Day 254 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

Song of Songs 4

1 Behold, thou art fair, my companion; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are doves, beside thy veil: thy hair is as flocks of goats, that have appeared from Galaad. 2 Thy teeth are as flocks of shorn [sheep], that have gone up from the washing; all of them bearing twins, and there is not a barren one among them. 3 Thy lips are as a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: like the rind of a pomegranate is thy cheek without thy veil. 4 Thy neck is as the tower of David, that was built for an armoury: a thousand shields hang upon it, [and] all darts of mighty men. 5 Thy two breasts are as two twin fawns, that feed among the lilies. 6 Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, I will betake me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. 7 Thou art all fair, my companion, and there is no spot in thee. 8 Come from Libanus, [my] bride, come from Libanus: thou shalt come and pass from the top of Faith, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. 9 My sister, [my] spouse, thou hast ravished my heart; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. 10 How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! how much more beautiful are thy breasts than wine, and the smell of thy garments than all spices! 11 Thy lips drop honeycomb, my spouse: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is as the smell of Libanus. 12 My sister, [my] spouse is a garden enclosed; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed. 13 Thy shoots are a garden of pomegranates, with the fruit of choice berries; camphor, with spikenard: 14 spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon; with all woods of Libanus, myrrh, aloes, with all chief spices: 15 a fountain of a garden, and a well of water springing and gurgling from Libanus. 16 Awake, O north wind; and come, O south; and blow through my garden, and let my spices flow out.

Song of Songs 5

1 Let my kinsman come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice berries. I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spices; I have eaten my bread with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; yea, brethren, drink abundantly. 2 I sleep, but my heart is awake: the voice of my kinsman knocks at the door, [saying], Open, open to me, my companion, my sister, my dove, my perfect one: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? 4 My kinsman put forth his hand by the hole [of the door], and my belly was moved for him. 5 I rose up to open to my kinsman; my hands dropped myrrh, my fingers choice myrrh, on the handles of the lock. 6 I opened to my kinsman; my kinsman was gone: my soul failed at his speech: I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he answered me not. 7 The watchmen that go their rounds in the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. 8 I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and the virtues of the field: if ye should find my kinsman, what are ye to say to him? That I am wounded with love. 9 What is thy kinsman [more] than [another] kinsman, O thou beautiful among women? what is thy kinsman [more] than [another] kinsman, that thou hast so charged us? 10 My kinsman is white and ruddy, chosen out from myriads. 11 His head is [as] very fine gold, his locks are flowing, black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as doves, by the pools of waters, washed with milk, sitting by the pools. 13 His cheeks are as bowls of spices pouring forth perfumes: his lips are lilies, dropping choice myrrh. 14 His hands are as turned gold set with beryl: his belly is an ivory tablet on a sapphire stone. 15 His legs are marble pillars set on golden sockets: his form is as Libanus, choice as the cedars. 16 His throat is most sweet, and altogether desirable. This is my kinsman, and this is my companion, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Song of Songs 6

1 Whither is thy kinsman gone, thou beautiful among women? whither has thy kinsman turned aside? [tell us], and we will seek him with thee. 2 My kinsman is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to feed [his flock] in the gardens, and to gather lilies. 3 I am my kinsman's, and my kinsman is mine, who feeds among the lilies. 4 Thou art fair, my companion, as Pleasure, beautiful as Jerusalem, terrible as [armies] set in array. 5 Turn away thine eyes from before me, for they have ravished me: thy hair is as flocks of goats which have appeared from Galaad. 6 Thy teeth are as flocks of shorn [sheep], that have gone up from the washing, all of them bearing twins, and there is none barren among them: thy lips are as a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely. 7 Thy cheek is like the rind of a pomegranate, [being seen] without thy veil. 8 There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens without number. 9 My dove, my perfect one is one; she is the [only] one of her mother; she is the choice of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and the queens will pronounce her blessed, yea, and the concubines, and they will praise her. 10 Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as [armies] set in array? 11 I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine flowered, [if] the pomegranates blossomed. 12 There I will give thee my breasts: my soul knew [it] not: it made me as the chariots of Aminadab.