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Whither hath thy beloved gone, O fair among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned, And we seek him with thee?

My beloved went down to his garden, To the beds of the spice, To delight himself in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

I [am] my beloved's, and my beloved [is] mine, Who is delighting himself among the lilies.

Fair [art] thou, my friend, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts.

Turn round thine eyes from before me, Because they have made me proud. Thy hair [is] as a row of the goats, That have shone from Gilead,

Thy teeth as a row of the lambs, That have come up from the washing, Because all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

As the work of the pomegranate [is] thy temple behind thy veil.

Sixty are queens, and eighty concubines, And virgins without number.

One is my dove, my perfect one, One she [is] of her mother, The choice one she [is] of her that bare her, Daughters saw, and pronounce her happy, Queens and concubines, and they praise her.

10 `Who [is] this that is looking forth as morning, Fair as the moon -- clear as the sun, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts?'

11 Unto a garden of nuts I went down, To look on the buds of the valley, To see whither the vine had flourished, The pomegranates had blossomed --

12 I knew not my soul, It made me -- chariots of my people Nadib.

13 Return, return, O Shulammith! Return, return, and we look upon thee. What do ye see in Shulammith?

As the chorus of `Mahanaim.' How beautiful were thy feet with sandals, O daughter of Nadib. The turnings of thy sides [are] as ornaments, Work of the hands of an artificer.

Thy waist [is] a basin of roundness, It lacketh not the mixture, Thy body a heap of wheat, fenced with lilies,

Thy two breasts as two young ones, twins of a roe,

Thy neck as a tower of the ivory, Thine eyes pools in Heshbon, near the gate of Bath-Rabbim, Thy face as a tower of Lebanon looking to Damascus,

Thy head upon thee as Carmel, And the locks of thy head as purple, The king is bound with the flowings!

How fair and how pleasant hast thou been, O love, in delights.

This thy stature hath been like to a palm, And thy breasts to clusters.

I said, `Let me go up on the palm, Let me lay hold on its boughs, Yea, let thy breasts be, I pray thee, as clusters of the vine, And the fragrance of thy face as citrons,

And thy palate as the good wine --' Flowing to my beloved in uprightness, Strengthening the lips of the aged!

10 I [am] my beloved's, and on me [is] his desire.

11 Come, my beloved, we go forth to the field,

12 We lodge in the villages, we go early to the vineyards, We see if the vine hath flourished, The sweet smelling-flower hath opened. The pomegranates have blossomed, There do I give to thee my loves;

13 The mandrakes have given fragrance, And at our openings all pleasant things, New, yea, old, my beloved, I laid up for thee!

Who doth make thee as a brother to me, Sucking the breasts of my mother? I find thee without, I kiss thee, Yea, they do not despise me,

I lead thee, I bring thee in unto my mother's house, She doth teach me, I cause thee to drink of the perfumed wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate,

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

I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, How ye stir up, And how ye wake the love till she please!

Who [is] this coming from the wilderness, Hasting herself for her beloved? Under the citron-tree I have waked thee, There did thy mother pledge thee, There she gave a pledge [that] bare thee.

Set me as a seal on thy heart, as a seal on thine arm, For strong as death is love, Sharp as Sheol is jealousy, Its burnings [are] burnings of fire, a flame of Jah!

Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one give all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down -- they tread upon it.

We have a little sister, and breasts she hath not, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?

If she is a wall, we build by her a palace of silver. And if she is a door, We fashion by her board-work of cedar.

10 I [am] a wall, and my breasts as towers, Then I have been in his eyes as one finding peace.

11 Solomon hath a vineyard in Baal-Hamon, He hath given the vineyard to keepers, Each bringeth for its fruit a thousand silverlings;

12 My vineyard -- my own -- is before me, The thousand [is] for thee, O Solomon. And the two hundred for those keeping its fruit. O dweller in gardens!

13 The companions are attending to thy voice, Cause me to hear. Flee, my beloved, and be like to a roe,

14 Or to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!

Friends

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

She

My beloved has gone(C) down to his garden,(D)
    to the beds of spices,(E)
to browse in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(F)
    he browses among the lilies.(G)

He

You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(H) my darling,
    as lovely as Jerusalem,(I)
    as majestic as troops with banners.(J)
Turn your eyes from me;
    they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from Gilead.(K)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
    not one of them is missing.(L)
Your temples behind your veil(M)
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(N)
Sixty queens(O) there may be,
    and eighty concubines,(P)
    and virgins beyond number;
but my dove,(Q) my perfect one,(R) is unique,
    the only daughter of her mother,
    the favorite of the one who bore her.(S)
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.(T)
12 Before I realized it,
    my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[a]

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(U) of Mahanaim?[b]

[c]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
    O prince’s(V) 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(W) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.(X)
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon(Y)
    by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon(Z)
    looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.(AA)
    Your hair is like royal tapestry;
    the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful(AB) you are and how pleasing,
    my love, with your delights!(AC)
Your stature is like that of the palm,
    and your breasts(AD) 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,(AE)
    and your mouth like the best wine.

She

May the wine go straight to my beloved,(AF)
    flowing gently over lips and teeth.[d]
10 I belong to my beloved,
    and his desire(AG) is for me.(AH)
11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
    let us spend the night in the villages.[e]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards(AI)
    to see if the vines have budded,(AJ)
if their blossoms(AK) have opened,
    and if the pomegranates(AL) are in bloom(AM)
    there I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(AN) send out their fragrance,
    and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
    that I have stored up for you, my beloved.(AO)

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(AP)
    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.(AQ)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
    Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(AR)

Friends

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

She

Under the apple tree I roused you;
    there your mother conceived(AT) 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(AU) is as strong as death,
    its jealousy[f](AV) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.[g]
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[h] would be utterly scorned.(AW)

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(AX) in Baal Hamon;
    he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
    a thousand shekels[i](AY) of silver.
12 But my own vineyard(AZ) is mine to give;
    the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
    and two hundred[j] 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(BA)
or like a young stag(BB)
    on the spice-laden mountains.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
  2. Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
  3. Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
  4. Song of Songs 7:9 Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew lips of sleepers
  5. Song of Songs 7:11 Or the henna bushes
  6. Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
  7. Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
  8. Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
  9. Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
  10. Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms