Bible Readings for September 7, 2015

Today our passages are Song of Songs 4:17–8:14; 2 Corinthians 8:25–9:15; Psalm 50:1-23; and Proverbs 22:24-25. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.  If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal. 

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Song of Solomon 4:17-8:14 (Contemporary English Version)

Song of Solomon 5

He Speaks:

 ¹My bride, my very own,    I come to my garden
   and enjoy its spices.
   I eat my honeycomb and honey;
   I drink my wine and milk.
   Eat and drink
   until
   you are drunk with love.
   

Their Friends Speak:

Another Dream

She Speaks:

 ²I was asleep, but dreaming:    The one I love was at the door,
   knocking and saying,
   "My darling, my very own,
   my flawless dove,
   open the door for me!
   My head is drenched
   with evening dew."
    ³But I had already undressed
   and bathed my feet.
   Should I dress again
   and get my feet dirty?
    ⁴Then my darling's hand
   reached to open the latch,
   and my heart stood still.
    ⁵When I rose to open the door,
   my hands and my fingers
   dripped with perfume.
    ⁶My heart stood still
   while he spoke to me,
   but when I opened the door,
   my darling had disappeared.
   I searched and shouted,
   but I could not find him--
   there was no answer.
    ⁷Then I was found by the guards
   patrolling the town
   and guarding the wall.
   They beat me up
   and stripped off my robe.
    ⁸Young women of Jerusalem,
   if you find the one I love,
   please say to him,
   "She is weak with desire."
   

Their Friends Speak:

 ⁹Most beautiful of women,    why is the one you love
   more special than others?
   Why do you ask us
   to tell him how you feel?
   

She Speaks:

 ¹⁰He is handsome and healthy,    the most outstanding
   among ten thousand.
    ¹¹His head is purest gold;
   his hair is wavy,
   black as a raven.
    ¹²His eyes are a pair of doves
   bathing in a stream
   flowing with milk. ^{[a] 13}His face is a garden
   of sweet-smelling spices;
   his lips are lilies
   dripping with perfume.
    ¹⁴His arms are branches of gold
   covered with jewels;
   his body is ivory ^[b] decorated with sapphires.
    ¹⁵His legs are columns of marble
   on feet of gold.
   He stands there majestic
   like Mount Lebanon
   and its choice cedar trees.
    ¹⁶His kisses are sweet.
   I desire him so much!
   Young women of Jerusalem,
   he is my lover and friend.
   

Song of Solomon 6

Their Friends Speak:

 ¹Most beautiful of women,    tell us where he has gone.
   Let us help you find him.
   

She Speaks:

 ²My darling has gone down    to his garden of spices,
   where he will feed his sheep
   and gather lilies.
    ³I am his, and he is mine,
   as he feeds his sheep
   among the lilies.
   

He Speaks:

 ⁴My dearest, the cities of Tirzah    and Jerusalem
   are not as lovely as you.
   Your charms are more powerful
   than all of the stars
   in the heavens. ^{[c] 5}Turn away your eyes--
   they make me melt.
   Your hair tosses about
   as gracefully as goats
   coming down from Gilead.
    ⁶Your teeth are whiter
   than sheep freshly washed;
   they match perfectly,
   not one is missing.
    ⁷Behind your veil are hidden
   beautiful rosy cheeks. ^{[d] 8}What if I could have
   sixty queens, eighty wives,
   and thousands of others!
    ⁹You would be my only choice,
   my flawless dove,
   the favorite child
   of your mother.
   The young women, the queens,
   and all the others
   tell how excited you are
   as they sing your praises:
    ¹⁰"You are as majestic
   as the morning sky--
   glorious as the moon--
   blinding as the sun!
   Your charms are more powerful
   than all the stars above." ^[e]

She Speaks:

 ¹¹I went down to see if blossoms    were on the walnut trees,
   grapevines, and fruit trees.
    ¹²But in my imagination
   I was suddenly riding
   on a glorious chariot. ^[f]

Their Friends Speak:

 ¹³Dance! Dance!    Beautiful woman from Shulam,
   let us see you dance!
   Why do you want to see
   this woman from Shulam
   dancing with the others? ^[g]

Song of Solomon 7

She Speaks:

The Wedding Dance

He Speaks:

 ¹You are a princess,    and your feet are graceful
   in their sandals.
   Your thighs are works of art,
   each one a jewel;
    ²your navel is a wine glass
   filled to overflowing.
   Your body is full and slender
   like a bundle of wheat
   bound together by lilies.
    ³Your breasts are like twins
   of a deer.
    ⁴Your neck is like ivory,
   and your eyes sparkle
   like the pools of Heshbon
   by the gate of Bath-Rabbim.
   Your nose is beautiful
   like Mount Lebanon
   above the city of Damascus.
    ⁵Your head is held high
   like Mount Carmel;
   your hair is so lovely
   it holds a king prisoner. ^{[h] 6}You are beautiful,
   so very desirable!
    ⁷You are tall and slender
   like a palm tree,
   and your breasts are full.
    ⁸I will climb that tree
   and cling to its branches.
   I will discover that your breasts
   are clusters of grapes,
   and that your breath
   is the aroma of apples.
    ⁹Kissing you is more delicious
   than drinking the finest wine.
   How wonderful and tasty! ^[i]

She Speaks:

 ¹⁰My darling, I am yours,    and you desire me.
    ¹¹Let's stroll through the fields
   and sleep in the villages.
    ¹²At dawn let's slip out and see
   if grapevines and fruit trees
   are covered with blossoms.
   When we are there,
   I will give you my love.
    ¹³Perfume from the magic flower ^[j] fills the air, my darling.
   Right at our doorstep
   I have stored up for you
   all kinds of tasty fruits.
   

Song of Solomon 8

If Only You and I. . .

She Speaks:

 ¹If you were my brother,    I could kiss you
   whenever we happen to meet,
   and no one would say
   I did wrong.
    ²I could take you to the home
   of my mother,
   who taught me all I know. ^[k] I would give you delicious wine
   and fruit juice as well.
    ³Put your left hand under my head
   and embrace me
   with your right arm.
    ⁴Young women of Jerusalem,
   promise me by the power
   of deer and gazelles ^[l] never to awaken love
   before it is ready.
   

Their Friends Speak:

 ⁵Who is this young woman    coming in from the desert
   and leaning on the shoulder
   of the one she loves?
   I stirred up your passions
   under the apple tree
   where you were born.
   

She Speaks:

 ⁶Always keep me in your heart    and wear this bracelet
   to remember me by.
   The passion of love
   bursting into flame
   is more powerful than death,
   stronger than the grave.
    ⁷Love cannot be drowned
   by oceans or floods;
   it cannot be bought,
   no matter what is offered.
   Their Friends Speak:
    ⁸We have a little sister
   whose breasts
   are not yet formed.
   If someone asks to marry her,
   what should we do?
    ⁹She isn't a wall
   that we can defend
   behind a silver shield.
   Neither is she a room
   that we can protect
   behind a wooden door.
   

She Speaks:

 ¹⁰I am a wall around a city,    my breasts are towers,
   and just looking at me
   brings him great pleasure.
    ¹¹Solomon has a vineyard
   at Baal-Hamon,
   which he rents to others
   for a thousand pieces
   of silver each.
    ¹²My vineyard is mine alone!
   Solomon can keep his silver
   and the others can keep
   their share of the profits.
   

He Speaks:

 ¹³You are in the garden    with friends all around.
   Let me hear your voice!
   

She Speaks:

 ¹⁴Hurry to me, my darling!    Run faster than a deer
   to mountains of spices.
   

Footnotes:

1. Song of Solomon 5:12 milk: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
2. Song of Solomon 5:14 his. . . ivory: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Song of Solomon 6:4 all. . . heavens: Or "a mighty army ready for war."
4. Song of Solomon 6:7 cheeks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 7.
5. Song of Solomon 6:10 all. . . above: Or "a mighty army ready for war."
6. Song of Solomon 6:12 chariot: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
7. Song of Solomon 6:13 dancing. . . others: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Song of Solomon 7:5 it. . . prisoner: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9. Song of Solomon 7:9 How. . . tasty: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Song of Solomon 7:13 magic flower: The Hebrew text has "mandrake," a plant that was thought to give sexual powers.
11. Song of Solomon 8:2 who...know: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Song of Solomon 8:4 deer and gazelles: See the note at 2.7.

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2 Corinthians 8:25-9:15 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 9

The Money for God's People

 ¹I don't need to write you about the money you plan to give for God's people. ²I know how eager you are to give. And I have proudly told the Lord's followers in Macedonia that you people in Achaia have been ready for a whole year. Now your desire to give has made them want to give. ³That's why I am sending Titus and the two others to you. I want you to be ready, just as I promised. This will prove that we were not wrong to brag about you.     ⁴Some followers from Macedonia may come with me, and I want them to find that you have the money ready. If you don't, I would be embarrassed for trusting you to do this. But you would be embarrassed even more. ⁵So I have decided to ask Titus and the others to spend some time with you before I arrive. This way they can arrange to collect the money you have promised. Then you will have the chance to give because you want to, and not because you feel forced to.
    ⁶Remember this saying,
   "A few seeds make
   a small harvest,
   but a lot of seeds make
   a big harvest."
    ⁷Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. ⁸God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. ⁹The Scriptures say,
   "God freely gives his gifts
   to the poor,
   and always does right."
    ¹⁰God gives seed to farmers and provides everyone with food. He will increase what you have, so that you can give even more to those in need. ¹¹You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift.
    ¹²What you are doing is much more than a service that supplies God's people with what they need. It is something that will make many others thank God. ¹³The way in which you have proved yourselves by this service will bring honor and praise to God. You believed the message about Christ, and you obeyed it by sharing generously with God's people and with everyone else. ¹⁴Now they are praying for you and want to see you, because God used you to bless them so very much. ¹⁵Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words!

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Psalm 50 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 50

(A psalm by Asaph.)

What Pleases God

 ¹From east to west,    the powerful LORD God
   has been calling together
   everyone on earth.
    ²God shines brightly from Zion,
   the most beautiful city.
    ³Our God approaches,
   but not silently;
   a flaming fire comes first,
   and a storm surrounds him.
    ⁴God comes to judge his people.
   He shouts to the heavens
   and to the earth,
    ⁵"Call my followers together!
   They offered me a sacrifice,
   and we made an agreement."
    ⁶The heavens announce,
   "God is the judge,
   and he is always honest."
    ⁷My people, I am God!
   Israel, I am your God.
   Listen to my charges
   against you.
    ⁸Although you offer sacrifices
   and always bring gifts,
    ⁹I won't accept your offerings
   of bulls and goats.
    ¹⁰Every animal in the forest
   belongs to me,
   and so do the cattle
   on a thousand hills.
    ¹¹I know all the birds
   in the mountains,
   and every wild creature
   is in my care.
    ¹²If I were hungry,
   I wouldn't tell you,
   because I own the world
   and everything in it.
    ¹³I don't eat the meat of bulls
   or drink the blood of goats.
    ¹⁴I am God Most High!
   The only sacrifice I want
   is for you to be thankful
   and to keep your word.
    ¹⁵Pray to me in time of trouble.
   I will rescue you,
   and you will honor me.
    ¹⁶But to the wicked I say:
   "You don't have the right
   to mention my laws
   or claim
   to keep our agreement!
    ¹⁷You refused correction
   and rejected my commands.
    ¹⁸You made friends
   with every crook you met,
   and you liked people who break
   their wedding vows.
    ¹⁹You talked only about violence
   and told nothing but lies;
    ²⁰you sat around gossiping,
   ruining the reputation
   of your own relatives."
    ²¹When you did all of this,
   I didn't say a word,
   and you thought,
   "God is just like us!"
   But now I will accuse you.
    ²²You have ignored me!
   So pay close attention
   or I will tear you apart,
   and no one can help you.
    ²³The sacrifice that honors me
   is a thankful heart.
   Obey me, ^[a] and I, your God,
   will show my power to save.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 50:23 Obey me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 22:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

-2-

 ²⁴ Don't make friends with anyone    who has a bad temper.
    ²⁵You might turn out like them
   and get caught in a trap.

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Verse of the Day

“We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature.” - Colossians 1:28

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English poet, Francis Quarles wrote, “Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest.”