The Berean Pursuit
This is Solomon's Song of Songs.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.
The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.
Take me away with you-let us hurry!
May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine. It is only right that they adore you.
I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed upon me.
My mother's sons were angry with me;
they made me a keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have neglected.
Tell me, O one I love,
where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest them at midday?
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
If you do not know, O fairest of women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and graze your young goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with beads of silver.
While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how delightful!
The soft grass is our bed.
The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are fragrant firs.
I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valley.
Like a lily among the thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He has brought me to the house of wine,
and his banner over me is love.
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.
Listen! My beloved approaches.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
My beloved calls to me,
"Arise, my darling.
Come away with me, my beautiful one.
For now the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared in the countryside;
the season of singing has come,
and the cooing of turtledoves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come away, my darling;
come away with me, my beautiful one."
O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your countenance is lovely.
Catch for us the foxes-
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards-
for our vineyards are in bloom.
My beloved is mine and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Before the day breaks and shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.
On my bed at night
I sought the one I love;
I sought him,
but did not find him.
I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and squares.
I will seek the one I love.
So I sought him but did not find him.
I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city:
"Have you seen the one I love?"
I had just passed them when I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let go
until I had brought him to my mother's house,
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.
Who is this coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense
from all the spices of the merchant?
Behold, it is Solomon's carriage,
escorted by sixty of the mightiest men of Israel.
All are skilled with the sword,
experienced in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side
prepared for the terror of the night.
King Solomon has made his carriage
out of the timber of Lebanon.
He has made its posts of silver,
its base of gold, its seat of purple fabric.
Its interior is inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Come out, O daughters of Zion,
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown his mother bestowed
on the day of his wedding-
the day of his heart's rejoicing.
Of Solomon.
Endow the king with Your justice, O God,
and the son of the king with Your righteousness.
May he judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted with justice.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
and the hills bring righteousness.
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people;
may he save the children of the needy
and crush the oppressor.
May they fear him as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains,
through all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.
May the righteous flourish in his days
and prosperity abound,
until the moon is no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
May the nomads bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
For he will deliver the needy who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.
He will take pity on the poor and needy
and save the lives of the oppressed.
He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their blood is precious in his sight.
Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him;
may they bless him all day long.
May there be an abundance of grain in the land;
may it sway atop the hills.
May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon,
and its people like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever;
may his name continue as long as the sun shines.
In him may all nations be blessed;
may they call him blessed.
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
And blessed be His glorious name forever;
may all the earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and amen.
Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and security," destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.
But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction. In love, hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.
Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.
Brothers, pray for us as well.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.