Song of Solomon 6; Song of Solomon 7; Song of Solomon 8; Galatians 4

1 The other women say, "You are the most beautiful woman of all. Where has the one who loves you gone? Which way did he turn? We'll help you look for him." The woman says,

2 "My love has gone down to his garden. He's gone to the beds of spices. He's eating in the gardens. He's gathering lilies.

3 I belong to my love, and he belongs to me. He's eating among the lilies." The king says,

4 "My love, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah. You are as lovely as Jerusalem. You are as majestic as troops carrying their banners.

5 Turn your eyes away from me. They overpower me. Your hair flows like a flock of black goats coming down from Mount Gilead.

6 Your teeth are as clean as a flock of sheep coming up from being washed. Each of your teeth has its twin. Not one of them is alone.

7 Your cheeks behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.

8 There might be 60 queens and 80 concubines. There might be more virgins than anyone can count.

9 But you are my perfect dove. There isn't anyone like you. You are your mother's favorite daughter. The young women see you and call you blessed. The queens and concubines praise you." The other women say,

10 "Who is this woman? She is like the sunrise in all of its glory. She is as beautiful as the moon. She is as bright as the sun. She is as majestic as troops carrying their banners." The king says,

11 "I went down to a grove of nut trees. I wanted to look at the new plants growing in the valley. I wanted to find out whether the vines had budded. I wanted to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.

12 Before I realized it, I was among the royal chariots of my people." The other women say,

13 "Come back to us. Come back, Shulammite woman. Come back to us. Come back. Then we can look at you." The woman says, "Why do you want to look at me as you would watch a dancer at Mahanaim?"

1 The king says to the Shulammite woman, "You are like a prince's daughter. Your feet in sandals are so beautiful. Your graceful legs are like jewels. The hands of a skilled worker must have shaped them.

2 Your navel is like a round bowl that always has mixed wine in it. Your waist is like a mound of wheat that is surrounded by lilies.

3 Your two breasts are lovely. They are like two young antelopes.

4 Your neck is smooth and beautiful like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the towering mountains of Lebanon that face the city of Damascus.

5 Your head is like a crown on you. It is as beautiful as Mount Carmel. Your hair is as smooth as purple silk. I am captured by your flowing curls.

6 You are so beautiful! You please me so much! You are so delightful, my love!

7 You are as graceful as a palm tree. Your breasts are as sweet as the freshest fruit.

8 I said, 'I will climb the palm tree. I'll take hold of its fruit.' May your breasts be as sweet as the fruit on the vine. May your breath smell like the tastiest apples.

9 May your lips be like the finest wine." The woman says, "May my wine go straight to you, my love. May it flow gently over our lips as we sleep.

10 "I belong to you, my love. And you long for me.

11 Come, my love. Let's go to the country. Let's spend the night in the villages.

12 Let's go out to the vineyards early. Let's go and see if the vines have budded. Let's find out whether their flowers have opened. Let's see if the pomegranate trees are blooming. I'll make love to you in the vineyards.

13 The mandrake flowers give off their strong smell. All of the best things are waiting for us, new and old alike. I've stored them up for you, my love.

1 "I wish you were like a brother to me. I wish my mother's breasts had nursed you. Then if I found you outside, I could kiss you. No one would look down on me.

2 I'd bring you to my mother's house. She taught me everything I know. I'd give you spiced wine to drink. It's the juice of my pomegranates.

3 Your left arm is under my head. Your right arm is around me.

4 Women of Jerusalem, take an oath and make me a promise. Don't stir up love. Don't wake it up until it's ready." The other women say,

5 "Who is this woman coming up from the desert? She's leaning on the one who loves her." The woman says to the king, "Under the apple tree I woke you up. That's where your mother became pregnant with you. She went into labor, and you were born there.

6 Hold me close to your heart like the seal around your neck. Keep me close to yourself like the ring on your finger. My love for you is so strong it won't let you go. Love is as powerful as death. Love's jealousy is as strong as the grave. Love is like a blazing fire. It burns like a mighty flame.

7 No amount of water can put it out. Rivers can't drown it. Suppose someone offers all of his wealth to buy love. That won't even come close to being enough." The woman's brothers say,

8 "We have a little sister. Her breasts are still small. What should we do for our sister when she gets engaged?

9 If she were a wall, we'd build silver towers on her. If she were a door, we'd cover her with cedar boards." The woman says to the king,

10 "I am a wall. My breasts are like well-built towers. So in your eyes I've become like someone who makes you happy.

11 Solomon, you had a vineyard in Baal Hamon. You rented your vineyard to others. They had to pay 25 pounds of silver for its fruit.

12 But I can give my own vineyard to anyone I want to. So I give my 25 pounds of silver to you, Solomon. Give 5 pounds to those who take care of its fruit." The king says,

13 "My love, you live in the gardens. My friends listen for your voice. But let me hear it now." The woman says,

14 "Come away with me, my love. Be like an antelope or like a young deer on mountains that are full of spices."

1 Here is what I have been saying. As long as your own children are young, they are no different from slaves in your house. They are no different, even though they own all of the property.

2 They are under the care of guardians and those who manage the property. They are under their care until the time when their fathers give them the property.

3 It is the same with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the basic things the people of the world believe.

4 But then the right time came. God sent his Son. A woman gave birth to him. He was born under the authority of the law.

5 He came to set free those who were under the law. He wanted us to be adopted as children with all the rights children have.

6 Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God ""Abba."" "Abba" means Father.

7 So you aren't slaves any longer. You are God's children. Because you are his children, he gives you what he promised to give his people.

8 At one time you didn't know God. You were slaves to gods that are really not gods at all.

9 But now you know God. Even better, God knows you. So why are you turning back to those weak and worthless beliefs? Do you want to be slaves to them all over again?

10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

11 I am afraid for you. I am afraid that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

12 I make my appeal to you, brothers and sisters. I'm asking you to become like me. After all, I became like you. You didn't do anything wrong to me.

13 As you know, it was because I was sick that I first preached the good news to you.

14 My sickness was hard on you. But you didn't put me off. You didn't make fun of me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God. You welcomed me as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

15 What has happened to all of your joy? If you could have torn out your own eyes and given them to me, you would have. I can give witness to that.

16 Have I become your enemy now by telling you the truth?

17 Those people are trying hard to win you over. But it is not for your good. They want to take you away from us. They want you to commit yourselves to them.

18 It is fine to be committed to something, if the purpose is good. And you shouldn't be committed only when I am with you. You should always be committed.

19 My dear children, I am in pain for you. Once again I have pain like a woman giving birth. And my pain will continue until Christ makes you like himself.

20 I wish I could be with you now. I wish I could change my tone of voice. As it is, you bewilder me.

21 You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don't you know what the law says?

22 It is written that Abraham had two sons. The slave woman gave birth to one of them. The free woman gave birth to the other one.

23 Abraham's son by the slave woman was born in the usual way. But his son by the free woman was born because of God's promise.

24 Those things can be taken as examples. The two women stand for two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai. It gives birth to children who are going to be slaves. It is Hagar.

25 Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That's because she and her children are slaves.

26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother.

27 It is written, "Be glad, woman, you who have no children. Start shouting, you who have no labor pains. The woman who is all alone has more children than the woman who has a husband." (Isaiah 54:1)

28 Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God's promise just as Isaac was.

29 At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the son born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now.

30 But what does Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman's son will never have a share of the family's property with the free woman's son."(Genesis 21:10)

31 Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman's children. We are the free woman's children.