Add parallel Print Page Options

Their Friends Speak:

Most beautiful of women,
tell us where he has gone.
    Let us help you find him.

She Speaks:

My darling has gone down
    to his garden of spices,
where he will feed his sheep
    and gather lilies.
I am his, and he is mine,
as he feeds his sheep
    among the lilies.

He Speaks:

My dearest, the cities of Tirzah
and Jerusalem
    are not as lovely as you.
Your charms are more powerful
than all of the stars
    in the heavens.[a]
Turn away your eyes—
    they make me melt.
Your hair tosses about
as gracefully as goats
    coming down from Gilead.
Your teeth are whiter
    than sheep freshly washed;
they match perfectly,
    not one is missing.
Behind your veil are hidden
    beautiful rosy cheeks.[b]

What if I could have
sixty queens, eighty wives,
    and thousands of others!
You would be my only choice,
    my flawless dove,
the favorite child
    of your mother.
The young women, the queens,
    and all the others
tell how excited you are
    as they sing your praises:
10 “You are as majestic
    as the morning sky—
glorious as the moon—
    blinding as the sun!
Your charms are more powerful
    than all the stars above.”[c]

She Speaks:

11 I went down to see if blossoms
were on the walnut trees,
    grapevines, and fruit trees.
12 But in my imagination
I was suddenly riding
    on a glorious chariot.[d]

Their Friends Speak:

13 Dance! Dance!
Beautiful woman from Shulam,
    let us see you dance!

She Speaks:

Why do you want to see
this woman from Shulam
    dancing with the others?[e]

The Wedding Dance

He Speaks:

You are a princess,
and your feet are graceful
    in their sandals.
Your thighs are works of art,
    each one a jewel;
your navel is a wine glass
    filled to overflowing.
Your body is full and slender
like a bundle of wheat
    bound together by lilies.
Your breasts are like twins
    of a deer.
Your neck is like ivory,
    and your eyes sparkle
like the pools of Heshbon
    by the gate of Bath-Rabbim.
Your nose is beautiful
like Mount Lebanon
    above the city of Damascus.
Your head is held high
    like Mount Carmel;
your hair is so lovely
    it holds a king prisoner.[f]

You are very beautiful,
    so desirable!
You are tall and slender
like a palm tree,
    and your breasts are full.
I will climb that tree
    and cling to its branches.
I will discover that your breasts
    are clusters of grapes,
and that your breath
    is the aroma of apples.
Kissing you is more delicious
than drinking the finest wine.
    How wonderful and tasty![g]

She Speaks:

10 My darling, I am yours,
    and you desire me.
11 Let's stroll through the fields
    and sleep in the villages.
12 At dawn let's slip out and see
if grapevines and fruit trees
    are covered with blossoms.
When we are there,
    I will give you my love.
13 Perfume from the magic flower[h]
    fills the air, my darling.
Right at our doorstep
I have stored up for you
    all kinds of tasty fruits.

If Only You and I …

She Speaks:

If you were my brother,
    I could kiss you
whenever we happen to meet,
and no one would say
    I did wrong.
I could take you to the home
of my mother,
    who taught me all I know.[i]
I would give you delicious wine
    and fruit juice as well.
Put your left hand under my head
and embrace me
    with your right arm.

Young women of Jerusalem,
promise me never to awaken love
    before it is ready.

Their Friends Speak:

Who is this young woman
    coming in from the desert
and leaning on the shoulder
    of the one she loves?

She Speaks:

I stirred up your passions
under the apple tree
    where you were born.
Always keep me in your heart
and wear this bracelet
    to remember me by.
The passion of love
    bursting into flame
is more powerful than death,
    stronger than the grave.
Love cannot be drowned
    by oceans or floods.
It cannot be bought—
any offer would be scorned
    no matter how great.

Their Friends Speak:

We have a little sister
whose breasts
    are not yet formed.
If someone asks to marry her,
    what should we do?
She isn't a wall
that we can defend
    behind a silver shield.
Neither is she a room
that we can protect
    behind a wooden door.

She Speaks:

10 I am a wall around a city,
    my breasts are towers,
and just looking at me
    brings him great pleasure.
11 Solomon has a vineyard
    at Baal-Hamon,
which he rents to others
for a thousand pieces
    of silver each.
12 My vineyard is mine alone!
Solomon can keep his silver
    and the others can keep
    their share of the profits.

He Speaks:

13 You are in the garden
with friends all around.
    Let me hear your voice!

She Speaks:

14 Hurry to me, my darling!
Run faster than a deer
    to mountains of spices.

Footnotes

  1. 6.4 all … heavens: Or “a mighty army ready for war.”
  2. 6.7 cheeks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 7.
  3. 6.10 all … above: Or “a mighty army ready for war.”
  4. 6.12 chariot: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
  5. 6.13 dancing … others: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 7.5 it … prisoner: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 7.9 How … tasty: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  8. 7.13 magic flower: The Hebrew text has “mandrake,” a plant that was thought to give sexual powers.
  9. 8.2 who … know: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

Bible Gateway Recommends