8th May

¹ If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.² And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.³ Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.⁴ Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.⁶ And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;⁹ Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.¹¹ When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:¹² Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.¹³ Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.¹⁴ Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.¹⁵ But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.¹⁶ For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.¹⁷ Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;¹⁸ How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

¹ I am come into my garden, my sister, my 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.² I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.³ I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?⁴ My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.⁵ I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.⁶ I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.⁷ The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.⁸ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.⁹ What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.¹¹ His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.¹² His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.¹³ His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.¹⁴ His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.¹⁵ His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

¹ And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.² And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,³ And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.⁴ And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.⁵ These going before tarried for us at Troas.⁶ And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.⁷ And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.⁸ And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.⁹ And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.¹⁰ And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.¹¹ When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.¹² And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.¹³ And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.¹⁴ And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.¹⁵ And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus.¹⁶ For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.¹⁷ And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.¹⁸ And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,¹⁹ Serving the LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:²⁰ And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,²¹ Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.²² And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:²³ Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.²⁴ But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.²⁵ And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.²⁶ Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.²⁷ For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.²⁸ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.²⁹ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.³⁰ Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.³¹ Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.³² And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.³³ I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.³⁴ Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.³⁵ I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.³⁶ And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.³⁷ And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,³⁸ Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.