Bible Readings for September 6, 2013

Today our passages are Song of Songs 1:1-4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 50:1-23; and Proverbs 22:22-23. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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Song of Solomon 1-4:16 (Contemporary English Version)

Song of Solomon 1

Love Is Better than Wine

 ¹This is Solomon's    most beautiful song.
   

She Speaks:

 ²Kiss me tenderly!    Your love is better than wine,
    ³and you smell so sweet.
   All the young women adore you;
   the very mention of your name
   is like spreading perfume.
    ⁴Hurry, my king! Let's hurry.
    ⁵Take me to your home.
   We are happy for you!
   And we praise your love
   even more than wine.
   Young women of Jerusalem,
   it is only right
   that you should adore him.
   My skin is dark and beautiful,
   like a tent in the desert
   or like Solomon's curtains.
   

The Young Women Speak:

She Speaks:

 ⁶Don't stare at me    just because the sun
   has darkened my skin.
   My brothers were angry with me;
   they made me work in the vineyard,
   and so I neglected
   my complexion.
   Don't let the other shepherds
   think badly of me. ^{[a] 7}I'm not one of those women
   who shamelessly follow
   after shepherds. ^[b] My darling, I love you!
   Where do you feed your sheep
   and let them rest at noon?
   

He Speaks:

 ⁸My dearest, if you don't know,    just follow the path
   of the sheep.
   Then feed your young goats
   near the shepherds' tents.
    ⁹You move as gracefully
   as the pony
   that leads
   the chariot of the king.
    ¹⁰Earrings add to your beauty,
   and you wear a necklace
   of precious stones.
    ¹¹Let's make you some jewelry
   of gold,
   woven with silver.
   

She Speaks:

 ¹²My king, while you    were on your couch,
   my love was a magic charm. ^{[c] 13}My darling, you are perfume
   between my breasts;
    ¹⁴you are flower blossoms
   from the gardens of En-Gedi. ^[d]

He Speaks:

 ¹⁵My darling, you are lovely,    so very lovely--
   your eyes are those of a dove.
   

She Speaks:

 ¹⁶My love, you are handsome,    truly handsome--
   the fresh green grass
   will be our wedding bed
    ¹⁷in the shade of cedar
   and cypress trees.
   

Song of Solomon 2

Love Makes Everything Beautiful

She Speaks:

 ¹I am merely a rose ^[e] from the land of Sharon,    a lily from the valley.
   

He Speaks:

 ²My darling, when compared    with other young women,
   you are a lily among thorns.
   

She Speaks:

 ³And you, my love,    are an apple tree
   among trees of the forest.
   Your shade brought me pleasure;
   your fruit was sweet.
    ⁴You led me to your banquet room
   and showered me with love.
    ⁵Refresh and strengthen me
   with raisins and apples.
   I am hungry for love!
    ⁶Put your left hand under my head
   and embrace me
   with your right arm.
    ⁷Young women of Jerusalem,
   promise me by the power
   of deer and gazelles ^[f] never to awaken love
   before it is ready.
   

Winter Is Past

She Speaks:

 ⁸I hear the voice    of the one I love,
   as he comes leaping
   over mountains and hills
    ⁹like a deer or a gazelle.
   Now he stands outside our wall,
   looking through the window
    ¹⁰and speaking to me.
   My darling, I love you!
   Let's go away together.
   

He Speaks:

 ¹¹Winter is past,    the rain has stopped;
    ¹²flowers cover the earth,
   it's time to sing. ^[g] The cooing of doves
   is heard in our land.
    ¹³Fig trees are bearing fruit,
   while blossoms on grapevines
   fill the air with perfume.
   My darling, I love you!
   Let's go away together.
    ¹⁴You are my dove
   hiding among the rocks
   on the side of a cliff.
   Let me see how lovely you are!
   Let me hear the sound
   of your melodious voice.
    ¹⁵Our vineyards are in blossom;
   we must catch the little foxes
   that destroy the vineyards. ^[h]

She Speaks:

 ¹⁶My darling, I am yours,    and you are mine,
   as you feed your sheep
   among the lilies.
    ¹⁷Pretend to be a young deer
   dancing on mountain slopes ^[i] until daylight comes
   and shadows fade away.
   

Song of Solomon 3

Beautiful Dreams

She Speaks:

 ¹While in bed at night,    I reached for the one I love
   with heart and soul.
   I looked for him,
   but he wasn't there.
    ²So I searched through the town
   for the one I love.
   I looked on every street,
   but he wasn't there.
    ³I even asked the guards
   patrolling the town,
   "Have you seen the one
   I love so much?"
    ⁴Right after that, I found him.
   I held him and would not let go
   until I had taken him
   to the home of my mother.
    ⁵Young women of Jerusalem,
   promise me by the power
   of deer and gazelles, ^[j] never to awaken love
   before it is ready.
   

The Groom and the Wedding Party

Their Friends Speak:

 ⁶What do we see approaching    from the desert
   like a cloud of smoke?
   With it comes the sweet smell
   of spices,
   including myrrh
   and frankincense.
    ⁷It is King Solomon
   carried on a throne,
   surrounded by sixty
   of Israel's best soldiers.
    ⁸Each of them wears a sword.
   They are experts at fighting,
   even in the dark.
    ⁹The throne is made of trees
   from Lebanon.
    ¹⁰Its posts are silver,
   the back is gold,
   and the seat is covered
   with purple cloth.
   You women of Jerusalem
   have taken great care
   to furnish the inside. ^{[k] 11}Now come and see the crown
   given to Solomon
   by his mother
   on his happy wedding day.
   

Song of Solomon 4

What a Beautiful Bride

He Speaks:

 ¹My darling, you are lovely,    so very lovely--
   as you look through your veil,
   your eyes are those of a dove.
   Your hair tosses about
   as gracefully as goats
   coming down from Gilead.
    ²Your teeth are whiter
   than sheep freshly washed;
   they match perfectly,
   not one is missing.
    ³Your lips are crimson cords,
   your mouth is shapely;
   behind your veil are hidden
   beautiful rosy cheeks. ^{[l] 4}Your neck is more graceful
   than the tower of David,
   decorated with thousands
   of warriors' shields.
    ⁵Your breasts are perfect;
   they are twin deer
   feeding among lilies.
    ⁶I will hasten to those hills
   sprinkled with sweet perfume
   and stay there till sunrise.
    ⁷My darling, you are lovely
   in every way.
    ⁸My bride, together
   we will leave Lebanon!
   We will say good-by
   to the peaks
   of Mount Amana,
   Senir, and Hermon,
   where lions and leopards
   live in the caves.
    ⁹My bride, my very own,
   you have stolen my heart!
   With one glance from your eyes
   and the glow of your necklace,
   you have stolen my heart.
    ¹⁰Your love is sweeter than wine;
   the smell of your perfume
   is more fragrant than spices.
    ¹¹Your lips are a honeycomb;
   milk and honey
   flow from your tongue.
   Your dress has the aroma
   of cedar trees from Lebanon.
    ¹²My bride, my very own,
   you are a garden,
   a fountain
   closed off to all others.
    ¹³Your arms ^[m] are vines, covered with delicious fruits
   and all sorts of spices--
   henna, nard, ¹⁴saffron,
   calamus, cinnamon,
   frankincense, myrrh, and aloes
   --all the finest spices.
    ¹⁵You are a spring in the garden,
   a fountain of pure water,
   and a refreshing stream
   from Mount Lebanon.
   

She Speaks:

 ¹⁶Let the north wind blow,    the south wind too!
   Let them spread the aroma
   of my garden,
   so the one I love
   may enter
   and taste
   its delicious fruits.
   

Footnotes:

1. Song of Solomon 1:6 Don't. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Song of Solomon 1:7 I'm. . . shepherds: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Song of Solomon 1:12 magic charm: The Hebrew text has "spikenard" (or "nard"), a sweet-smelling ointment made from a plant that comes from India. The ointment was sometimes used as a love charm.
4. Song of Solomon 1:14 En-Gedi: An oasis west of the Dead Sea.
5. Song of Solomon 2:1 rose: The traditional translation. The exact variety of the flower is not known, though it may have been a crocus.
6. Song of Solomon 2:7 deer and gazelles: Deer and gazelles were sacred animals in some religions of Old Testament times, and they were thought to have special powers.
7. Song of Solomon 2:12 sing: Or "trim the vines."
8. Song of Solomon 2:15 vineyards: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 15.
9. Song of Solomon 2:17 mountain slopes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Song of Solomon 3:5 deer and gazelles: See the note at 2.7.
11. Song of Solomon 3:10 inside: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Song of Solomon 4:3 beautiful rosy cheeks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. Song of Solomon 4:13 Your arms: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24 (Contemporary English Version)

Titus and His Friends

 ¹⁶I am grateful that God made Titus care as much about you as we do. ¹⁷When we begged Titus to visit you, he said he would. He wanted to because he cared so much for you. ¹⁸With Titus we are also sending one of the Lord's followers who is well known in every church for spreading the good news. ¹⁹The churches chose this follower to travel with us while we carry this gift that will bring praise to the Lord and show how much we hope to help. ²⁰We don't want anyone to find fault with the way we handle your generous gift. ²¹But we want to do what pleases the Lord and what people think is right.     ²²We are also sending someone else with Titus and the other follower. We approve of this man. In fact, he has already shown us many times that he wants to help. And now he wants to help even more than ever, because he trusts you so much. ²³Titus is my partner, who works with me to serve you. The other two followers are sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ. ²⁴Treat them in such a way that the churches will see your love and will know why we bragged about you.

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Psalm 50:1-23 (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 22:22-23 (Contemporary English Version)

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 ²² Don't take advantage    of the poor
   or cheat them in court.
    ²³The LORD is their defender,
   and what you do to them,
   he will do to you.

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Verse of the Day

“Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them.” - John 14:23

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Frances Wright, Scottish-born lecturer, writer, freethinker, feminist, abolitionist, and social reformer, wrote, “Your spiritual teachers caution you against enquiry — tell you not to read certain books; not to listen to certain people; to beware of profane learning; to submit your reason, and to receive their doctrines for truths. Such advice renders them suspicious counsellors. By their own creed you hold your reason from their God. Go! ask them why he gave it.”