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Song of Solomon 1-8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Song of Solomon 1-8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
2 W[b] Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your[c] love is[d] more delightful than wine.(B)
3 The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating;(C)
your name is perfume poured out.(D)
No wonder young women[e] adore you.
4 Take me with you(E)—let us hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring[f] me to his chambers.
Y We will rejoice and be glad for you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
W It is only right that they adore you.
5 Daughters of Jerusalem,(F)
I am dark like the tents of Kedar,(G)
yet lovely(H) like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;(I)
they made me a keeper of the vineyards.(J)
I have not kept my own vineyard.[g]
7 Tell me, you, the one I love:(K)
Where do you pasture your sheep?(L)
Where do you let them rest at noon?(M)
Why should I be like one who veils herself[h][i]
beside the flocks of your companions?(N)
8 M[j] If you do not know,
most beautiful of women,(O)
follow[k] the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.
9 I compare you, my darling,(P)
to a[l] mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.[m](Q)
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry,(R)
your neck with its necklace.
11 We will make gold jewelry for you,
accented with silver.
12 W While the king is on his couch,[n]
my perfume[o] releases its fragrance.(S)
13 My love is a sachet of myrrh to me,(T)
spending the night between my breasts.
14 My love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me,(U)
in the vineyards of En-gedi.[p](V)
15 M How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.(W)
16 W How handsome you are, my love.(X)
How delightful!
Our bed is lush with foliage;
17 the beams of our house are cedars,
and our rafters are cypresses.[q]
2 I am a rose[r][s] of Sharon,
a lily[t] of the valleys.(Y)
2 M Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
3 W Like an apricot[u] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet hall,[v](Z)
and he looked on me with love.[w](AA)
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,[x]
for I am lovesick.(AB)
6 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.[y](AC)
7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[z](AD)
8 Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,(AE)
bounding over the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.(AF)
Look, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:
M Arise,(AG) my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing[aa] has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.(AH)
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;(AI)
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.(AJ)
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
14 My dove,(AK) in the clefts of the rock,(AL)
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,[ab]
let me hear your voice;(AM)
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(AN)
15 (W) Catch the foxes for us(AO)—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.(AP)
16 W My love is mine and I am his;(AQ)
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Before the day breaks[ac]
and the shadows flee,
turn to me, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag(AR) on the divided mountains.[ad](AS)
3 In my bed at night[ae]
I sought the one I love;(AT)
I sought him, but did not find him.[af](AU)
2 I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and the plazas.(AV)
I will seek the one I love.
I sought him, but did not find him.
3 The guards who go about the city found me.(AW)
I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”
4 I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house(AX)—
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
5 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[ag](AY)
6 N What is this(AZ) coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense(BA)
from every fragrant powder of the merchant?
7 It is Solomon’s royal litter[ah]
surrounded by 60 warriors
from the mighty of Israel.
8 All of them are skilled with swords
and trained in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side(BB)
to guard against the terror of the night.(BC)
9 King Solomon made a sedan chair[ai] for himself
with wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back[aj] of gold,
and its seat of purple.
Its interior is inlaid with love[ak]
by the young women of Jerusalem.(BD)
11 Come out, young women of Zion,(BE)
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown his mother placed on him
the day of his wedding(BF)—
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.
4 M How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves.(BG)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.(BH)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one having a twin,
and not one missing.[al](BI)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord,(BJ)
and your mouth[am] is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow[an] is like a slice of pomegranate.(BK)
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,(BL)
constructed in layers.
A thousand bucklers are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.[ao]
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,(BM) that feed among the lilies.
6 Before the day breaks[ap]
and the shadows flee,(BN)
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(BO)
7 You are absolutely beautiful,(BP) my darling,
with no imperfection in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon,[aq](BQ) my bride(BR)—
with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon,(BS)
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have captured my heart,(BT) my sister,[ar](BU) my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride.
Your love is much better than wine,(BV)
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.(BW)
Honey and milk(BX) are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—
a locked garden[as] and a sealed spring.(BY)
13 Your branches are a paradise[at] of pomegranates
with choicest fruits,(BZ)
henna with nard—
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,(CA)
with all the trees of frankincense,(CB)
myrrh and aloes,(CC)
with all the best spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of flowing water(CD)
streaming from Lebanon.
16 W Awaken,(CE) north wind—
come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and spread the fragrance of its spices.
Let my love come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits.(CF)
5 M I have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.
I gather[au] my myrrh with my spices.
I eat my honeycomb with my honey.
I drink my wine with my milk.
2 W I sleep, but my heart is awake.
A sound! My love is knocking!(CH)
M Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,
my hair with droplets of the night.
3 W I have taken off my clothing.(CI)
How can I put it back on?
I have washed my feet.
How can I get them dirty?
4 My love thrust his hand through the opening,
and my feelings were stirred for him.
5 I rose to open for my love.
My hands dripped with myrrh,(CJ)
my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
I was crushed[aw] that he had left.[ax]
I sought him, but did not find him.(CK)
I called him, but he did not answer.
7 The guards who go about the city found me.(CL)
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak[ay] from me—
the guardians of the walls.(CM)
8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:(CN)
if you find my love,
tell him that I am lovesick.(CO)
9 Y What makes the one you love better than another,
most beautiful of women?(CP)
What makes him better than another,
that you would give us this charge?
10 W My love is fit and strong,[az](CQ)
notable among ten thousand.(CR)
11 His head is purest gold.
His hair is wavy[ba](CS)
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(CT)
beside streams of water,
washed in milk
and set like jewels.[bb]
13 His cheeks(CU) are like beds of spice,
towers of[bc] perfume.
His lips are lilies,
dripping with flowing myrrh.(CV)
14 His arms[bd] are rods of gold
set[be] with topaz.[bf](CW)
His body[bg] is an ivory panel
covered with sapphires.(CX)
15 His legs are alabaster pillars
set on pedestals of pure gold.
His presence is like Lebanon,(CY)
as majestic as the cedars.(CZ)
16 His mouth is sweetness.
He is absolutely desirable.(DA)
This is my love, and this is my friend,
young women of Jerusalem.
6 Y Where has your love gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way has he[bh] turned?
We will seek him with you.
2 W My love has gone down to his garden,(DB)
to beds of spice,(DC)
to feed in the gardens(DD)
and gather lilies.(DE)
3 I am my love’s and my love is mine;(DF)
he feeds among the lilies.
4 M You are as beautiful as Tirzah,[bi] my darling,
lovely as Jerusalem,
awe-inspiring as an army with banners.(DG)
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
for they captivate me.(DH)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down from Gilead.(DI)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
coming up from washing,
each one having a twin,
and not one missing.[bj](DJ)
7 Behind your veil,(DK)
your brow[bk] is like a slice of pomegranate.
8 There are 60 queens
and 80 concubines(DL)
and young women[bl] without number.
9 But my dove,(DM) my virtuous one, is unique;(DN)
she is the favorite of her mother,
perfect to the one who gave her birth.
Women see her and declare her fortunate;(DO)
queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises:
10 Y[bm] Who is this[bn](DP) who shines like the dawn—
as beautiful as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army with banners?(DQ)
11 W I came down to the walnut grove
to see the blossoms of the valley,
to see if the vines were budding(DR)
and the pomegranates blooming.
12 Before I knew it,
my desire put me
among the chariots of my noble people.[bo]
M Why are you looking at the Shulammite,
as you look at the dance(DS) of the two camps?[bs](DT)
7 How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess
The curves of your thighs are like jewelry,
the handiwork of a master.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl;
it never lacks mixed wine.
Your waist[bu] is a mound of wheat
surrounded by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.(DV)
4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory,(DW)
your eyes like pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you[bv] like Mount Carmel,
the hair of your head like purple cloth—
a king could be held captive(DX) in your tresses.
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasant,(DY)
my love, with such delights!
7 Your stature is like a palm tree;
your breasts are clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”(DZ)
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes,
and the fragrance of your breath like apricots.(EA)
9 Your mouth[bw] is like fine wine(EB)—
W flowing smoothly for my love,
gliding past my lips and teeth![bx]
10 I belong to my love,
and his desire(EC) is for me.(ED)
11 Come, my love,
let’s go to the field;
let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms.[by]
12 Let’s go early to the vineyards;
let’s see if the vine has budded,
if the blossom has opened,
if the pomegranates are in bloom.(EE)
There I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(EF) give off a fragrance,
and at our doors is every delicacy—
new as well as old.
I have treasured them up for you, my love.
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[bz]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(EG) who taught me.[ca]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
3 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(EH)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(EI)
5 Y Who is this(EJ) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
W I awakened you under the apricot tree.(EK)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(EL)
For love is as strong as death;(EM)
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(EN)—
the fiercest of all.[cb]
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[cc] for love,(EO)
it would be utterly scorned.
8 B Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(EP)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver parapet on it.
If she is a door,
we will enclose it with cedar planks.[cd](EQ)
10 W I am[ce] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.[cf]
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(ER)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(ES)
Each was to bring for his fruit
1,000 pieces of silver.(ET)
12 I have my own vineyard.[cg](EU)
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.
13 M You[ch] who dwell in the gardens—
companions(EV) are listening for your voice—
let me hear you!(EW)
14 W Hurry to me, my love,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.(EX)
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:1 Or The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s
- Song of Solomon 1:2 The W, M, Y, N, and B indicate the editors’ opinions of the changes of speakers: W = Woman, M = Man, Y = Young women of Jerusalem, N = Narrator, B = Brothers. If a letter is in parenthesis (W), there is a question about the identity of the speaker.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 Unexpected change of grammatical persons, here from he and his to your, is a Hb poetic device.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 Or your caresses are, or your lovemaking is
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Or wonder virgins
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Or The king has brought
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Lit my vineyard, which is mine
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Or who wanders
- Song of Solomon 1:7 To express shame or grief, or to conceal identity as a prostitute would; Gn 38:14-15
- Song of Solomon 1:8 Some understand the young women to be the speakers in this verse.
- Song of Solomon 1:8 Lit go out for yourself into
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit my
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Pharaoh’s chariot horses were stallions.
- Song of Solomon 1:12 Or is at his table
- Song of Solomon 1:12 Lit nard
- Song of Solomon 1:14 = Wellspring of the Young Goat
- Song of Solomon 1:17 Or firs, or pines
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or meadow saffron
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Not the modern flower but a common wildflower in northern Israel
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or lotus
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Or apple
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit the house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Or and his banner over me is love
- Song of Solomon 2:5 Or apples
- Song of Solomon 2:6 Or Let his left hand be under . . . and his right arm embrace me
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Lit until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or pruning
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Or form
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Lit breathes
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or the Bether mountains, or the mountains of spices; Hb obscure
- Song of Solomon 3:1 Or bed night after night
- Song of Solomon 3:1 LXX adds I called him, but he did not answer me
- Song of Solomon 3:5 Lit until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 3:7 A conveyance carried on the shoulders of servants
- Song of Solomon 3:9 In Hb, the term sedan chair is possibly a synonym for “litter”; it is also called a palanquin.
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or base, or canopy
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or leather
- Song of Solomon 4:2 Lit and no one bereaved among them
- Song of Solomon 4:3 Or speech
- Song of Solomon 4:3 Or temple, or cheek, or lips
- Song of Solomon 4:4 Perhaps describing the woman’s necklace
- Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit breathes
- Song of Solomon 4:8 In Hb, the word for Lebanon is similar to “frankincense” in Sg 4:6,14,15.
- Song of Solomon 4:9 A term of endearment
- Song of Solomon 4:12 Some Hb mss read locked fountain
- Song of Solomon 4:13 Or park, or orchard
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Lit pluck
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Or Drink your fill, lovers
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit My soul went out
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Or spoken
- Song of Solomon 5:7 Or veil, or shawl
- Song of Solomon 5:10 Or is radiant and ruddy
- Song of Solomon 5:11 Or is [like] palm leaves; Hb obscure
- Song of Solomon 5:12 Lit milk sitting in fullness
- Song of Solomon 5:13 LXX, Vg read spice, yielding
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit hands
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit filled; Sg 5:2,12
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Probably yellow topaz
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit abdomen
- Song of Solomon 6:1 Lit your love
- Song of Solomon 6:4 = a mountain city in Manasseh
- Song of Solomon 6:6 Lit and no one bereaved among them
- Song of Solomon 6:7 Or temple, or cheek, or lips
- Song of Solomon 6:8 Or and virgins; Sg 1:3
- Song of Solomon 6:10 Some see v. 10 as spoken by M.
- Song of Solomon 6:10 In Hb, the word for “this” is feminine.
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or of Amminadib, or of my people of a prince; Hb obscure
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Sg 7:1 in Hb
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or the peaceable one
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Perhaps an inhabitant of the town of Shunem, or a feminine form of Solomon’s name
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim
- Song of Solomon 7:1 Lit daughter of a nobleman or prince
- Song of Solomon 7:2 Or belly
- Song of Solomon 7:5 Lit head upon you is
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Lit palate
- Song of Solomon 7:9 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads past lips of sleepers
- Song of Solomon 7:11 Or the villages
- Song of Solomon 8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me
- Song of Solomon 8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore me
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Lit all the wealth of his house
- Song of Solomon 8:9 Vv. 8-9 may record what the girl’s brothers used to say.
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or was
- Song of Solomon 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; Sg 1:6
- Song of Solomon 8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine.
Song of Songs 1-8
New International Version
Song of Songs 1-8
New International Version
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)
She[a]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women(F) love you!
4 Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)
Friends
She
How right they are to adore you!
5 Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
6 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.
7 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
8 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
9 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
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]
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 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)
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(AI)
and let his banner(AJ) over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,(AK)
for I am faint with love.(AL)
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(AM)
7 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)
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.(AP)
9 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)
3 All night long on my bed
I looked(BF) for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 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.
3 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.(BG)
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 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)
5 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)
6 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?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,(BO)
the noblest of Israel,
8 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)
9 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
4 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)
2 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)
3 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)
4 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.
5 Your breasts(CB) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle(CC)
that browse among the lilies.(CD)
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(CE)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(CF)
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful,(CG) my darling;
there is no flaw(CH) in you.
8 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.
9 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
5 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
2 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.”
3 I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
4 My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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!
8 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
9 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
6 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
2 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.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(EO)
he browses among the lilies.(EP)
He
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(EQ) my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,(ER)
as majestic as troops with banners.(ES)
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.(ET)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing.(EU)
7 Your temples behind your veil(EV)
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(EW)
8 Sixty queens(EX) there may be,
and eighty concubines,(EY)
and virgins beyond number;
9 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
7 [n]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s(FE) daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
3 Your breasts(FF) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
4 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.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.(FJ)
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
6 How beautiful(FK) you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!(FL)
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts(FM) like clusters of fruit.
8 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)
9 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)
8 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.
2 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.
3 His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.(FZ)
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(GA)
Friends
5 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.
6 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]
7 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
8 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?
9 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
Footnotes
- 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.
- Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
- Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
- 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
- Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
- Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
- Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke
- Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
- Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
- Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
- Song of Songs 7:9 Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew lips of sleepers
- Song of Songs 7:11 Or the henna bushes
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
- Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
- Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
- Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.