This reading is taken from
The Living Bible, paraphrased. Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton,
Illinois and Coverdale House Publishers LTD, London, England.
This song of songs, more wonderful than any other, was composed by King
Solomon.
Chapter 1.
The Girl:
Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How fragrant
your cologne and how great your name! No wonder all the young girls love
you, come, let's run!
The Girl:
The king has brought me into his palace. How happy we will be! Your love
is better than wine. No wonder all the young girls love you!”
The Girl:
I am dark but beautiful, O girls of Jerusalem, tanned as the dark tents of
Kedar.
King Solomon: “But lovely as the silken tents of Solomon!”
The Girl:
Don't look down on me, you city girls, just because my complexion is so
dark-the sun has tanned me. My brothers were angry with me and sent me out
into the sun to tend the vineyards, but see what it has done to me!”
The Girl:
“Tell me. O one I love, where are you leading your flock today? Where will
you be at noon? For I will come and join you there instead of wandering
like a vagabond among the flocks of your companions.”
King Solomon:
“If you don't know, O most beautiful woman in all the world, follow the
trail of my flock to the shepherds' tents and there feed your sheep and
their lambs. What a lovely filly you are, my love! How lovely your cheeks
are, with your hair falling down upon them! How stately your neck with
that long string of jewels. We shall make you golden earrings and silver
beads.
The Girl:
The king lies on his bed, enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume. My
beloved one is a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.
King Solomon: “My beloved is a bouquet of flowers in the garden of Engedi.
“How beautiful you are, my love, How beautiful! Your eyes are soft as
doves. What a lovely pleasant thing you are lying here upon the grass,
shaded by the cedar trees and firs. |