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Psalm 45

1  My heart is astir with gracious words; ♦︎
   as I make my song for the king,
      my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
2  You are the fairest of men; ♦︎
   full of grace are your lips,
      for God has blest you for ever.
6  Your throne is God’s throne, for ever; ♦︎
   the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.
7  You love righteousness and hate iniquity; ♦︎
   therefore God, your God, has anointed you
      with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
8  All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia; ♦︎
   from ivory palaces the music of strings makes you glad.
9  Kings’ daughters are among your honourable women; ♦︎
   at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

THE

Song of Solomon

1The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

Colloquy of Bride and Friends

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine,
³   your anointing oils are fragrant,
your name is perfume poured out;
   therefore the maidens love you.
⁴ Draw me after you, let us make haste.
   The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
   we will extol your love more than wine;
   rightly do they love you.

⁵ I am black and beautiful,
   O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
   like the curtains of Solomon.
⁶ Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
   because the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
   they made me keeper of the vineyards,
   but my own vineyard I have not kept!
⁷ Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
   where you pasture your flock,
   where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who is veiled
   beside the flocks of your companions?

⁸ If you do not know,
   O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
   and pasture your kids
   beside the shepherds’ tents.

Colloquy of Bridegroom, Friends, and Bride

⁹ I compare you, my love,
   to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
¹⁰ Your cheeks are comely with ornaments,
   your neck with strings of jewels.
¹¹ We will make you ornaments of gold,
   studded with silver.

¹² While the king was on his couch,
   my nard gave forth its fragrance.
¹³ My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh
   that lies between my breasts.
¹⁴ My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
   in the vineyards of En-gedi.

¹⁵ Ah, you are beautiful, my love;
   ah, you are beautiful;
   your eyes are doves.
¹⁶ Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
   truly lovely.
Our couch is green;
¹⁷   the beams of our house are cedar,
   our rafters^* are pine.

THE LETTER OF

James

Salutation

1James, a servant^* of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Faith and Wisdom

2 My brothers and sisters,^* whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; ⁴and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. ⁶But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; ^{7, 8}for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.