near and dear].
8 I wish you were like my brother
who ·fed [L sucked] at my mother’s breasts [C so she could be affectionate toward him in public].
If I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would ·look down on [shame] me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
to my mother’s house;
she is the one who taught me.
I would give you a drink of spiced wine
from my pomegranates.
The Woman Speaks to the Friends
3 My lover’s left hand is under my head,
and his right arm ·holds me tight [embraces me; 2:6].
4 ·Women [L Daughters] of Jerusalem [1:5],
·promise [I adjure you] not to awaken
or ·excite [arouse] love
until it ·is ready [so desires; C likely a warning to the women to wait for love until the right person comes along; 2:7; 3:5].
The Friends Speak
5 Who is this coming out of the ·desert [wilderness; 3:6],
leaning on her lover?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
I ·woke [aroused] you under the apple tree
where ·you were born [L your mother conceived you];
there ·your mother gave birth to you [L the one who gave you birth conceived you].
6 ·Put [Set] me like a seal [C leaving an impression on clay, showing ownership] on your heart [C inside],
like a seal on your arm [C outside].
Love is as strong as death;
·jealousy [or passion] is as ·strong [tenacious] as the grave.
·Love bursts into flames [L Its flame is an intense fire]
·and burns like a hot fire [or a godlike flame].
7 Even much water cannot put out the flame of love;
floods cannot ·drown [flood] love.
If a man offered ·everything [L all the wealth] in his house for love,
·people would totally reject it [or he would be completely despised].
The Woman’s Brothers Speak
8 We have a ·little [small] sister,
and ·her breasts are not yet grown [L she has no breasts].
What should we do for our sister
on the day she ·becomes engaged [L is spoken for; C brothers were in charge of marriage negotiations]?
9 If she is a wall [C chaste],
we will put silver towers on her [C support and honor her].
If she is a door [C promiscuous],
we will ·protect [enclose] her with cedar boards [C put a stop to her sexual activity].
The Woman Speaks
10 I am a wall [C chaste],
and my breasts are like towers [C she is mature].
So I ·was to him [or will be in his eyes],
as one who brings ·happiness [peace; contentment].
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
He ·rented [entrusted] the vineyards ·for others to tend [or to guards],
and everyone who rented had to pay
·twenty-five pounds [L a thousand pieces] of silver for the fruit.
12 But my own vineyard is mine ·to give [alone].
Solomon, the ·twenty-five pounds [L thousand pieces] of silver are for you,
and ·five pounds [L two hundred] are for those who ·tend [guard] the fruit.
The Man Speaks to the Woman
13 You who live in the gardens,
my friends are listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
The Woman Speaks to the Man
14 ·Hurry [Sneak away], my lover,
be like a gazelle
or a young deer
on the mountains where spices grow.
Help for Fellow Christians
9 I really do not need to write you about this ·help [service; ministry] for ·God’s people [T the saints]. 2 [L For; Because] I know ·you want [your eagerness/willingness] to help. I have been ·bragging [boasting] about this to the ·believers in Macedonia [L Macedonians; 8:1], telling them that you in Achaia [C southern Greece; 1:1] have been ready to give since last year. And your ·desire to give [L zeal; enthusiasm] has ·made most of them ready to give also [L aroused/provoked the majority]. 3 But I am sending the brothers to you so that our ·bragging [boasting] about you in this matter will not be empty words. I want you to be ready, as I said you would be. 4 If any of the ·believers from Macedonia [L Macedonians] come with me and find that you are not ready, we will be ·ashamed [embarrassed; dishonored] that we were so sure of you. (And you will be ·ashamed [embarrassed; dishonored], too!) 5 So I thought I should ·ask [urge; encourage] these brothers to go to you before we do. They will finish getting in order the ·generous gift [blessing] you promised so it will be ready when we come. And it will be a ·generous gift [blessing]—not one ·that you did not want to give [required from you; grudgingly given].
6 Remember this: The person who ·plants a little [sows sparingly] will ·have a small harvest [also reap sparingly], but the person who ·plants a lot [sows generously/bountifully] will ·have a big harvest [also reap generously/bountifully]. 7 Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not ·be sad when you give [or give reluctantly], and you should not give ·because you feel forced to give [out of compulsion]. [L For] God loves the person who gives ·happily [cheerfully]. 8 And God can ·give you more blessings than you need [L overflow/abound all grace to you]. Then ·you will always have plenty of everything [L in all things at all times you will have all you need]— ·enough to give to [abounding/overflowing in] every good work. 9 [L Just as] It is written in the Scriptures:
“He ·gives [L scatters (seed) and gives] freely to the poor.
·The things he does are right and will continue forever [or His righteousness endures forever; Ps. 112:9].”
10 [L For] God is the One who gives seed to the farmer and bread for food. He will ·give you all the seed you need and make it grow [L supply and multiply your seed] so there will be a great harvest ·from your goodness [of your righteousness]. 11 He will make you rich in every way so that you can always give ·freely [generously]. And your giving through us will ·cause many to give thanks [L produce thanksgiving] to God. 12 This ·service you do [L ministry of service] not only helps the needs of ·God’s people [T the saints], it also brings many more thanks to God. 13 It is a proof of your faith. Many people will ·praise [glorify] God because you ·obey [submit to] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ—the gospel you ·say you believe [confess]—and because you ·freely [generously] share with them and with all others. 14 And when they pray for you, they will ·wish they could be with [L long for] you because of the great grace that God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his ·gift that is too wonderful for words [indescribable/inexpressible gift].
A Prayer for Forgiveness
For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to David after ·David’s sin with Bathsheba [he committed adultery with/L had gone to Bathsheba; 2 Sam. 11:1—12:25].
51 God, be ·merciful [gracious] to me
·because you are loving [according to your love/loyalty].
·Because you are always ready to be merciful [According to your abundant compassion],
·wipe [blot] out all my ·wrongs [transgressions].
2 Wash ·away [L me thoroughly from] all my guilt
and make me clean ·again [L from my sin].
3 I know about my ·wrongs [transgressions],
and ·I can’t forget my sin [L my sin is continually before me].
4 You ·are the only one [alone] I have sinned against;
I have done ·what you say is wrong [L evil in your eyes].
You are ·right [vindicated] when you speak
and ·fair [pure; blameless] when you judge.
5 I was ·brought into this world [born] in ·sin [guilt].
In sin my mother ·gave birth to [conceived] me [Rom. 3:9–20; 7:18].
6 You ·want me to be completely truthful [L desire truth/faithfulness in my inward parts],
·so teach me wisdom [L and secretly you make me know wisdom].
7 ·Take away my sin [L Remove my sin with hyssop; Ex. 12:22; C a plant used in purification rituals; Lev. 14:4, 6, 49–51; Num. 19:18], and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow [Is. 1:18].
8 Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness;
let the bones you crushed ·be happy [rejoice] again.
9 ·Turn [L Hide] your face from my sins
and ·wipe [blot] out all my guilt.
10 Create in me a ·pure [clean] heart, God,
and ·make my spirit right again [L renew a right/steadfast spirit in me].
11 Do not send me away from you
or take your ·Holy Spirit [or holy spirit] away from me.
12 ·Give me back [Restore to me] the joy of your ·salvation [rescue].
·Keep me strong by giving [Sustain in] me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach your ways to ·those who do wrong [transgressors],
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 God, save me from ·the guilt of murder [bloodshed],
God of my ·salvation [rescue],
and ·I will sing about your goodness [L let my tongue sing for joy of your righteousness].
15 Lord, let ·me speak [L my lips open]
so ·I may praise you [L my mouth may speak your praise].
16 You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them.
You don’t want burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit.
God, you will not ·reject [despise] a heart that is broken and ·sorry for sin [contrite; Is. 57:15; 66:2; Mic. 6:6–8].
18 Do whatever good you wish for ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple].
Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17],
and bulls will be offered on your altar.
24 Don’t make friends with ·quick-tempered people [people controlled by anger]
or ·spend time [associate] with those who have bad tempers.
25 If you do, you will ·be like them [learn their ways].
Then you will ·be in real danger [L get yourself trapped].
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