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Song 5:1-8:14Good News Translation
Song of Solomon 5The Man     I have entered my garden, my sweetheart, my bride. I am gathering my spices and myrrh; I am eating my honey and honeycomb; I am drinking my wine and milk.The Women Eat, lovers, and drink until you are drunk with love!The Fourth Song The Woman 2 While I slept, my heart was awake. I dreamed my lover knocked at the door.The Man Let me come in, my darling, my sweetheart, my dove. My head is wet with dew, and my hair is damp from the mist.The Woman 3 I have already undressed; why should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet; why should I get them dirty again? 4 My lover put his hand to the door, and I was thrilled that he was near. 5 I was ready to let him come in. My hands were covered with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, as I grasped the handle of the door. 6 I opened the door for my lover, but he had already gone. How I wanted to hear his voice! I looked for him, but couldn't find him; I called to him, but heard no answer. 7 The sentries patrolling the city found me; they struck me and bruised me; the guards at the city wall tore off my cape. 8 Promise me, women of Jerusalem, that if you find my lover, you will tell him I am weak from passion.The Women 9 Most beautiful of women, is your lover different from everyone else? What is there so wonderful about him that we should give you our promise?The Woman 10 My lover is handsome and strong; he is one in ten thousand. 11 His face is bronzed and smooth; his hair is wavy, black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as beautiful as doves by a flowing brook, doves washed in milk and standing by the stream. 13 His cheeks are as lovely as a garden that is full of herbs and spices. His lips are like lilies, wet with liquid myrrh. 14 His hands are well-formed, and he wears rings set with gems. His body is like smooth ivory, with sapphires set in it. 15 His thighs are columns of alabaster set in sockets of gold. He is majestic, like the Lebanon Mountains with their towering cedars. 16 His mouth is sweet to kiss; everything about him enchants me. This is what my lover is like, women of Jerusalem.Song of Solomon 6The Women     Most beautiful of women, where has your lover gone? Tell us which way your lover went, so that we can help you find him.The Woman 2 My lover has gone to his garden, where the balsam trees grow. He is feeding his flock in the garden and gathering lilies. 3 My lover is mine, and I am his; he feeds his flock among the lilies.The Fifth Song The Man 4 My love, you are as beautiful as Jerusalem, as lovely as the city of Tirzah, as breathtaking as these great cities. 5 Turn your eyes away from me; they are holding me captive. Your hair dances like a flock of goats bounding down the hills of Gilead. 6 Your teeth are as white as a flock of sheep that have just been washed. Not one of them is missing; they are all perfectly matched. 7 Your cheeks glow behind your veil. 8 Let the king have sixty queens, eighty concubines, young women without number! 9 But I love only one, and she is as lovely as a dove. She is her mother's only daughter, her mother's favorite child. All women look at her and praise her; queens and concubines sing her praises. 10 Who is this whose glance is like the dawn? She is beautiful and bright, as dazzling as the sun or the moon. 11 I have come down among the almond trees to see the young plants in the valley, to see the new leaves on the vines and the blossoms on the pomegranate trees. 12 I am trembling; you have made me as eager for love as a chariot driver is for battle.The Women 13 Dance, dance, girl of Shulam. Let us watch you as you dance.The Woman Why do you want to watch me as I dance between the rows of onlookers?Song of Solomon 7The Man     What a magnificent young woman you are! How beautiful are your feet in sandals. The curve of your thighs is like the work of an artist. 2 A bowl is there, that never runs out of spiced wine. A sheaf of wheat is there, surrounded by lilies. 3 Your breasts are like twin deer, like two gazelles. 4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory. Your eyes are like the pools in the city of Heshbon, near the gate of that great city. Your nose is as lovely as the tower of Lebanon that stands guard at Damascus. 5 Your head is held high like Mount Carmel. Your braided hair shines like the finest satin; its beauty could hold a king captive. 6 How pretty you are, how beautiful; how complete the delights of your love. 7 You are as graceful as a palm tree, and your breasts are clusters of dates. 8 I will climb the palm tree and pick its fruit. To me your breasts are like bunches of grapes, your breath like the fragrance of apples, 9 and your mouth like the finest wine.The Woman Then let the wine flow straight to my lover, flowing over his lips and teeth. 10 I belong to my lover, and he desires me. 11 Come, darling, let's go out to the countryside and spend the night in the villages. 12 We will get up early and look at the vines to see whether they've started to grow, whether the blossoms are opening and the pomegranate trees are in bloom. There I will give you my love. 13 You can smell the scent of mandrakes, and all the pleasant fruits are near our door. Darling, I have kept for you the old delights and the new.Song of Solomon 8     I wish that you were my brother, that my mother had nursed you at her breast. Then, if I met you in the street, I could kiss you and no one would mind. 2 I would take you to my mother's house, where you could teach me love. I would give you spiced wine, my pomegranate wine to drink. 3 Your left hand is under my head, and your right hand caresses me. 4 Promise me, women of Jerusalem, that you will not interrupt our love.The Sixth Song The Women 5 Who is this coming from the desert, arm in arm with her lover?The Woman Under the apple tree I woke you, in the place where you were born. 6 Close your heart to every love but mine; hold no one in your arms but me. Love is as powerful as death; passion is as strong as death itself. It bursts into flame and burns like a raging fire. 7 Water cannot put it out; no flood can drown it. But if any tried to buy love with their wealth, contempt is all they would get.The Woman's Brothers 8 We have a young sister, and her breasts are still small. What will we do for her when a young man comes courting? 9 If she is a wall, we will build her a silver tower. But if she is a gate, we will protect her with panels of cedar.The Woman 10 I am a wall, and my breasts are its towers. My lover knows that with him I find contentment and peace.The Man 11 Solomon has a vineyard in a place called Baal Hamon. There are farmers who rent it from him; each one pays a thousand silver coins. 12 Solomon is welcome to his thousand coins, and the farmers to two hundred as their share; I have a vineyard of my own! 13 Let me hear your voice from the garden, my love; my companions are waiting to hear you speak.The Woman 14 Come to me, my lover, like a gazelle, like a young stag on the mountains where spices grow.
2 Cor 9:1-15Good News Translation
2 Corinthians 9Help for Needy Believers 1 There is really no need for me to write you about the help being sent to God's people in Judea. 2 I know that you are willing to help, and I have boasted of you to the people in Macedonia. The believers in Achaia, I said, have been ready to help since last year. Your eagerness has stirred up most of them. 3 Now I am sending these believers, so that our boasting about you in this matter may not turn out to be empty words. But, just as I said, you will be ready with your help. 4 However, if the people from Macedonia should come with me and find out that you are not ready, how ashamed we would beâ??not to speak of your shameâ??for feeling so sure of you! 5 So I thought it was necessary to urge these believers to go to you ahead of me and get ready in advance the gift you promised to make. Then it will be ready when I arrive, and it will show that you give because you want to, not because you have to. 6 Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop. 7 (A)You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. 8 And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 9 (B)As the scripture says, He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever. 10 (C)And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity. 11 He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us. 12 For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. 13 And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else. 14 And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you. 15 Let us thank God for his priceless gift!
Psalms 92:1-5Good News Translation
Psalm 92A Song of Praise     How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord, to sing in your honor, O Most High God, 2 to proclaim your constant love every morning and your faithfulness every night, 3 with the music of stringed instruments and with melody on the harp. 4 Your mighty deeds, O Lord, make me glad; because of what you have done, I sing for joy. 5 How great are your actions, Lord! How deep are your thoughts!
Proverbs 22:24-25Good News Translation
-2- 24 Don't make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. 25 You might learn their habits and not be able to change.
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