The Daily Audio Bible
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The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
5 “[a]I have (A)come into my garden, (B)my sister, my bride;
I have picked my (C)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (D)honey;
I have (E)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (F)friends;
Drink and [b]imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
2 “[c]I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (G)my sister, my darling,
(H)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is full of dew,
My (I)locks with the [d]damp of the night.’
3 I have (J)taken off my long-sleeved garment,
How can I put it on again?
I have (K)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved sent forth his hand through the opening,
And my [e](L)feelings moaned for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (M)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with [f]liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (N)turned away and passed by!
My soul went out to him as he (O)spoke.
I (P)searched for him, but I did not find him;
I (Q)called him, but he did not answer me.
7 The (R)watchmen who go about in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.
8 I (S)call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
What will you tell him?
Tell him that (T)I am sick with love.”
9 “[g]What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
O (U)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
That thus you call us to solemnly swear?”
The Bride Extols Her Beloved
10 “[h]My beloved is dazzling and (V)ruddy,
(W)Lifted up as a banner among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, fine gold;
His (X)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (Y)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Washed in milk,
And sitting in their (Z)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (AA)bed of spices,
Towers of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are (AB)lilies
(AC)Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (AD)beryl;
His abdomen is a plate of ivory
Inlaid with [i](AE)sapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold;
His appearance is like (AF)Lebanon
Choice as the (AG)cedars.
16 His [j](AH)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (AI)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Solomon and His Bride Extol Each Other
6 “[k](AJ)Where has your beloved gone,
O (AK)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
2 “[l]My beloved has gone down to his (AL)garden,
To the (AM)beds of spices,
To (AN)shepherd his flock in the gardens
And gather (AO)lilies.
3 (AP)I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who (AQ)shepherds his flock among the lilies.”
4 “[m](AR)You are as beautiful as (AS)Tirzah, my darling,
As (AT)lovely as (AU)Jerusalem,
As (AV)majestic as [n]an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overwhelmed me;
(AW)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have leapt down from Gilead.
6 (AX)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has [o]lost her young.
7 (AY)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 There are sixty (AZ)queens and eighty concubines,
And [p](BA)maidens without number;
9 She is the only one—(BB)my dove, my perfect one;
She is the only one of her mother;
She is the pure one of her who bore her.
The (BC)daughters saw her and called her blessed,
The (BD)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 ‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (BE)moon,
As pure (BF)as the sun,
As (BG)majestic as [q]an army with banners?’
11 [r]I went down to the garden of nut trees
To see the blossoms of the valley,
To see whether (BH)the vine had flourished
Or the (BI)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 I did not know it, but my soul set me
Among the chariots of [s]my noble people.”
13 “[t][u]Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, that we may behold you!”
“[v]Why should you behold the Shulammite,
As at the (BJ)dance of [w](BK)the two companies?
7 “[x]How beautiful are your [y]feet in sandals,
O (BL)noble’s daughter!
The curves of your thighs are like ornaments,
The work of the hands of an artist.
2 Your navel is like a round basin
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Encircled with lilies.
3 Your (BM)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
4 Your (BN)neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in (BO)Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces toward Damascus.
5 Your head [z]crowns you like (BP)Carmel,
And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
6 How (BQ)beautiful and how pleasant you are,
[aa]My love, with all your pleasures!
7 [ab]Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree;
I will seize its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your [ac]breath like [ad](BR)apples,
9 And your [ae](BS)mouth like the best wine!”
“[af]It (BT)goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall asleep.
The Union of Love
10 “(BU)I am my beloved’s,
And his (BV)desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the [ag]fields,
Let us spend the night in the villages.
12 Let us rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let us (BW)see whether the vine has flourished
And its blossoms have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The (BX)mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all (BY)choice fruits,
Both new and old,
Which I have treasured up for you, my beloved.
The Power and Preciousness of Love
8 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 I would lead you and (BZ)bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to teach me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the sweet wine of my pomegranates.
3 Let (CA)his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”
4 “[ah](CB)I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
[ai]Why should you arouse or awaken my love
Until [aj]she pleases?”
5 “[ak](CC)Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning on her beloved?”
“[al]Beneath the [am](CD)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother was in labor with you;
There she was in labor and gave you birth.
6 Put me like a [an]seal over your heart,
Like a (CE)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[ao](CF)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[ap]The very flame of [aq]Yah.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
(CG)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
8 “[ar]We have a little sister,
And she (CH)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with (CI)planks of cedar.”
10 “[as]I was a wall, and (CJ)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a (CK)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (CL)gave the vineyard to (CM)caretakers.
Each one was to bring [at]one (CN)thousand shekels of silver for its (CO)fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is before me;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
9 For (A)it is superfluous for me to write to you about this (B)ministry to the [a]saints; 2 for I know your readiness, of which I (C)boast about you to the (D)Macedonians, that (E)Achaia has been prepared since (F)last year, and your zeal stirred up most of them. 3 But I have sent the brothers, in order that our (G)boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, (H)as I was saying, you may be prepared; 4 lest if any (I)Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—be put to shame in this certainty of ours. 5 So I regarded it necessary to encourage the (J)brothers that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised (K)blessing, so that the same would be ready as a (L)blessing and not as a [b](M)begrudging obligation.
6 Now this I say, (N)he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not (O)grudgingly or under compulsion, for (P)God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And (Q)God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written,
10 Now He who supplies (S)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and (T)increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be (U)enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about (V)thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying (W)the needs of the [d]saints, but is also abounding (X)through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proven character given by this (Y)ministry, they will (Z)glorify God for your obedience to your (AA)confession of the (AB)gospel of Christ and for the [e]generosity of your [f]fellowship toward them and toward all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, long for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you. 15 [g](AC)Thanks be to God for His indescribable (AD)gift!
Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. When [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 (A)Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the abundance of (B)Your compassion (C)blot out my transgressions.
2 (D)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And (E)cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I (F)know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 (G)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is (H)evil in Your sight,
So that (I)You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And pure when You judge.
5 Behold, I was (J)brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You delight in (K)truth in the [e]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will (L)make me know wisdom.
7 [f]Purify me (M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[g]Wash me, and I shall be (N)whiter than snow.
8 [h]Make me to hear (O)joy and gladness,
Let the (P)bones which You have crushed rejoice.
9 (Q)Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 (R)Create [i]in me a (S)clean heart, O God,
And renew [j]a (T)steadfast spirit within me.
11 (U)Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your (V)Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the (W)joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a (X)willing spirit.
13 Then I will (Y)teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [k]be (Z)converted to You.
14 Deliver me from (AA)bloodguiltiness, O God, (AB)the God of my salvation;
Then my (AC)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [l](AD)open my lips,
That my mouth may (AE)declare Your praise.
16 For You (AF)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a (AG)broken spirit;
A broken and a [m]contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
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