Today is the 7th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian. It's great to be here with you today.

Like it is every day. Always taking the next step forward together. And our next step forward leads us to part 2 of what we started yesterday,

which is the song of Solomon, the song of songs. We will conclude the song of songs today. And it's our tradition around here and has been for my goodness.

A long, long, long time. Then when we get to the song of Solomon, my wife Jill joins me and we read through it all together.

And so we began at yesterday and we will conclude today with song of songs chapter 5 through 8.

My bride, my sister, I will come to my garden. I will gather my mirror with my spice. I will eat my honeycomb with my honey.

I will drink my wine with my milk. Eat my friends. Drink and become intoxicated with expressions of love.

I sleep, but my mind is awake. Listen, my beloved is knocking.

Open to me, my true love, my sister, my dove, my perfect one. My head is wet with dew, my hair with dew drops of night.

I have taken off my clothes. Why should I put them on again? I have washed my feet. Why should I get them dirty again?

My beloved put his hand through my keyhole. My heart throbbed for him. I got up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with my mirror.

And my fingers were drenched with liquid myrrh on the handles of the lock. I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away. He was gone.

I almost died when he left. I looked for him, but I did not find him. I called for him, but he did not answer me.

The watchmen making their rounds in the city found me. They struck me. They wounded me. Those watchmen on the walls took my robe from me.

Young women of Jerusalem swear to me that if you find my beloved, you will tell him I am hopelessly lovesick.

Most beautiful of women. What makes your beloved better than any other beloved? What makes your beloved better than any other beloved that you make us swear this way?

My beloved is dazzling yet ruddy. He stands out among 10,000 men. His head is the finest gold. His hair is wavy, black as a raven. His eyes are set like doves bathing in milk.

His cheeks are like a garden of spices. A garden that produces scented herbs. His lips are lilies that drip with myrrh.

His hands are discs of gold set with emerald. His chest is a block of ivory covered with sapphires. His legs are columns of marble set on the bases of pure gold.

His form is like Lebanon, choices the cedars. His mouth is sweet in every way, everything about him is desirable. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem.

Where did your beloved go most beautiful of women? Where did your beloved turn? We will look for him with you.

My beloved went to his garden, to the beds of spices, to graze his flock in the gardens and gather lilies. I am my beloved, so my beloved is mine. He is the one who grazes his flock among the lilies.

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