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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
August 7 - Straight Thru the Bible
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Song of Solomon 3-8
Chapter 3
The Bride's Troubled Dream
1 "On my bed night after night I sought him
(C1)Whom my soul loves;
I (C2)sought him but did not find him.
2 '(F1)I must arise now and (F2)go around in the city;
In the (C1)streets and in the public squares
(F3)I must seek him whom my soul loves.'
I sought him but did not find him.
3 "(C1)The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
4 "(C1)Hardly had I (F1)left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I (C2)held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had (C3)brought him to my mother's house,
And into the room of her who conceived me."
The Groom
5 "(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (C2)gazelles or by the does of the field,
That you will not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases."
Solomon's Wedding Day
The Bride
6 "(F1)(C1)What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like (C2)columns of smoke,
Perfumed with (C3)myrrh and (C4)frankincense,
With all the scented powders of the merchant?
The Chorus
7 "Behold, it is (F1)the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty warriors around it,
Of the warriors of Israel.
8 "All of them are wielders of the sword,
(C1)Expert in war;
Each man has his (C2)sword at his side,
Guarding against the (F1)(C3)terrors of the night.
9 "King Solomon has made for himself a (F1)sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 "He made its posts of silver,
Its (F1)back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior lovingly inlaid
By the (C1)daughters of Jerusalem.
11 "Go out, you (C1)daughters of Zion,
And look at King Solomon with the (F1)crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the (C2)day of his wedding,
And on the day of the joy of his heart."
Chapter 4
Solomon's Love Expressed
1 "(F1)How beautiful (C1)you are, my darling,
(F1)How beautiful you are!
Your (C2)eyes are like doves (C3)behind your veil;
Your (C4)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (C5)Gilead.
2 "Your (C1)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
Which have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
3 "Your lips are like a (C1)scarlet thread,
And your (C2)mouth is beautiful.
Your (C3)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 "Your (C1)neck is like the tower of David,
Built with layers of stones
On which are (C2)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (C3)shields of the warriors.
5 "Your (C1)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
That (C2)graze among the lilies.
6 "(C1)Until (F1)the cool of the day
When the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (C2)myrrh
And to the hill of (C2)frankincense.
7 "(C1)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish on you.
8 "Come with me from (C1)Lebanon, my (C2)bride,
You shall come with me from Lebanon.
You shall (F1)come down from the summit of (C3)Amana,
From the summit of (C4)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 "You have (F1)enchanted my heart, (C1)my sister, my bride;
You have (F1)enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (C2)necklace.
10 "(C1)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much (F1)(C2)sweeter is your love than wine,
And the (C3)fragrance of your oils
Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
11 "Your lips (C1)drip (C2)honey, my bride;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (C3)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 "A locked garden is my sister, my bride,
A locked spring, a (C1)sealed (C2)fountain.
13 "Your branches are an (F1)(C1)orchard of (C2)pomegranates
With (C3)delicious fruits, (C4)henna with nard plants,
14 (C1)Nard and saffron, spice reed and (C2)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (C3)frankincense,
(C4)Myrrh, and aloes, along with all the finest balsam oils.
15 "You are a garden spring,
A well of (F1)(C1)fresh water,
And flowing streams from Lebanon."
The Bride
16 "Awake, north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
(F1)Make my (C1)garden breathe out fragrance,
May its balsam oils flow.
May (C2)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (C3)delicious fruits!"
Chapter 5
The Torment of Separation
The Groom
1 "I have (C1)come into my garden, (C2)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (C3)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (C4)honey;
I have (C5)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (C6)friends;
Drink and (F1)drink deeply, lovers."
The Bride
2 "I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
'Open to me, (C1)my sister, my darling,
(C2)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is (F1)drenched with dew,
My (C3)locks with the dew drops of the night.'
3 "I have (C1)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (C2)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 "My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my (C1)feelings were stirred for him.
5 "I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (C1)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 "I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (C1)turned away and had gone!
My (F1)heart went out to him as he (C2)spoke.
I (C3)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (C4)called him but he did not answer me.
7 "The (C1)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8 "(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (C2)I am lovesick."
The Chorus
9 "(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (C1)most beautiful among women?
(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?"
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 "My beloved is dazzling and (F1)(C1)reddish,
(C2)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 "His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (C1)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 "His (C1)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (C2)setting.
13 "His cheeks are like a (C1)bed of balsam,
(F1)Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (C2)lilies
(C3)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 "His hands are rods of gold
Set with (C1)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with (F1)(C2)sapphires.
15 "His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (C1)Lebanon,
Choice as the (C2)cedars.
16 "His (F1)(C1)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (C2)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem."
Chapter 6
Mutual Delight in Each Other
The Chorus
1 "(C1)Where has your beloved gone,
O (C2)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?"
The Bride
2 "My beloved has gone down to his (C1)garden,
To the (C2)beds of balsam,
To (C3)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (C4)lilies.
3 "(C1)I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,
He who (C2)pastures his flock among the lilies."
The Groom
4 "(C1)You are as beautiful as (C2)Tirzah, my darling,
As (C3)lovely as (C4)Jerusalem,
As (C5)awesome as an army with banners.
5 "Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
(C1)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
6 "(C1)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
7 "(C1)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 "There are sixty (C1)queens and eighty concubines,
And (F1)(C2)young women without number;
9 But (C1)my dove, my perfect one, is (F1)unique:
She is her mother's (F1)only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her.
The (F2)(C2)young women saw her and called her (F3)blessed,
The (C3)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 'Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (C1)moon,
As pure (C2)as the sun,
As (C3)awesome as an army with banners?'
11 "I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the plants of the valley,
To see whether (C1)the vine had grown
Or the (C2)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 "(F1)Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of (F2)my noble people."
The Chorus
13 "(F1)Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!"
The Groom
"Why should you look at the Shulammite,
As at the (C1)dance of (F2)(C2)the two armies?
Chapter 7
Admiration by the Groom
1 "(F1)How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
(F2)(C1)Prince's daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
2 "Your navel is like a round goblet
That never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat,
(F1)Surrounded with lilies.
3 "Your (C1)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
4 "Your (C1)neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in (C2)Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which looks toward Damascus.
5 "Your head (F1)crowns you like (C1)Carmel,
And the flowing hair of your head is like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
6 "How (C1)beautiful and how delightful you are,
(F1)My love, with all your delights!
7 "(F1)Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters.
8 "I said, 'I will climb the palm tree,
I will grasp its fruit stalks.'
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your (F1)breath like (C1)apples,
9 And your (F1)(C1)mouth like the best wine!"
The Bride
"It (C2)goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who are asleep.
The Union of Love
10 "(C1)I am my beloved's,
And his (C2)desire is for me.
11 "Come, my beloved, let's go out to the (F1)country,
Let's spend the night in the villages.
12 "Let's rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let's (C1)see whether the vine has grown
And its buds have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 "The (C1)mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all (C2)delicious fruits,
New as well as old,
Which I have saved for you, my beloved.
Chapter 8
The Lovers Speak
1 "Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother's breasts.
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 "I would lead you and (C1)bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
3 "Let (C1)his left hand be under my head,
And his right hand embrace me."
The Groom
4 "(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem:
(F1)Do not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases."
The Chorus
5 "(C1)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning on her beloved?"
The Bride
"Beneath the (C2)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother went into labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave birth to you.
6 "Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a (C1)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
(F1)(C2)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flames are flames of fire,
(F2)The flame of the LORD.
7 "Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers flood over it;
(C1)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised."
The Chorus
8 "We have a little sister,
And she (C1)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
9 "If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with (C1)planks of cedar."
The Bride
10 "I was a wall, and (C1)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 "Solomon had a (C1)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (C2)entrusted the vineyard to (C3)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (C4)thousand shekels of silver for its (C5)fruit.
12 "My very own vineyard is (F1)at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit."
The Groom
13 "You who sit in the gardens:
My (C1)companions are listening for your voice—
(C2)Let me hear it!"
The Bride
14 "(F1)Hurry, my beloved,
And be (C1)like a gazelle or a young (F2)stag
On the (C2)mountains of balsam trees!"
Isaiah 1:1-9
Chapter 1
Rebellion of God's People
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning (C1)Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the (F1)reigns of (C2)Uzziah, (C3)Jotham, (C4)Ahaz, and (C5)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 (C1)Listen, heavens, and hear, (C2)earth;
For the LORD has spoken:
"(C3)Sons I have raised and brought up,
But they have (C4)revolted against Me.
3 "An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master's manger,
But Israel (C1)does not know,
My people (C2)do not understand."
4 Oh, sinful nation,
People weighed down with guilt,
(F1)(C1)Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who (C2)act corruptly!
They have (C3)abandoned the LORD,
They have (C4)despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away (F2)from Him.
5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you (C1)continue in your rebellion?
The entire head is (C2)sick
And the entire heart is faint.
6 (C1)From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is (C2)nothing healthy in it,
Only bruises, slashes, and raw wounds;
(C3)Not pressed out nor bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
7 Your (C1)land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
As for your fields, strangers are devouring them in front of you;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, like a city under watch.
9 (C1)If the LORD of armies
Had not left us a few (C2)survivors,
We would be like (C3)Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.<
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