The Beloved

If you do not know, (A)O fairest among women,
[a]Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
I have compared you, (B)my love,
(C)To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 (D)Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.

The Daughters of Jerusalem

11 We will make [b]you ornaments of gold
With studs of silver.

The Shulamite

12 While the king is at his table,
My [c]spikenard sends forth its fragrance.
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
That lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms
In the vineyards of En Gedi.

The Beloved

15 (E)Behold, you are fair, [d]my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes.

The Shulamite

16 Behold, you are (F)handsome, my beloved!
Yes, pleasant!
Also our [e]bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir.

A Country Girl in a Palace

I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys.

The Beloved

Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.

The Shulamite

Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And (G)his fruit was sweet to my taste.

The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem

He brought me to the [f]banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.

(H)His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
(I)I [g]charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 1:8 Lit. Go out
  2. Song of Solomon 1:11 Fem. sing.: the Shulamite
  3. Song of Solomon 1:12 perfume
  4. Song of Solomon 1:15 my companion, friend
  5. Song of Solomon 1:16 couch
  6. Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit. house of wine
  7. Song of Solomon 2:7 adjure

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