The Daily Audio Bible
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The Torment of Separation
5 “[a]I have (A)come into my garden, (B)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (C)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb [b]and my (D)honey;
I have (E)drunk my wine [c]and my milk.
Eat, (F)friends;
Drink and [d]imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
2 “[e]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 [f]drenched with dew,
My (I)locks with the [g]damp of the night.’
3 “I have (J)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (K)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 “My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my [h](L)feelings were aroused for him.
5 “I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (M)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with [i]liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 “I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (N)turned away and had gone!
My [j]heart 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 make the rounds 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)adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (T)I am lovesick.”
9 “[k][l]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (U)most beautiful among women?
[m]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That thus you adjure us?”
Admiration by the Bride
10 “[n]My beloved is dazzling and (V)ruddy,
[o](W)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 “His head is like gold, pure 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,
Bathed in milk,
And [p]reposed in their (Z)setting.
13 “His cheeks are like a (AA)bed of balsam,
Banks 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 carved ivory
Inlaid with [q](AE)sapphires.
15 “His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (AF)Lebanon
Choice as the (AG)cedars.
16 “His [r](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.”
Mutual Delight in Each Other
6 “[s](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 “[t]My beloved has gone down to his (AL)garden,
To the (AM)beds of balsam,
To (AN)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (AO)lilies.
3 “(AP)I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who (AQ)pastures his flock among the lilies.”
4 “[u](AR)You are as beautiful as (AS)Tirzah, my darling,
As (AT)lovely as (AU)Jerusalem,
As (AV)awesome as [v]an army with banners.
5 “Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
(AW)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended 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 [w]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 [x](BA)maidens without number;
9 But (BB)my dove, my perfect one, is [y]unique:
She is her mother’s [z]only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who bore her.
The [aa](BC)maidens saw her and called her blessed,
The (BD)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 ‘Who is this that [ab]grows like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (BE)moon,
As pure (BF)as the sun,
As (BG)awesome as [ac]an army with banners?’
11 “I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the blossoms of the valley,
To see whether (BH)the vine had budded
Or the (BI)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 “Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of [ad]my noble people.”
Admiration by the Bridegroom
7 “[ai]How beautiful are your [aj]feet in sandals,
O [ak](BL)prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like [al]jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
2 “Your navel is like a round goblet
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Fenced about 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 [am]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 delightful you are,
[an]My love, with all your charms!
7 “[ao]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 take hold of its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your [ap]breath like [aq](BR)apples,
9 And your [ar](BS)mouth like the best wine!”
“[as]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 [at]country,
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 budded
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 saved up for you, my beloved.
The Lovers Speak
8 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outdoors, 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 instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
3 “Let (CA)his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”
4 “[au](CB)I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
[av]Do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [aw]she pleases.”
“[ay]Beneath the [az](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 [ba]seal over your heart,
Like a (CE)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[bb](CF)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[bc]The very flame of the Lord.
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 “[bd]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 “[be]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)entrusted the vineyard to (CM)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (CN)thousand shekels of silver for its (CO)fruit.
12 “My very own vineyard is [bf]at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
God Gives Most
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, namely, that (E)Achaia has been prepared since (F)last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I have sent the brethren, 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 otherwise if any (I)Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the (J)brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised [b](K)bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a [c](L)bountiful gift and not [d](M)affected by covetousness.
6 Now this I say, (N)he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows [e]bountifully will also reap [f]bountifully. 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 all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, 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 for sowing and (T)increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be (U)enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing (V)thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying (W)the needs of the [h]saints, but is also overflowing (X)through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proof 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 liberality of your [i]contribution to them and to all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 (AC)Thanks be to God for His indescribable (AD)gift!
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
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 greatness 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 [e]blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was (J)brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire (K)truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will (L)make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me (M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be (N)whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear (O)joy and gladness,
Let the (P)bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 (Q)Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 (R)Create [j]in me a (S)clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]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 [l]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, [m](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 contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.