Day 249 of 730

¹How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince's daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.

²Your body is like a round goblet, no mixed wine is wanting. Your waist is like a heap of wheat, set about with lilies.

³Your two breasts are like two fawns, that are twins of a roe.

⁴Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.

⁵Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.

⁶How beautiful and how pleasant you are, love, for delights!

⁷This, your stature, is like a palm tree, your breasts like its fruit.

⁸I said, "I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit." Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the smell of your breath like apples, Beloved

⁹Your mouth like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.

¹⁰I am my beloved's. His desire is toward me.

¹¹Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages.

¹²Let's go early up to the vineyards. Let's see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.

¹³The mandrakes give forth fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.

¹Oh that you were like my brother, who sucked the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me.

²I would lead you, bringing you into my mother's house, who would instruct me. I would have you drink spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.

³His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.

⁴I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires. Friends

⁵Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I aroused you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.

⁶Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yah.

⁷Many waters can't quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned. Friends

⁸We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?

⁹If she is a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver. If she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. Beloved

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I was in his eyes like one who found peace.

¹¹Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He leased out the vineyard to keepers. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

¹²My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon; two hundred for those who tend its fruit. Lover

¹³You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice! Beloved

¹⁴Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!

¹The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.

²The Lord is great in Zion. He is high above all the peoples.

³Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy!

⁴The King's strength also loves justice. You do establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁵Exalt the Lord our God. Worship at his footstool. He is Holy!

⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who call on his name; they called on the Lord, and he answered them.

⁷He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, the statute that he gave them.

⁸You answered them, Lord our God. You are a God who forgave them, although you took vengeance for their doings.

⁹Exalt the Lord, our God. Worship at his holy hill, for the Lord, our God, is holy!

¹The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

²to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;

³to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

⁴to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man:

⁵that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:

⁶to understand a proverb, and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸My son, listen to your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching:

⁹for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹¹If they say, "Come with us, Let's lie in wait for blood; let's lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹²let's swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.

¹³We'll find all valuable wealth. We'll fill our houses with spoil.

¹⁴You shall cast your lot among us. We'll all have one purse."

¹⁵My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path,

¹⁶for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird:

¹⁸but these lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.

²⁰Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.

²¹She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:

²²"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.

²⁴Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;

²⁵but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;

²⁶I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you;

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come on you.

²⁸Then will they call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;

²⁹because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

³⁰They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.

³¹Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm."