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Song of Solomon 1-8
American Standard Version
Song of Solomon 1-8
American Standard Version
1 The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;
For thy love is better than wine.
3 Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;
Thy name is as oil poured forth;
Therefore do the [a]virgins love thee.
4 Draw me; we will run after thee:
The king hath brought me into his chambers;
We will be glad and rejoice in thee;
We will make mention of thy love more than of wine:
[b]Rightly do they love thee.
5 I am black, but comely,
Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem,
As the tents of Kedar,
As the curtains of Solomon.
6 Look not upon me, because I am swarthy,
Because the sun hath [c]scorched me.
My mother’s sons were incensed against me;
They made me keeper of the vineyards;
But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,
Where thou feedest thy flock,
Where thou makest it to rest at noon:
For why should I be as one that is veiled
Beside the flocks of thy companions?
8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I have compared thee, O [d]my love,
[e]To a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair,
Thy neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make thee plaits of gold
With studs of silver.
12 While the king sat at his table,
My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is unto me as a [f]bundle of myrrh,
That lieth betwixt my breasts.
14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of [g]henna-flowers
In the vineyards of En-gedi.
15 Behold, thou art fair, my love;
Behold thou art fair;
[h]Thine eyes are as doves.
16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant:
Also our couch is green.
17 The beams of our [i]house are [j]cedars,
And our rafters are [k]firs.
2 I am a [l]rose of [m]Sharon,
A lily of the valleys.
2 As a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.
3 As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I [n]sat down under his shadow with great delight,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the [o]banqueting-house,
And his banner over me was love.
5 Stay ye me with [p]raisins, refresh me with apples;
For I am sick from love.
6 [q]His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand doth embrace me.
7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the [r]roes, or by the hinds of the field,
That ye stir not up, nor awake my love,
Until [s]he please.
8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh,
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
9 My beloved is like a [t]roe or a young hart:
Behold, he standeth behind our wall;
He looketh in at the windows;
He glanceth through the lattice.
10 My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11 For, lo, the winter is past;
The rain is over and gone;
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the [u]singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
13 The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs,
And the vines are in blossom;
They give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
In the covert of the steep place,
Let me see thy countenance,
Let me hear thy voice;
For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes,
That spoil the vineyards;
For our vineyards are in blossom.
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his:
He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
17 [v]Until the day [w]be cool, and the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a [x]roe or a young hart
Upon the [y]mountains of [z]Bether.
3 By night on my bed
I sought him whom my soul loveth:
I sought him, but I found him not.
2 I said, I will rise now, and go about the city;
In the streets and in the broad ways
I will seek him whom my soul loveth:
I sought him, but I found him not.
3 The watchmen that go about the city found me;
To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
4 It was but a little that I passed from them,
When I found him whom my soul loveth:
I held him, and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
And into the chamber of her that conceived me.
5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the roes, or by the hinds of the field,
That ye stir not up, nor awake my love,
Until [aa]he please.
6 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all powders of the merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon;
Threescore mighty men are about it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.
8 They all handle the sword, and are expert in war:
Every man hath his sword upon his thigh,
Because of fear in the night.
9 King Solomon made himself a [ab]palanquin
Of the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made the pillars thereof of silver,
The bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple,
The midst thereof being [ac]paved with love,
From the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon,
With the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him
In the day of his espousals,
And in the day of the gladness of his heart.
4 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
[ad]Thine eyes are as doves behind thy [ae]veil.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That [af]lie along the side of mount Gilead.
2 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn,
Which are come up from the washing,
[ag]Whereof every one hath twins,
And none is bereaved among them.
3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,
And thy [ah]mouth is comely.
Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate
Behind thy [ai]veil.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of David
Builded [aj]for an armory,
Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers,
All the shields of the mighty men.
5 Thy two breasts are like two fawns
That are twins of a [ak]roe,
Which feed among the lilies.
6 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.
7 Thou art all fair, my love;
And there is no spot in thee.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
With me from Lebanon:
[al]Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.
9 Thou hast [am]ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;
Thou hast [an]ravished my heart with [ao]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, [ap]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 [aq]shut up is my sister, my bride;
A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy shoots are [ar]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.
5 I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride:
I have gathered my myrrh with my [as]spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, O friends;
Drink, yea, drink abundantly, [at]O beloved.
2 I [au]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 [av]undefiled;
For my head is filled with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.
3 I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
And my [aw]heart was moved for him.
5 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.
6 I opened to my beloved;
But my beloved had [ax]withdrawn himself, and was gone.
My soul [ay]had failed me when he spake:
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7 The watchmen that go about the city found me,
They smote me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls took away my [az]mantle from me.
8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If ye find my beloved,
[ba]That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.
9 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,
[bb]The chiefest among ten thousand.
11 His head is as the most fine gold;
His locks are [bc]bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks,
Washed with milk, and [bd]fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of [be]spices,
As [bf]banks of sweet herbs:
His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are as [bg]rings of gold set with [bh]beryl:
His body is as [bi]ivory work [bj]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 [bk]mouth is most sweet;
Yea, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
6 Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women?
Whither hath thy beloved turned him,
That we may seek him with thee?
2 My beloved is gone down to his garden,
To the beds of [bl]spices,
To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:
He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah,
Comely as Jerusalem,
Terrible as [bm]an army with banners.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me,
For they [bn]have overcome me.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes,
Which are come up from the washing;
Whereof every one hath twins,
And none is bereaved among them.
7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate
Behind thy veil.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines,
And [bo]virgins without number.
9 My dove, my [bp]undefiled, is but one;
She is the only one of her mother;
She is the [bq]choice one of her that bare her.
The daughters saw her, and called her blessed;
Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning,
Fair as the moon,
[br]Clear as the sun,
Terrible as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the garden of nuts,
To see the green plants of the valley,
To see whether the vine budded,
And the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Before I was aware, my [bs]soul [bt]set me
Among the chariots of my [bu]princely people.
13 Return, return, O Shulammite;
Return, return, that we may look upon thee.
Why will ye look upon the Shulammite,
As upon the dance [bv]of Mahanaim?
7 How beautiful are thy [bw]feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!
Thy rounded thighs are like jewels,
The work of the hands of a skilful workman.
2 Thy body is like a round goblet,
Wherein no mingled wine is wanting:
Thy waist is like a heap of wheat
Set about with lilies.
3 Thy two breasts are like two fawns
That are twins of a roe.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of ivory;
Thine eyes as the pools in Heshbon,
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon
Which looketh toward Damascus.
5 Thy head upon thee is like Carmel,
And the hair of thy head like purple;
The king is held captive in the tresses thereof.
6 How fair and how pleasant art thou,
O love, for delights!
7 This thy stature is like to a palm-tree,
And thy breasts to its clusters.
8 I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree,
I will take hold of the branches thereof:
Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine,
And the smell of thy [bx]breath like apples,
9 And thy [by]mouth like the best wine,
That goeth down [bz]smoothly for my beloved,
[ca]Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep.
10 I am my beloved’s;
And his desire is toward me.
11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field;
Let us lodge in the villages.
12 Let us get up early to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine hath budded,
And [cb]its blossom is open,
And the pomegranates are in flower:
There will I give thee my love.
13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance;
And [cc]at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old,
Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
8 Oh that thou wert as my brother,
That sucked the breasts of my mother!
When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;
Yea, and none would despise me.
2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house,
[cd]Who would instruct me;
I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine,
Of the [ce]juice of my pomegranate.
3 His left hand should be under my head,
And his right hand should embrace me.
4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
[cf]That ye stir not up, nor awake my love,
Until [cg]he please.
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?
Under the apple-tree I awakened thee:
There thy mother was in travail with thee,
There was she in travail [ch]that brought thee forth.
6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart,
As a seal upon thine arm:
For love is strong as death;
Jealousy is [ci]cruel as Sheol;
The flashes thereof are flashes of fire,
[cj]A very flame of [ck]Jehovah.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Neither can floods drown it:
If a man would give all the substance of his house for love,
[cl]He would utterly be contemned.
8 We have a little sister,
And she hath no breasts:
What shall we do for our sister
In the day when she shall be spoken for?
9 If she be a wall,
We will build upon her [cm]a turret of silver:
And if she be a door,
We will inclose her with boards of cedar.
10 I [cn]am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof
Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He let out the vineyard unto keepers;
Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me:
Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand,
And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens,
The companions hearken [co]for thy voice:
Cause me to hear it.
14 [cp]Make haste, my beloved,
And be thou like to a [cq]roe or to a young hart
Upon the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Or, maidens
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Or, In uprightness
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Or, looked upon
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Or, my friend (and so throughout)
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Or, To the steeds. Or, To my steed
- Song of Solomon 1:13 Or, bag
- Song of Solomon 1:14 Hebrew copher.
- Song of Solomon 1:15 Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes
- Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, houses
- Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, of cedar . . . of fir
- Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, cypresses
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Hebrew habazzeleth, the autumn crocus.
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or, the plain
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Hebrew delighted and sat down etc.
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Hebrew house of wine.
- Song of Solomon 2:5 Hebrew cakes of raisins.
- Song of Solomon 2:6 Or, Let his left hand be etc.
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Or, gazelles
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Or, it. Or, she
- Song of Solomon 2:9 Or, gazelle
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or, pruning of vines
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or, When the day is cool
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or, break. Hebrew breathe.
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or, gazelle
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or, mountains of separation
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Perhaps, the spice malobathron
- Song of Solomon 3:5 Or, it. Or, she
- Song of Solomon 3:9 Or, car of state
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or, inlaid
- Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes
- Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, locks
- Song of Solomon 4:1 Or, appear on mount Gilead
- Song of Solomon 4:2 Or, Which are all of them in pairs
- Song of Solomon 4:3 Or, speech
- Song of Solomon 4:3 Or, locks
- Song of Solomon 4:4 Or, with turrets
- Song of Solomon 4:5 Or, gazelle
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Or, Go
- Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, given me courage
- Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, given me courage
- Song of Solomon 4:9 Or, one look from thine eyes
- Song of Solomon 4:11 Or, drop honey
- Song of Solomon 4:12 Hebrew barred.
- Song of Solomon 4:13 Or, a paradise
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, balsam
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, of love
- Song of Solomon 5:2 Or, sleep, but my heart waketh
- Song of Solomon 5:2 Hebrew perfect.
- Song of Solomon 5:4 Hebrew bowels.
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Or, turned away
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Hebrew went forth.
- Song of Solomon 5:7 Or, veil
- Song of Solomon 5:8 Hebrew What will ye tell him? That etc.
- Song of Solomon 5:10 Hebrew Marked out by a banner.
- Song of Solomon 5:11 Or, curling
- Song of Solomon 5:12 Or, sitting by full streams
- Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, balsam
- Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, towers of perfumes
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, cylinders
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, topaz
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, bright ivory
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, encrusted
- Song of Solomon 5:16 Or, speech. Hebrew palate.
- Song of Solomon 6:2 Or, balsam
- Song of Solomon 6:4 Hebrew bannered hosts.
- Song of Solomon 6:5 Or, make me afraid
- Song of Solomon 6:8 Or, maidens
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Hebrew perfect.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or, pure
- Song of Solomon 6:10 Or, Pure
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, desire
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, made me like the chariots of Amminadib
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, willing
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or, of two companies
- Song of Solomon 7:1 Or, steps
- Song of Solomon 7:8 Hebrew nose.
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Hebrew palate.
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Hebrew aright.
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Or, Causing the lips of those that are asleep to move (or, speak)
- Song of Solomon 7:12 Or, the tender grape appeareth
- Song of Solomon 7:13 Or, over
- Song of Solomon 8:2 Or, That thou mightest
- Song of Solomon 8:2 Or, sweet wine
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Hebrew Why should ye stir up? or why etc.
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Or, it. Or, she
- Song of Solomon 8:5 Or, and
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Hebrew hard.
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or, A most vehement flame
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Hebrew Jah.
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Or, It
- Song of Solomon 8:9 Or, battlements
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or, was
- Song of Solomon 8:13 Or, to
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Hebrew Flee.
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Or, gazelle
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
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