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Song of Solomon 4-5
Common English Bible
Song of Solomon 4-5
Common English Bible
In praise of her
[Man]
4 Look at you—so beautiful, my dearest!
Look at you—so beautiful! Your eyes are doves
behind the veil of your hair!
Your hair is like a flock of goats
as they stream down Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like newly shorn ewes
as they come up from the washing pool—
all of them perfectly matched,
not one of them lacks its twin.
3 Like a crimson ribbon are your lips;
when you smile, it is lovely.
Like a slice of pomegranate is the curve of your face
behind the veil of your hair.
4 Like David’s tower is your neck,
splendidly built!
A thousand shields are hung upon it—
all the weapons of the warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle doe,
that graze among the lilies.
6 Before the day breeze blows
and the shadows flee,
I will be off to the mountain of myrrh,
to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are utterly beautiful, my dearest;
there’s not a single flaw in you.
Garden of delight
[Man]
8 Come down with me from Lebanon, my bride—
if only you would come down with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the peaks of Senir and Hermon,
from the lions’ dens,
from the mountain lairs of leopards.
9 You have captured my heart, my sister,[a] my bride!
You have captured my heart with one glance from your eyes,
with one strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your loving, my sister, my bride!
Your loving is so much better than wine,
and your fragrance better than any perfume!
11 Sweetness drops from your lips, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue,
and the fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 An enclosed garden is my sister, my bride;
an enclosed pool, a sealed spring.
13 Your limbs are an orchard of pomegranates
with all kinds of luscious fruit,
henna, and spices:
14 nard and saffron,
sweet cane and cinnamon,
with all scented woods,
myrrh, and aloes,
with the very choicest perfumes!
15 You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water,
streams from Lebanon.
16 Stir, north wind, and come, south wind!
Blow upon my garden;
let its perfumes flow!
[Woman]
Let my love come to his garden;
let him eat its luscious fruit!
[Man]
5 I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride!
I have gathered my myrrh and my spices.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Eat, dear friends!
Drink and get drunk on love!
A missed encounter
[Woman]
2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My love is knocking:
[Man]
“Open for me, my sister, my dearest,
my dove, my perfect one!
My head is soaked with dew,
my hair, with the night mists.”
[Woman]
3 “I have taken off my tunic—
why should I put it on again?
I have bathed my feet—
why should I get them dirty?”
4 My love put his hand in through the latch hole,
and my body ached for him.
5 I rose; I went to open for my love,
and my hands dripped myrrh,
my fingers, liquid myrrh,
over the handles of the lock.
6 I went and opened for my love,
but my love had turned, gone away.
I nearly died when he turned away.
I looked for him but couldn’t find him.
I called out to him, but he didn’t answer me.
7 They found me—the guards
who make their rounds in the city.
They struck me, bruised me.
They took my shawl away from me,
those guards of the city walls!
8 I place you under oath, daughters of Jerusalem:
If you find my love, what should you tell him?
That I’m weak with love!
[Daughters of Jerusalem]
9 How is your lover different from any other lover,
you who are the most beautiful of women?
How is your lover different from any other lover,
that you make us swear a solemn pledge?
In praise of him
[Woman]
10 My lover is radiant and ruddy;
he stands out among ten thousand!
11 His head is finest gold;
his wavy hair, black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
by channels of water.
They are bathing in milk,
sitting by brimming pools.
13 His cheeks are like fragrant plantings,
towers of spices.
His lips are lilies
dripping liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are gold cylinders
studded with jewels.
His belly is smooth ivory
encrusted with sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of whitest stone
set on pedestals of gold.
His appearance—like Lebanon,
stately, like the cedars.
16 His mouth is everything sweet,
every bit of him desirable.
This is my love, this my dearest,
daughters of Jerusalem!
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 4:9 Sister here and below is a common term in ancient love poetry; it doesn't imply blood relation.
Song of Songs 4-5
New International Version
Song of Songs 4-5
New International Version
He
4 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)
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.(D)
3 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)
4 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.
5 Your breasts(J) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle(K)
that browse among the lilies.(L)
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(M)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(N)
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful,(O) my darling;
there is no flaw(P) in you.
8 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.
9 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
5 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
2 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.”
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,(AW)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 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.
7 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!
8 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
9 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
- 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
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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.