1 The Song of aSongs, which is Solomon’s.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
She1
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your blove is better than wine;
3 your canointing oils are fragrant;
your dname is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 eDraw me after you; flet us run.
gThe king has brought me into his chambers.
Others
We will hexult and rejoice in you;
we will extol byour love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
She
5 I am very dark, but ilovely,
O jdaughters of Jerusalem,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mmother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me nkeeper of othe vineyards,
but pmy own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you qwhom my soul loves,
where you rpasture your flock,
where you make it slie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your tcompanions?
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
8 If you do not know,
O umost beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I compare you, vmy love,
to wa mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 xYour cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
Others
11 We will make for you2 ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12 While ythe king was on his couch,
my znard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of amyrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of bhenna blossoms
in the vineyards of cEngedi.
He
15 dBehold, eyou are beautiful, fmy love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your geyes are doves.
She
16 Behold, you are beautiful, hmy beloved, truly idelightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are jcedar;
our rafters are jpine.
1 I am a rose3 of Sharon,
ka lily of the valleys.
He
2 As a lily among brambles,
so is lmy love among the young women.
She
3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my mbeloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat nin his shadow,
and his ofruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He pbrought me to the banqueting house,4
and his qbanner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with rraisins;
refresh me with apples,
sfor I am sick with love.
6 His tleft hand is under my head,
and his right hand uembraces me!
7 I vadjure you,5 O wdaughters of Jerusalem,
by xthe gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping yover the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like za gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
a“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11 for behold, the winter is past;
bthe rain is over and gone.
12 cThe flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing6 has come,
and the voice of dthe turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 eThe fig tree ripens its figs,
and fthe vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
gArise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14 O my hdove, in the iclefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me jhear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is klovely.
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
ffor our vineyards are in blossom.”
16 mMy beloved is mine, and I am his;
17 Until othe day breathes
and pthe shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like qa gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.9
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 xNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say yJohn the Baptist, others say zElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, a“You are bthe Christ, cthe Son of dthe living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, e“Blessed are you, fSimon Bar-Jonah! For gflesh and blood has not revealed this to you, hbut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, iyou are Peter, and jon this rock1 I will build my church, and kthe gates of lhell2 shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you mthe keys of the kingdom of heaven, and nwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed3 in heaven.” 20 oThen he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 pFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that qhe must go to Jerusalem and rsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on sthe third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!4 This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, t“Get behind me, Satan! You are ua hindrance5 to me. For you vare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him wdeny himself and xtake up his cross and follow me. 25 For xwhoever would save his life6 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For ywhat will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or zwhat shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 aFor the Son of Man is going to come with bhis angels in the glory of his Father, and cthen he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not dtaste death euntil they see the Son of Man fcoming in his kingdom.”
The Transfiguration
1 gAnd after six days Jesus took with him hPeter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was itransfigured before them, and jhis face shone like the sun, and khis clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for lElijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, ma bright cloud overshadowed them, and ma voice from the cloud said, n“This is my beloved Son,7 with whom I am well pleased; olisten to him.” 6 When pthe disciples heard this, qthey fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and rtouched them, saying, “Rise, and shave no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 tAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, u“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say vthat first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and whe will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but xdid to him whatever they pleased. ySo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 zThen the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
