“ We have a little sister. Her breasts are still small. What should we do for our sister when she gets engaged?

我们有一小妹；她的两乳尚未长成，人来提亲的日子，我们当为她怎样办理？

我们有一小妹，她还没有乳房，人来提亲的日子，我们当为她怎么办呢？

我们有一小妹，她还没有乳房，人来提亲的日子，我们当为她怎么办呢？

我们有一个小妹，她的胸脯还没有发育。若有人来提亲，我们该怎么办？

我们有一个小妹妹，她的两乳还未发育完全；有人来提亲的时候，我们当为她怎样办理呢？

我們有一小妹；她的兩乳尚未長成，人來提親的日子，我們當為她怎樣辦理？

我們有一小妹，她還沒有乳房，人來提親的日子，我們當為她怎麼辦呢？

我們有一小妹，她還沒有乳房，人來提親的日子，我們當為她怎麼辦呢？

我們有一個小妹，她的胸脯還沒有發育。若有人來提親，我們該怎麼辦？

我們有一個小妹妹，她的兩乳還未發育完全；有人來提親的時候，我們當為她怎樣辦理呢？

我們有個小妹，她的胸部還沒長大；人來提親的日子，我們為我們的小妹要怎樣辦理呢？

女憶兄言曰我有小妹、尚未長乳、議婚之日、我將何為、

我之女弟、年未及筓、成婚之日、當如之何。

我儕有小妹、尚未長成、待聘之日、我儕將如之何、我儕將如之何原文作我儕當為之何為

We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?

We have a little sister too young to have breasts. What will we do for our sister if someone asks to marry her?

Our sister is young; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

“ We have a little sister, And she has no breasts; What shall we do for our sister On the day when she is spoken for?

THE SHULAMITE’s BROTHERS: We have a little sister, And she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister In the day when she is spoken for?

We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for?

Our sister is young; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

We have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?

We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?

Ask me, and I will give the nations to you. All nations on earth will belong to you.

Your sisters Sodom and Samaria and their daughters will return to what they were before. And you and your daughters will return to what you were before.In the past you would not even mention your sister Sodom. You were proud at that time.

People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good deeds. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.

“ Then the Lord said to me,‘ Go. I will send you far away to people who are not Jews.’ ”

You didn’t recognize the time when God came to you. So your enemies will smash you to the ground. They will destroy you and all the people inside your walls. They will not leave one stone on top of another.”

Here is what the Lord says to me.“ It is not enough for you as my servant to bring the tribes of Jacob back to their land. It is not enough for you to bring back the people of Israel I have kept alive. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles. Then you will make it possible for the whole world to be saved.”

“ People from other lands will rebuild your walls. Their kings will serve you. When I was angry with you, I struck you. But now I will show you my tender love.Your gates will always stand open. They will never be shut, day or night. Then people can bring you the wealth of the nations. Their kings will come along with them.

Your older sister was Samaria. She lived north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister was Sodom. She lived south of you with her daughters.

During the night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia standing and begging him.“ Come over to Macedonia!” the man said.“ Help us!”

Is there any advantage in being a Jew? Is there any value in being circumcised?There is great value in every way! First of all, the Jews have been given the very words of God.

“ People of Jerusalem, get up. Shine, because your light has come. The glory of the Lord will shine on you.Darkness covers the earth. Thick darkness spreads over the nations. But I will rise and shine on you. My glory will appear over you.Nations will come to your light. Kings will come to the brightness of your new day.“ Look up. Look all around you. All your people are getting together to come back to you. Your sons will come from far away. Your daughters will be carried on the hip like little children.Then your face will glow with joy. Your heart will beat fast because you are so happy. Wealth from across the ocean will be brought to you. The riches of the nations will come to you.

Your breasts are lovely. They are like two young antelopes that eat among the lilies.

“ I am a wall. My breasts are like well- built towers. So in your eyes I’ve become like someone who makes you happy.

I made you grow like a plant in a field. Soon you had grown up. You became a young adult. Your breasts had formed. Your hair had grown. But you were completely naked.

I have other sheep that do not belong to this sheep pen. I must bring them in too. They also will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

May the king’s name be remembered forever. May his fame last as long as the sun shines. Then all nations will be blessed because of him. They will call him blessed.Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel. Only he can do wonderful things.Give praise to his glorious name forever. May his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

A man named Cornelius lived in Caesarea. He was a Roman commander in the Italian Regiment.Cornelius and all his family were faithful and worshiped God. He gave freely to people who were in need. He prayed to God regularly.One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. He saw clearly an angel of God. The angel came to him and said,“ Cornelius!”Cornelius was afraid. He stared at the angel.“ What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered,“ Your prayers and gifts to poor people are like an offering to God. So he has remembered you.Now send men to Joppa. Have them bring back a man named Simon. He is also called Peter.He is staying with another Simon, a man who works with leather. His house is by the sea.”The angel who spoke to him left. Then Cornelius called two of his servants. He also called a godly soldier who was one of his attendants.He told them everything that had happened. Then he sent them to Joppa.It was about noon the next day. The men were on their journey and were approaching the city. Peter went up on the roof to pray.He became hungry. He wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared, Peter had a vision.He saw heaven open up. There he saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down to earth by its four corners.It had all kinds of four- footed animals in it. It also had reptiles and birds in it.Then a voice told him,“ Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”“ No, Lord! I will not!” Peter replied.“ I have never eaten anything that is not pure and‘ clean.’ ”The voice spoke to him a second time. It said,“ Do not say anything is not pure that God has made‘ clean.’ ”This happened three times. Right away the sheet was taken back up to heaven.Peter was wondering what the vision meant. At that very moment the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. They stopped at the gateand called out. They asked if Simon Peter was staying there.Peter was still thinking about the vision. The Holy Spirit spoke to him.“ Simon,” he said,“ three men are looking for you.Get up and go downstairs. Don’t let anything keep you from going with them. I have sent them.”Peter went down and spoke to the men.“ I’m the one you’re looking for,” he said.“ Why have you come?”The men replied,“ We have come from Cornelius, the Roman commander. He is a good man who worships God. All the Jewish people respect him. A holy angel told him to invite you to his house. Then Cornelius can hear what you have to say.”Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter went with the three men. Some of the believers from Joppa went along.The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them. He had called together his relatives and close friends.When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him. As a sign of respect, he fell at Peter’s feet.But Peter made him get up.“ Stand up,” he said.“ I am only a man myself.”As he was talking with Cornelius, Peter went inside. There he found a large group of people.He said to them,“ You know that it is against our law for a Jew to enter a Gentile home. A Jew shouldn’t have any close contact with a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not say anyone is not pure and‘ clean.’So when you sent for me, I came without asking any questions. May I ask why you sent for me?”Cornelius answered,“ Three days ago at this very hour I was in my house praying. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me.He said,‘ Cornelius, God has heard your prayer. He has remembered your gifts to poor people.Send someone to Joppa to get Simon Peter. He is a guest in the home of another Simon, who works with leather. He lives by the sea.’So I sent for you right away. It was good of you to come. Now we are all here. And God is here with us. We are ready to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”Then Peter began to speak.“ I now realize how true it is that God treats everyone the same,” he said.“ He accepts people from every nation. He accepts anyone who has respect for him and does what is right.You know the message God sent to the people of Israel. It is the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.You know what has happened all through the area of Judea. It started in Galilee after John preached about baptism.You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went around doing good. He healed all who were under the devil’s power. God was with him.“ We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by nailing him to a cross.But on the third day God raised him from the dead. God allowed Jesus to be seen.But he wasn’t seen by all the people. He was seen only by us. We are witnesses whom God had already chosen. We ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.He commanded us to preach to the people. He told us to tell people that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.All the prophets tell about him. They say that all who believe in him have their sins forgiven through his name.”While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.Some Jewish believers had come with Peter. They were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.They heard them speaking in languages they had not known before. They also heard them praising God. Then Peter said,“ Surely no one can keep these people from being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.The apostles and the believers all through Judea heard that Gentiles had also received God’s word.Peter went up to Jerusalem. There the Jewish believers found fault with him.They said,“ You went into the house of Gentiles. You ate with them.”Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story.“ I was in the city of Joppa praying,” he said.“ There I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down from heaven by its four corners. It came down to where I was.I looked into it and saw four- footed animals of the earth. There were also wild animals, reptiles and birds.Then I heard a voice speaking to me.‘ Get up, Peter,’ the voice said.‘ Kill and eat.’“ I replied,‘ No, Lord! I will not! Nothing that is not pure and“ clean” has ever entered my mouth.’“ A second time the voice spoke from heaven. The voice said,‘ Do not say anything is not pure that God has made“ clean.” ’This happened three times. Then the sheet was pulled up into heaven.“ Just then three men stopped at the house where I was staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.The Holy Spirit told me not to let anything keep me from going with them. These six brothers here went with me. We entered the man’s house.He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house. The angel said,‘ Send to Joppa for Simon Peter.He has a message to bring to you. You and your whole family will be saved through it.’“ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them. He came just as he had come on us at the beginning.Then I remembered the Lord’s words.‘ John baptized with water,’ he had said.‘ But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’God gave them the same gift he gave those of us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”When they heard this, they didn’t object anymore. They praised God. They said,“ So then, God has allowed even Gentiles to turn away from their sins. He did this so that they could live.”

He has made his word known to the people of Jacob. He has made his laws and rules known to Israel.He hasn’t done that for any other nation. They don’t know his laws. Praise the Lord.

I will save you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to themto open their eyes. I want you to turn them from darkness to light. I want you to turn them from Satan’s power to God. I want their sins to be forgiven. They will be forgiven when they believe in me. They will have their place among God’s people.’

Jesus became a servant of the Jews. He did this so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercy. It is written,“ I will praise you among the Gentiles. I will sing the praises of your name.”( 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)Again it says,“ You Gentiles, be full of joy. Be joyful together with God’s people.”( Deuteronomy 32:43)And again it says,“ All you Gentiles, praise the Lord. Let all the nations sing praises to him.”( Psalm 117:1)And Isaiah says,“ The Root of Jesse will grow up quickly. He will rule over the nations. The Gentiles will put their hope in him.”( Isaiah 11:10)

So you are no longer outsiders and strangers. You are citizens together with God’s people. You are also members of God’s family.You are a building that is built on the apostles and prophets. They are the foundation. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in the building.The whole building is held together by him. It rises to become a holy temple because it belongs to the Lord.And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit.

Your two breasts are lovely. They are like two young antelopes.

There is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is Lord of all. He richly blesses everyone who calls on him.Scripture says,“ Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”( Joel 2:32)How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them?And how can anyone preach without being sent? It is written,“ How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”( Isaiah 52:7)

Then you will remember how you have lived. You will be ashamed when I give you Samaria and Sodom. Samaria is your older sister. Sodom is your younger one. I will give them and their daughters to you as daughters. That can’t happen based on my old covenant with you.

You will become drunk and sad. The cup of my anger will completely destroy you. It is the same cup your sister Samaria drank from.

Before you believed in Christ, you were separated from him. You were not considered to be citizens of Israel. You were not included in what the covenants promised. You were without hope and without God in the world.At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. He spilled his blood for you. This has brought you near to God.Christ himself is our peace. He has made Jews and Gentiles into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us.Through his body on the cross, Christ set aside the law with all its commands and rules. He planned to create one new people out of Jews and Gentiles. He wanted to make peace between them.

Simon Peter has explained to us what God has now done. He has chosen some of the Gentiles to be among his very own people.The prophets’ words agree with that. They say,“‘ After this I will return and set up again David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild what was destroyed. I will make it what it used to be.Then everyone else can look to the Lord. This includes all the Gentiles who belong to me, says the Lord. The Lord is the one who does these things.’( Amos 9:11, 12)

Moses was with the Israelites in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. Moses was with our people of long ago. He received living words to pass on to us.