I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.”
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.
My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.
and your mouth like the best wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth.
His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven.
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.
You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,
The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,
Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.