“Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled;
for my head is filled with dew,
and my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on?
I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?
4 My beloved thrust his hand in through the latch opening.
My heart pounded for him.
5 I rose up to open for my beloved.
My hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the lock.
6 I opened to my beloved;
but my beloved left, and had gone away.
My heart went out when he spoke.
I looked for him, but I didn’t find him.
I called him, but he didn’t answer.
7 The watchmen who go about the city found me.
They beat me.
They bruised me.
The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.
8 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
that you tell him that I am faint with love.
Friends
9 How is your beloved better than another beloved,
you fairest amongst women?
How is your beloved better than another beloved,
that you do so adjure us?
Beloved
10 My beloved is white and ruddy.
The best amongst ten thousand.
11 His head is like the purest gold.
His hair is bushy, black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks,
washed with milk, mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes.
His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are like rings of gold set with beryl.
His body is like ivory work overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is sweetness;
yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
daughters of Jerusalem.
6
Friends
1 Where has your beloved gone, you fairest amongst women?
Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
Beloved
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
He browses amongst the lilies.
Lover
4 You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah,
lovely as Jerusalem,
awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
that lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,
which have come up from the washing,
of which every one has twins;
not one is bereaved amongst them.
7 Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines,
and virgins without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one, is unique.
She is her mother’s only daughter.
She is the favourite one of her who bore her.
The daughters saw her, and called her blessed.
The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.
10 Who is she who looks out as the morning,
beautiful as the moon,
clear as the sun,
and awesome as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the nut tree grove,
to see the green plants of the valley,
to see whether the vine budded,
and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Without realising it,
my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
Friends
13 Return, return, Shulammite!
Return, return, that we may gaze at you.
Lover
Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite,
as at the dance of Mahanaim?
7
1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince’s daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of the hands of a skilful workman.
2 Your body is like a round goblet,
no mixed wine is wanting.
Your waist is like a heap of wheat,
set about with lilies.
3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
that are twins of a roe.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks towards Damascus.
5 Your head on you is like Carmel.
The hair of your head like purple.
The king is held captive in its tresses.
6 How beautiful and how pleasant you are,
love, for delights!
7 This, your stature, is like a palm tree,
your breasts like its fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb up into the palm tree.
I will take hold of its fruit.”
Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the smell of your breath like apples.
9 Your mouth is like the best wine,
that goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
Beloved
10 I am my beloved’s.
His desire is towards me.
11 Come, my beloved! Let’s go out into the field.
Let’s lodge in the villages.
12 Let’s go early up to the vineyards.
Let’s see whether the vine has budded,
its blossom is open,
and the pomegranates are in flower.
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes produce fragrance.
At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old,
which I have stored up for you, my beloved.
8
1 Oh that you were like my brother,
who nursed from the breasts of my mother!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you;
yes, and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you, bringing you into the house of my mother,
who would instruct me.
I would have you drink spiced wine,
of the juice of my pomegranate.
3 His left hand would be under my head.
His right hand would embrace me.
4 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up, nor awaken love,
until it so desires.
Friends
5 Who is this who comes up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
Beloved
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother conceived you.
There she was in labour and bore you.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm;
for love is strong as death.
Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol.†
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a very flame of the LORD.‡
7 Many waters can’t quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would be utterly scorned.
Brothers
8 We have a little sister.
She has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
in the day when she is to be spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build on her a turret of silver.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
Beloved
10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers,
then I was in his eyes like one who found peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
He leased out the vineyard to keepers.
Each was to bring a thousand shekels§ of silver for its fruit.
12 My own vineyard is before me.
The thousand are for you, Solomon,
two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
Lover
13 You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
Beloved
14 Come away, my beloved!
Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!
† 1:15: “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
† 8:6: Sheol is the place of the dead.
‡ 8:6: Hebrew: יה Yah
§ 8:11: A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1000 shekels is about 10 kilograms or about 22 pounds.
Isaiah
The Book of the Prophet Isaiah
1
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear, heavens,
and listen, earth; for the LORD† has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children
and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows his owner,
and the donkey his master’s crib;
but Israel doesn’t know.
My people don’t consider.”
4 Ah sinful nation,
a people loaded with iniquity,
offspring‡ of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel.
They are estranged and backward.
5 Why should you be beaten more,
that you revolt more and more?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it,
but wounds, welts, and open sores.
They haven’t been closed, bandaged, or soothed with oil.
7 Your country is desolate.
Your cities are burnt with fire.
Strangers devour your land in your presence
and it is desolate,
as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a field of melons,
like a besieged city.
9 Unless the LORD of Armies had left to us a very small remnant,
we would have been as Sodom.
We would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the LORD’s word, you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the law of our God,§ you people of Gomorrah!
11 “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says the LORD.
“I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fed animals.
I don’t delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs,
or of male goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings.
Incense is an abomination to me.
New moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—
I can’t stand evil assemblies.
14 My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts.
They are a burden to me.
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you.
Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves. Make yourself clean.
Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil.
17 Learn to do well.
Seek justice.
Relieve the oppressed.
Defend the fatherless.
Plead for the widow.”
18 “Come now, and let’s reason together,” says the LORD:
“Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured with the sword;
for the LORD’s
