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The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; For thy love is better than wine.

Thine ointments savour sweetly; Thy name is an ointment poured forth: Therefore do the virgins love thee.

Draw me, we will run after thee!—The king hath brought me into his chambers—We will be glad and rejoice in thee, We will remember thy love more than wine. They love thee uprightly.

I am black, but comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.

Look not upon me, because I am black; Because the sun hath looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me: They made me keeper of the vineyards; Mine own vineyard have I not kept.

Tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest it to rest at noon; For why should I be as one veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' booths.

I compare thee, my love, To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.

10 Thy cheeks are comely with bead-rows, Thy neck with ornamental chains.

11 We will make thee bead-rows of gold With studs of silver.

12 While the king is at his table, My spikenard sendeth forth its fragrance.

13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; He shall pass the night between my breasts.

14 My beloved is unto me a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of Engedi.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold, thou art fair: thine eyes are doves.

16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our bed is green.

17 The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are cypresses.

I am a narcissus of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

As the lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons: In his shadow have I rapture and sit down; And his fruit is sweet to my taste.

He hath brought me to the house of wine, And his banner over me is love.

Sustain ye me with raisin-cakes, Refresh me with apples; For I am sick of love.

His left hand is under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me.

I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please.

The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Behold, he standeth behind our wall, He looketh in through the windows, Glancing through the lattice.

10 My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11 For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over, it is gone:

12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

13 The fig-tree melloweth her winter figs, And the vines in bloom give forth [their] fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!

14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15 Take us the foxes, The little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in bloom.

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his; He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies,

17 Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved: be thou like a gazelle or a young hart, Upon the mountains of Bether.

On my bed, in the nights, I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

I will rise now, and go about the city; In the streets and in the broadways Will I seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

The watchmen that go about the city found me:—Have ye seen him whom my soul loveth?

—Scarcely had I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please.

Who is this, [she] that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant? …

Behold his couch, Solomon's own: Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty of Israel.

They all hold the sword, Experts in war; Each hath his sword upon his thigh Because of alarm in the nights.

King Solomon made himself a palanquin Of the wood of Lebanon.

10 Its pillars he made of silver, Its support of gold, Its seat of purple; The midst thereof was paved [with] love By the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, daughters of Zion, And behold king Solomon With the crown wherewith his mother crowned him In the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, On the slopes of mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely; As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil.

Thy neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armoury: A thousand bucklers hang thereon, All shields of mighty men.

Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies.

Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.

[Come] with me, from Lebanon, [my] spouse, With me from Lebanon,—Come, look from the top of Amanah, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] spouse; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

10 How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine ointments than all spices!

11 Thy lips, [my] spouse, drop [as] the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12 A garden enclosed is my sister, [my] spouse; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13 Thy shoots are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants;

14 Spikenard and saffron; Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

15 A fountain in the gardens, A well of living waters, Which stream from Lebanon.

16 Awake, north wind, and come, [thou] south; Blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow forth. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat its precious fruits.

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, beloved ones!

I slept, but my heart was awake. The voice of my beloved! he knocketh: Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, mine undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.

—I have put off my tunic, how should I put it on? I have washed my feet, how should I pollute them?—

My beloved put in his hand by the hole [of the door]; And my bowels yearned for him.

I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the lock.

I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had withdrawn himself; he was gone: My soul went forth when he spoke. I sought him, but I found him not; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

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.

I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, … What will ye tell him?—That I am sick of love.

What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, 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 finest gold; His locks are flowing, black as the raven;

12 His eyes are like doves by the water-brooks, Washed with milk, fitly set;

13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, raised beds of sweet plants; His lips lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

14 His hands gold rings, set with the chrysolite; His belly is bright ivory, overlaid [with] sapphires;

15 His legs, pillars of marble, set upon bases of fine gold: His bearing as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars;

16 His mouth is most sweet: Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, yea, this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Whither is thy beloved gone, Thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? And we will seek him with thee.

My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens and to gather lilies.

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies.

Thou art fair, my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as troops with banners:

Turn away thine eyes from me, For they overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats On the slopes of Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep Which go up from the washing; Which have all borne twins, And none is barren among them.

As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples Behind thy veil.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number:

My dove, mine undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother, She is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and they called her blessed; The queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, Terrible as troops with banners?

11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the verdure of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, Whether the pomegranates blossomed.

12 Before I was aware, My soul set me upon the chariots of my willing people.

13 Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee.—What would ye look upon in the Shulamite?—As it were the dance of two camps.

How beautiful are thy footsteps in sandals, O prince's daughter! The roundings of thy thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of an artist.

Thy navel is a round goblet, [which] wanteth not mixed wine; Thy belly a heap of wheat, set about with lilies;

Thy two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle;

Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; Thine eyes, [like] the pools in Heshbon, By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Thy nose like the tower of Lebanon, Which looketh toward Damascus;

Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the locks of thy head like purple; The king is fettered by [thy] ringlets!

How fair and how pleasant art thou, [my] love, in delights!

This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to grape clusters.

I said, I will go up to the palm-tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof; And thy breasts shall indeed be like clusters of the vine, And the fragrance of thy nose like apples,

And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine, … That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, And stealeth over the lips of them that are asleep.

10 I am my beloved's, And his desire is toward me.

11 —Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; Let us lodge in the villages.

12 We will go up early to the vineyards, We will see if the vine hath budded, [If] the blossom is opening, And the pomegranates are in bloom: There will I give thee my loves.

13 The mandrakes yield fragrance; And at our gates are all choice fruits, new and old: I have laid them up for thee, my beloved.

Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! Should I find thee without, I would kiss thee; And they would not despise me.

I would lead thee, bring thee into my mother's house; Thou wouldest instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand would be under my head, And his right hand embrace me.

I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, … Why should ye stir up, why awake [my] love, till he please?

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I awoke thee under the apple-tree: There thy mother brought thee forth; There she brought thee forth [that] bore thee.

Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol: The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, Flames of Jah.

Many waters cannot quench love, Neither do the floods drown it: Even if a man gave all the substance of his house for love, It would utterly be contemned.

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?—

If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver; And if she be a door, We will enclose her with boards of cedar.

10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; Then was I in his eyes as one that findeth peace.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon: He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand silver-pieces.

12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: The thousand [silver-pieces] be to thee, Solomon; And to the keepers of its fruit, two hundred.

13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken to thy voice: Let me hear [it].

14 Haste, my beloved, And be thou like a gazelle or a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
    because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
    and made me take care of the vineyards;(M)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(N) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(O) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(P)
    follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
    by the tents of the shepherds.

He

I liken you, my darling, to a mare
    among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.(Q)
10 Your cheeks(R) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(S)
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
    studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.(T)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(U)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(V) is to me a cluster of henna(W) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(X)

He

15 How beautiful(Y) you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes are doves.(Z)

She

16 How handsome you are, my beloved!(AA)
    Oh, how charming!
    And our bed is verdant.

He

17 The beams of our house are cedars;(AB)
    our rafters are firs.

She[d]

I am a rose[e](AC) of Sharon,(AD)
    a lily(AE) of the valleys.

He

Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

She

Like an apple[f] tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved(AF) among the young men.
I delight(AG) to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(AH)
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(AI)
    and let his banner(AJ) over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,(AK)
    for I am faint with love.(AL)
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.(AM)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(AN)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(AO)

Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(AP)
My beloved is like a gazelle(AQ) or a young stag.(AR)
    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;(AS)
    the blossoming(AT) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

14 My dove(AU) 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.(AV)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(AW)
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(AX)
    our vineyards that are in bloom.(AY)

She

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(AZ)
    he browses among the lilies.(BA)
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(BB)
turn, my beloved,(BC)
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(BD)
    on the rugged hills.[g](BE)

All night long on my bed
    I looked(BF) for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(BG)
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(BH)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(BI)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(BJ)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(BK)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(BL)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(BM) and incense
    made from all the spices(BN) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(BO)
    the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
    all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
    prepared for the terrors of the night.(BP)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
    he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
    its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
    its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
    and look, you daughters of Zion.(BQ)
Look[h] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
    the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
    the day his heart rejoiced.(BR)

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(BS) are doves.(BT)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(BU)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
    not one of them is alone.(BV)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(BW) is lovely.(BX)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(BY)
Your neck is like the tower(BZ) of David,
    built with courses of stone[i];
on it hang a thousand shields,(CA)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(CB) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(CC)
    that browse among the lilies.(CD)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(CE)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(CF)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(CG) my darling;
    there is no flaw(CH) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(CI)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(CJ) the summit of Hermon,(CK)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(CL)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(CM)
10 How delightful(CN) is your love(CO), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(CP)
and the fragrance of your perfume(CQ)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(CR)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(CS)
12 You are a garden(CT) locked up, my sister, my bride;(CU)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(CV)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(CW)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(CX) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(CY)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(CZ) and aloes(DA)
    and all the finest spices.(DB)
15 You are[j] a garden(DC) fountain,(DD)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(DE)
    that its fragrance(DF) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(DG) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(DH)

He

I have come into my garden,(DI) my sister, my bride;(DJ)
    I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
    I have drunk my wine and my milk.(DK)

Friends

Eat, friends, and drink;
    drink your fill of love.

She

I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove,(DL) my flawless(DM) one.(DN)
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe—
    must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
    must I soil them again?
My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
    my heart began to pound for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,(DO)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,(DP)
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.(DQ)
    My heart sank at his departure.[k]
I looked(DR) for him but did not find him.
    I called him but he did not answer.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(DS)
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(DT)
    if you find my beloved,(DU)
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.(DV)

Friends

How is your beloved better than others,
    most beautiful of women?(DW)
How is your beloved better than others,
    that you so charge us?

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    outstanding among ten thousand.(DX)
11 His head is purest gold;
    his hair is wavy
    and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(DY)
    by the water streams,
washed in milk,(DZ)
    mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks(EA) are like beds of spice(EB)
    yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies(EC)
    dripping with myrrh.(ED)
14 His arms are rods of gold
    set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
    decorated with lapis lazuli.(EE)
15 His legs are pillars of marble
    set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,(EF)
    choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth(EG) is sweetness itself;
    he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,(EH) this is my friend,
    daughters of Jerusalem.(EI)

Friends

Where has your beloved(EJ) gone,
    most beautiful of women?(EK)
Which way did your beloved turn,
    that we may look for him with you?

She

My beloved has gone(EL) down to his garden,(EM)
    to the beds of spices,(EN)
to browse in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(EO)
    he browses among the lilies.(EP)

He

You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(EQ) my darling,
    as lovely as Jerusalem,(ER)
    as majestic as troops with banners.(ES)
Turn your eyes from me;
    they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from Gilead.(ET)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
    not one of them is missing.(EU)
Your temples behind your veil(EV)
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(EW)
Sixty queens(EX) there may be,
    and eighty concubines,(EY)
    and virgins beyond number;
but my dove,(EZ) my perfect one,(FA) is unique,
    the only daughter of her mother,
    the favorite of the one who bore her.(FB)
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines praised her.

Friends

10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
    fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
    majestic as the stars in procession?

He

11 I went down to the grove of nut trees
    to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
    or the pomegranates were in bloom.(FC)
12 Before I realized it,
    my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[l]

Friends

13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
    come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!

He

Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
    as on the dance(FD) of Mahanaim?[m]

[n]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
    O prince’s(FE) daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
    the work of an artist’s hands.
Your navel is a rounded goblet
    that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
    encircled by lilies.
Your breasts(FF) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.(FG)
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon(FH)
    by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon(FI)
    looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.(FJ)
    Your hair is like royal tapestry;
    the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful(FK) you are and how pleasing,
    my love, with your delights!(FL)
Your stature is like that of the palm,
    and your breasts(FM) like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
    I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
    the fragrance of your breath like apples,(FN)
    and your mouth like the best wine.

She

May the wine go straight to my beloved,(FO)
    flowing gently over lips and teeth.[o]
10 I belong to my beloved,
    and his desire(FP) is for me.(FQ)
11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
    let us spend the night in the villages.[p]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards(FR)
    to see if the vines have budded,(FS)
if their blossoms(FT) have opened,
    and if the pomegranates(FU) are in bloom(FV)
    there I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(FW) send out their fragrance,
    and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
    that I have stored up for you, my beloved.(FX)

If only you were to me like a brother,
    who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
    I would kiss you,
    and no one would despise me.
I would lead you
    and bring you to my mother’s house(FY)
    she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
    the nectar of my pomegranates.
His left arm is under my head
    and his right arm embraces me.(FZ)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
    Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(GA)

Friends

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(GB)
    leaning on her beloved?

She

Under the apple tree I roused you;
    there your mother conceived(GC) you,
    there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
    like a seal on your arm;
for love(GD) is as strong as death,
    its jealousy[q](GE) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.[r]
Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it[s] would be utterly scorned.(GF)

Friends

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?
If she is a wall,
    we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
    we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

She

10 I am a wall,
    and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
    like one bringing contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard(GG) in Baal Hamon;
    he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
    a thousand shekels[t](GH) of silver.
12 But my own vineyard(GI) is mine to give;
    the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
    and two hundred[u] are for those who tend its fruit.

He

13 You who dwell in the gardens
    with friends in attendance,
    let me hear your voice!

She

14 Come away, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle(GJ)
or like a young stag(GK)
    on the spice-laden mountains.(GL)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  3. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
  4. Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
  5. Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
  6. Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
  7. Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
  8. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
  9. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  10. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
  11. Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke
  12. Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
  13. Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
  14. Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
  15. Song of Songs 7:9 Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew lips of sleepers
  16. Song of Songs 7:11 Or the henna bushes
  17. Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
  18. Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
  19. Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
  20. Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
  21. Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms