Study Desk

Like as the aple tre amonge the trees of the wodd, so is my beloued amonge the sonnes. My delite is to sitt vnder his shadowe, for his frute is swete vnto my throte.

Refresh me wt grapes, coforte me with apples, for I am sick of loue.

for lo, the wynter is now past, the rayne is awaie & gone.

(my doue) out of the caues of the rockes, out of the holes of the wall: O let me se thy countenaunce and heare thy voyce, for swete is thy voyce and fayre is thy face.

Gett vs the foxes, yee the litle foxes that hurte ye vynes, for oure vynes beare blossoms.

the pilers are of syluer, the coueringe of golde, ye seate of purple, ye grounde pleasauntly paued for the doughters of Ierusalem.

As I was a slepe, & my hert wakynge, I herde the voyce of my beloued, wha he knocked. Open to me (sayde he) o my sister, my loue, my doue, my derlinge: for my heade is full of dew, and ye lockes of my hayre are full of the night droppes.

I charge you therfore (o ye doughters of Ierusalem) yf ye fynde my beloued, that ye tell him, how that I am sick for loue.

As for my loue, he is whyte and reade coloured, a synguler personne amonge many thousandes:

(Turne awaye thine eyes fro me, for they make me to proude) Thy hayrie lockes are like a flocke of goates vpon ye mount of Galaad.

and thy throte like the best wyne. This shalbe pure & cleare for my loue, his lippes and teth shal haue their pleasure.

O set me as a seale vpo thine hert, and as a seale vpon thine arme: for loue is mightie as the death, & gelousy as the hell. Hir coales are of fyre, and a very flamme of the LORDE:

so yt many waters are not able to quench loue, nether maye ye streames drowne it. Yee yf a man wolde geue all the good of his house for loue, he shulde counte it nothinge.

Salomon had a vynyarde at Baal Hamon, this vynyarde delyuered he vnto the kepers: yt euery one for the frute therof shulde geue him a thousande peces of syluer.

Heare o heauen, herken o earth, for the LORDE speaketh: I haue norished & brought vp children, and they are fallen awaye fro me.

Alas for this synful people, which are experte in blasphemies, a frawerde generacion, vnnatural children. They haue forsaken the LORDE, they haue prouoked the holy one of Israel vnto anger, and are gone bacward.

Wherfore shulde ye be plaged eny more? For ye are euer fallinge awaye. The whole heade is sick, and the herte is very heuy.

Why offre ye so many sacrifices vnto me? I am discontent for the brentoffringes of wethers, and with ye fatnesse offedbeastes. I haue no pleasure in the bloude of bullockes, lambes and gootes.

Offre me no mo oblacions, for it is but lost laboure. I abhorre youre incense. I maye not awaye with youre newmoones, youre Sabbathes and solempne dayes. Youre fastinges are also in vayne.

Though ye holde out yor hondes, yet turne I myne eyes from you. And though ye make many prayers, yet heare I nothinge at all, for youre hondes are full of bloude.