Song of Solomon 8

English Standard Version Anglicised

8 Oh that you were like a brother to me
    who nursed at my mother's breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
    and none would despise me.
² I would lead you and ^(A)bring you
    into the house of my mother—
    she who used to teach me.
I would give you ^(B)spiced wine to drink,
    the juice of my pomegranate.
^3 (C)His left hand is under my head,
    and his right hand embraces me!
⁴ I ^(D)adjure you, O ^(E)daughters of Jerusalem,
    ^(F)that you not stir up or awaken love
    until it pleases.
^5 (G)Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
    leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labour with you;
    there she who bore you was in labour.
⁶ Set me as a seal upon your heart,
    as ^(H)a seal upon your arm,
for ^(I)love is strong as death,
    ^(J)jealousy^[a] is fierce as the grave.^[b]
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
    the very ^(K)flame of the Lord.
⁷ Many waters cannot quench love,
    neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
    all the wealth of his ^(L)house,
    he^[c] would be utterly despised.

Others

⁸ We have a little sister,
    and she ^(M)has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
    on the day when she is spoken for?
⁹ If she is a wall,
    we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
    we will enclose her with ^(N)boards of cedar.

She

^10 (O)I was a wall,
    and my ^(P)breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
    as one who finds^[d] peace.
¹¹ Solomon had ^(Q)a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
    he ^(R)let out the vineyard to ^(S)keepers;
    each one was to bring for its fruit ^(T)a thousand pieces of silver.
¹² My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
    you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
    and ^(U)the keepers of the fruit two hundred.

He

^13 (V)O you who dwell in the gardens,
    with ^(W)companions listening for your voice;
    ^(X)let me hear it.

She

^14 (Y)Make haste, my beloved,
    and be ^(Z)like a gazelle
or a young stag
    on ^(AA)the mountains of spices.