Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.
2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.
7 Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;
8 But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":
2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low;
5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
Song of Solomon 1
1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
2 The Shulamite Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth-- For your love is better than wine.
3 Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the virgins love you.
4 Draw me away! The Daughters of Jerusalem We will run after you. The Shulamite The king has brought me into his chambers. The Daughters of Jerusalem We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. The Shulamite Rightly do they love you.
5 I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother's sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.
7 (To Her Beloved) Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions?
8 The Beloved If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds' tents.
9 I have compared you, my love, To my filly among Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold.
11 The Daughters of Jerusalem We will make you ornaments of gold With studs of silver.
12 The Shulamite While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of En Gedi.
15 The Beloved Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove's eyes.
16 The Shulamite Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.
Song of Solomon 2
1 I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.
2 The Beloved Like a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.
3 The Shulamite Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick.
6 His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.
7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.
8 The Shulamite The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke, and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.
11 For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!
14 "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely."
15 Her Brothers Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.
16 The Shulamite My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.
17 (To Her Beloved) Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag Upon the mountains of Bether.
Song of Solomon 3
1 The Shulamite By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.
2 "I will rise now," I said, "And go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love." I sought him, but I did not find him.
3 The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, "Have you seen the one I love?"
4 Scarcely had I passed by them, When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go, Until I had brought him to the house of my mother, And into the chamber of her who conceived me.
5 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.
6 The Shulamite Who is this coming out of the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the merchant's fragrant powders?
7 Behold, it is Solomon's couch, With sixty valiant men around it, Of the valiant of Israel.
8 They all hold swords, Being expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh Because of fear in the night.
9 Of the wood of Lebanon Solomon the King Made himself a palanquin:
10 He made its pillars of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of purple, Its interior paved with love By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his heart.
Song of Solomon 4
1 The Beloved Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove's eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, Going down from Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep Which have come up from the washing, Every one of which bears twins, And none is barren among them.
3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh And to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, With me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.
10 How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!
11 Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates With pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, With all the chief spices--
15 A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.
16 The Shulamite Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits.