Study Desk

Surely I am more senseless than any man,And I do not have the understanding of mankind.

There was a certain man without a second man, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches—"And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of good?" This too is vanity, and it is a grievous endeavor.

"I am black but lovely,O daughters of Jerusalem,Like the tents of Kedar,Like the curtains of Solomon.

Do not look at me because I am swarthy,For the sun has burned me.My mother's sons were angry with me;They made me caretaker of the vineyards,But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

"I am the rose of Sharon,The lily of the valleys."

Sustain me with raisin cakes,Refresh me with apples,Because I am lovesick.

"My beloved is mine, and I am his,He who shepherds his flock among the lilies.

I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,If you find my beloved,What will you tell him?Tell him that I am sick with love."

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,He who shepherds his flock among the lilies."

"I am my beloved's,And his desire is for me.

My soul hates your new moon festivals and your appointed times,They have become a burden to Me;I am weary of bearing them.

So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed;I will break down its wall, and it will become trampled ground.

Then I said,"Woe is me, for I am ruined!For I am a man of unclean lips,And I live among a people of unclean lips;For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Behold, I am going to awaken the Medes against them,Who will not think about silver or take pleasure in gold.

The princes of Zoan are merely ignorant fools;The counsel of Pharaoh's wisest counselors has become senseless.How can you men say to Pharaoh,"I am a son of the wise, a son of the kings of old"?

For this reason my loins are full of anguish;Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.

Then the lookout called,"O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

I, Yahweh, am its keeper;I water it every moment.Lest anyone damage it,I keep it night and day.

Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh,"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.He who believes in it will not be disturbed.