VOLUME ONE - CHAPTER NINE

Hear all you principles and powers of this world, we sing to the LORD God of all his wondrous works until all the earth show forth from day to day his salvation. He deals bountifully with us and his mercy is for ever, and we exalt him in his own strength, singing and praising his power. Our head is lifted up because we offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy, singing and making melody in our heart to the LORD God. Singing unto him new songs and playing skillfully with a loud noise, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.

I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet. The trumpet of the jubilee is sounded, fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing. The LORD God is with us and the shout of the King is among us. The covenant of the LORD is come into his heavenly body, and we are come rejoicing: the earth ring again, the foundation of the house of the LORD is laid.

Now LORD God I seek out cunning players of instruments, playing with their power, to provide now those that can play well, and to bring them unto you. As a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument: for the people hear their words and you are refreshed, and it is well with us because the evil spirit departs from the body. I prophesy in the midst of the house and the singers bring forth the melody, and when the melody is played, the power of the LORD comes upon the whole body. Singers before and the players on instruments after, go about the city, make sweet melody, sing many songs, that we be remembered and that the power of the LORD comes upon his heavenly body.

Thus says the LORD of hosts, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD God. Return now and you shall dwell in the land I have given to you. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness. Sing unto me new songs, songs of good deeds, of kindness, of loves, songs of life, and play skillfully with a loud noise.

O LORD God our heart is fixed, we will sing unto the LORD as long as we live: we will sing praise to our God while we have our being. For they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, sing us of the songs of Zion.

But now we shall sing to our well beloved, a song of our beloved touching his vineyard. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of satisfaction in the vineyards, dwelling in the strong hold of the wilderness. As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills like a roe or a young hart. The branch of the LORD, beautiful and glorious, the fruit of the earth, excellent and comely. The blessing of the LORD God, the unclean and the clean may eat thereof. Behold, he stands behind our wall, he looks forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.

My beloved spoke, and said unto me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feeds among the flowers of lilies, and I received three thousand baths. Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains, and lay each piece one against another and divide not. The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf.

Awake, O north wind, bring the fair weather and drive away the rain, give up. And come you south wind, flying by wisdom and power, keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Every one that is called by my fame: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. And blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

I am come into my garden, my sister, spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. I sleep, but my heart wakes: the voice of my beloved that knocks, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.

My beloved put in his hand by the hole, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped myrrh, and my fingers sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock whereby they have made me glad. I open to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him, that I am sick of love.

What is your beloved more than another beloved, O you fairest among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved that you do so charge us?

My beloved is white, a clear heat upon herbs, a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest, a dry wind of the high places in the wilderness to fan and to cleanse, ready to speak plainly. My beloved is ruddy, red, without spot, blood, red apparel, garment like him that treads in the winefat, the chief among ten thousands. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Whither is your beloved gone, O you fairest among women? Whither is your beloved turned aside that we may seek him with you?

My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the garden, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine: he feeds among the lilies. And the roof of your mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goes sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates all manner of pleasant, new and old, I have laid up for you, O my beloved.

Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised you up under the apple tree: there your mother brought you forth: there she brought you forth, bare you. Make haste, my beloved, and be like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. Let him kiss us with the kisses of his mouth: for your love is better than wine. Draw us, we will run after you: the king has brought us into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in you, we will remember your love more than wine: how the upright love you.

How fair is your love, my sister, spouse! How much better is your love than wine! And the smell of your ointments than all spices! Now when I pass by you, and look upon you, behold, your time, the time of love. And I spread my skirt over you, and cover your nakedness: yea, I swear unto you, and enter into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you have become mine.

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, the tender grape appear, the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you my loves. The flocks lie down in the midst of her, a voice sings in the windows: the trumpeters and singers as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD. And when they lift up one voice, the house is filled with a cloud, the house of the LORD; for the glory of the LORD fills the house of God.

All things indeed are pure, but evil for the man who eats with offense. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. I shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil unto the chambers, and we will not forsake the house of our God. The overseers and singers are over the business of the house of God.

Singers gather yourselves together, both out of the plain country, from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields and the villages you have built round about Jerusalem. I perceive that the portions had not been given for the singers that did the work, and you fled every one to his field. As he that takes away a garment in cold weather, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart. Now therefore write new songs and teach them to the people. Put them in their mouths that the songs be a witness, for they shall not be forgotten.

Copyright (C) Kingdom Family - November 1998.