Song of Solomon 8

Contemporary English Version

8 If you were my brother,
    I could kiss you
whenever we happen to meet,
and no one would say
    I did wrong.
² I could take you to the home
of my mother,
    who taught me all I know.^[a]
I would give you delicious wine
    and fruit juice as well.
³ Put your left hand under my head
and embrace me
    with your right arm.

⁵ Who is this young woman
    coming in from the desert
and leaning on the shoulder
    of the one she loves?

I stirred up your passions
under the apple tree
    where you were born.
⁶ Always keep me in your heart
and wear this bracelet
    to remember me by.
The passion of love
    bursting into flame
is more powerful than death,
    stronger than the grave.
⁷ Love cannot be drowned
    by oceans or floods.
It cannot be bought—
any offer would be scorned
    no matter how great.

⁸ We have a little sister
whose breasts
    are not yet formed.
If someone asks to marry her,
    what should we do?
⁹ She isn't a wall
that we can defend
    behind a silver shield.
Neither is she a room
that we can protect
    behind a wooden door.

¹⁰ I am a wall around a city,
    my breasts are towers,
and just looking at me
    brings him great pleasure.
¹¹ Solomon has a vineyard
    at Baal-Hamon,
which he rents to others
for a thousand pieces
    of silver each.
¹² My vineyard is mine alone!
Solomon can keep his silver
    and the others can keep
    their share of the profits.

¹³ You are in the garden
with friends all around.
    Let me hear your voice!

¹⁴ Hurry to me, my darling!
Run faster than a deer
    to mountains of spices.