Study Desk

A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments, "For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is futile and a burdensome task!

I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, "I am determined to comprehend this"—but it was beyond my grasp.

The Beloved to the Maidens: I am dark but lovely, O maidens of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Qedar, lovely like the tent curtains of Salmah.

Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has burned my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards. Alas, my own vineyard I could not keep!

The Beloved to Her Lover: I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys.

Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration

The Beloved about Her Lover: My lover is mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.

The Beloved to the Maidens: O maidens of Jerusalem, I command you— If you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him that I am lovesick!

The Beloved about Her Lover: I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he grazes among the lilies.

The Beloved about Her Lover: I am my beloved's, and he desires me!

"Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?" says the Lord . "I am stuffed with burnt sacrifices of rams and the fat from steers. The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats I do not want.

I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am tired of carrying.

At that time the brother will shout, ‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don't make me a leader of the people!'"

Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there.

I said, "Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies."

I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, "Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?" I answered, "Here I am, send me!"

Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; they are not concerned about silver, nor are they interested in gold.

The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh's wise advisers give stupid advice. How dare you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the sages, one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?"

For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see.

Then the guard cries out: "On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night.