Song of Solomon 2
Contemporary English Version
Love Makes Everything Beautiful
She Speaks:
2 I am merely a rose[a]
from the land of Sharon,
a lily from the valley.
He Speaks:
2 My darling, when compared
with other young women,
you are a lily among thorns.
She Speaks:
3 And you, my love,
are an apple tree
among trees of the forest.
Your shade brought me pleasure;
your fruit was sweet.
4 You led me to your banquet room
and showered me with love.
5 Refresh and strengthen me
with raisins and apples.
I am hungry for love!
6 Put your left hand under my head
and embrace me
with your right arm.
7 Young women of Jerusalem,
promise me by the power
of deer and gazelles[b]
never to awaken love
before it is ready.
Winter Is Past
She Speaks:
8 I hear the voice
of the one I love,
as he comes leaping
over mountains and hills
9 like a deer or a gazelle.
Now he stands outside our wall,
looking through the window
10 and speaking to me.
He Speaks:
My darling, I love you!
Let's go away together.
11 Winter is past,
the rain has stopped;
12 flowers cover the earth,
it's time to sing.[c]
The cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 Fig trees are bearing fruit,
while blossoms on grapevines
fill the air with perfume.
My darling, I love you!
Let's go away together.
14 You are my dove
hiding among the rocks
on the side of a cliff.
Let me see how lovely you are!
Let me hear the sound
of your melodious voice.
15 Our vineyards are in blossom;
we must catch the little foxes
that destroy the vineyards.[d]
She Speaks:
16 My darling, I am yours,
and you are mine,
as you feed your sheep
among the lilies.
17 Pretend to be a young deer
dancing on mountain slopes[e]
until daylight comes
and shadows fade away.
Footnotes
- 2.1 rose: The traditional translation. The exact variety of the flower is not known, though it may have been a crocus.
- 2.7 deer and gazelles: Deer and gazelles were sacred animals in some religions of Old Testament times, and they were thought to have special powers.
- 2.12 sing: Or “trim the vines.”
- 2.15 vineyards: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 15.
- 2.17 mountain slopes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Song of Songs 2
New International Version
She[a]
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple[c] tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved(D) among the young men.
I delight(E) to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(F)
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(G)
and let his banner(H) over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,(I)
for I am faint with love.(J)
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(K)
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(L)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(M)
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.(N)
9 My beloved is like a gazelle(O) or a young stag.(P)
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;(Q)
the blossoming(R) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
He
14 My dove(S) in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(T)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(U)
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(V)
our vineyards that are in bloom.(W)
She
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
- Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
- Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
- Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.