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Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
[a]Thine eyes are as doves behind thy [b]veil.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That [c]lie along the side of mount Gilead.
Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn,
Which are come up from the washing,
[d]Whereof every one hath twins,
And none is bereaved among them.
Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,
And thy [e]mouth is comely.
Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate
Behind thy [f]veil.
Thy neck is like the tower of David
Builded [g]for an armory,
Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers,
All the shields of the mighty men.
Thy two breasts are like two fawns
That are twins of a [h]roe,
Which feed among the lilies.

Until the day be cool, 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 bride,
With me from Lebanon:
[i]Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.
Thou hast [j]ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;
Thou hast [k]ravished my heart with [l]one of thine eyes,
With one chain of thy neck.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is thy love than wine!
And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
11 Thy lips, O my bride, [m]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 [n]shut up is my sister, my bride;
A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy shoots are [o]an orchard 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 Thou art a fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And flowing streams from Lebanon.

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

I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride:
I have gathered my myrrh with my [p]spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, O friends;
Drink, yea, drink abundantly, [q]O beloved.

I [r]was asleep, but my heart waked:
It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,
Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my [s]undefiled;
For my head is filled with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.
I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
And my [t]heart was moved 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 bolt.
I opened to my beloved;
But my beloved had [u]withdrawn himself, and was gone.
My soul [v]had failed me when he spake:
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
The watchmen that go about the city found me,
They smote me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls took away my [w]mantle from me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If ye find my beloved,
[x]That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.

What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
O thou fairest among women?
What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
That thou dost so adjure us?

10 My beloved is white and ruddy,
[y]The chiefest among ten thousand.
11 His head is as the most fine gold;
His locks are [z]bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks,
Washed with milk, and [aa]fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of [ab]spices,
As [ac]banks of sweet herbs:
His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are as [ad]rings of gold set with [ae]beryl:
His body is as [af]ivory work [ag]overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold:
His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His [ah]mouth is most sweet;
Yea, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes
  2. Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, locks
  3. Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, appear on mount Gilead
  4. Song of Solomon 4:2 Or, Which are all of them in pairs
  5. Song of Solomon 4:3 Or, speech
  6. Song of Solomon 4:3 Or, locks
  7. Song of Solomon 4:4 Or, with turrets
  8. Song of Solomon 4:5 Or, gazelle
  9. Song of Solomon 4:8 Or, Go
  10. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, given me courage
  11. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, given me courage
  12. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, one look from thine eyes
  13. Song of Solomon 4:11 Or, drop honey
  14. Song of Solomon 4:12 Hebrew barred.
  15. Song of Solomon 4:13 Or, a paradise
  16. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, balsam
  17. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, of love
  18. Song of Solomon 5:2 Or, sleep, but my heart waketh
  19. Song of Solomon 5:2 Hebrew perfect.
  20. Song of Solomon 5:4 Hebrew bowels.
  21. Song of Solomon 5:6 Or, turned away
  22. Song of Solomon 5:6 Hebrew went forth.
  23. Song of Solomon 5:7 Or, veil
  24. Song of Solomon 5:8 Hebrew What will ye tell him? That etc.
  25. Song of Solomon 5:10 Hebrew Marked out by a banner.
  26. Song of Solomon 5:11 Or, curling
  27. Song of Solomon 5:12 Or, sitting by full streams
  28. Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, balsam
  29. Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, towers of perfumes
  30. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, cylinders
  31. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, topaz
  32. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, bright ivory
  33. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, encrusted
  34. Song of Solomon 5:16 Or, speech. Hebrew palate.

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(A) are doves.(B)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(C)
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.(D)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(E) is lovely.(F)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(G)
Your neck is like the tower(H) of David,
    built with courses of stone[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,(I)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(J) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(K)
    that browse among the lilies.(L)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(M)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(N)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(O) my darling;
    there is no flaw(P) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(Q)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(R) the summit of Hermon,(S)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(T)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(U)
10 How delightful(V) is your love(W), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(X)
and the fragrance of your perfume(Y)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(Z)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(AA)
12 You are a garden(AB) locked up, my sister, my bride;(AC)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(AD)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(AE)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(AF) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(AG)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(AH) and aloes(AI)
    and all the finest spices.(AJ)
15 You are[b] a garden(AK) fountain,(AL)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(AM)
    that its fragrance(AN) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(AO) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(AP)

He

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

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,(AT) my flawless(AU) one.(AV)
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,(AW)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,(AX)
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.(AY)
    My heart sank at his departure.[c]
I looked(AZ) 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.(BA)
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(BB)
    if you find my beloved,(BC)
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.(BD)

Friends

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

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    outstanding among ten thousand.(BF)
11 His head is purest gold;
    his hair is wavy
    and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(BG)
    by the water streams,
washed in milk,(BH)
    mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks(BI) are like beds of spice(BJ)
    yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies(BK)
    dripping with myrrh.(BL)
14 His arms are rods of gold
    set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
    decorated with lapis lazuli.(BM)
15 His legs are pillars of marble
    set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,(BN)
    choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth(BO) is sweetness itself;
    he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,(BP) this is my friend,
    daughters of Jerusalem.(BQ)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
  3. Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke