Song of Songs 1-8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.(A)
Colloquy of the Young Woman and Friends
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;(B)
3 your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is perfume poured out;
therefore the maidens love you.(C)
4 Draw me after you; let us make haste.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.(D)
5 I am black and beautiful,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.(E)
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has gazed on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept!(F)
7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon,
for why should I be like one who is veiled
beside the flocks of your companions?(G)
8 If you do not know,
O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flock
and pasture your kids
beside the shepherds’ tents.(H)
Colloquy of the Young Man, Friends, and the Young Woman
9 I compare you, my love,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.(I)
10 Your cheeks are comely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.(J)
11 We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
12 While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.(K)
15 Ah, you are beautiful, my love;
ah, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.(L)
16 Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
truly lovely.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters[a] are pine.(M)
2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.(N)
2 As a lily among brambles,
so is my love among maidens.
3 As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.(O)
4 He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his intention toward[b] me was love.(P)
5 Sustain me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.(Q)
6 O that his left hand were under my head
and that his right hand embraced me!(R)
7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!(S)
Springtime Rhapsody
8 The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.(T)
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.(U)
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away,(V)
11 for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.(W)
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.(X)
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face;
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(Y)
15 Catch us the foxes,
the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in blossom.”(Z)
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.(AA)
17 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the cleft mountains.[c](AB)
Love’s Dream
3 Upon my bed at night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.[d](AC)
2 “I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.”
I sought him but found him not.(AD)
3 The sentinels found me,
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”(AE)
4 Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him and would not let him go
until I brought him into my mother’s house
and into the chamber of her that conceived me.(AF)
5 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!(AG)
The Young Man and His Party Approach
6 Who is that coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?(AH)
7 Look, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men
of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all equipped with swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh
because of alarms by night.(AI)
9 King Solomon made himself a palanquin
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with stone.
Daughters[e] of Jerusalem,(AJ)
11 come out and look[f]
at King Solomon,
at the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
The Young Woman’s Beauty Extolled
4 How beautiful you are, my love,
how very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
moving down the slopes of Gilead.(AK)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them is bereaved.(AL)
3 Your lips are like a crimson thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.(AM)
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built in courses;
on it hang a thousand bucklers,
all of them shields of warriors.(AN)
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that feed among the lilies.(AO)
6 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will hasten to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(AP)
7 You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no flaw in you.(AQ)
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Depart[g] from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.(AR)
9 You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.(AS)
10 How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!(AT)
11 Your lips distill nectar, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue;
the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon.(AU)
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a garden[h] locked, a fountain sealed.(AV)
13 Your channel[i] is an orchard of pomegranates
with all choicest fruits,
henna with nard,(AW)
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
with all chief spices—(AX)
15 a garden fountain, a well of living water,
and flowing streams from Lebanon.(AY)
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my garden
that its fragrance may be wafted abroad.
Let my beloved come to his garden
that he may eat its choicest fruits.(AZ)
5 I come to my garden, my sister, my bride;
I gather my myrrh with my spice;
I eat my honeycomb with my honey;
I drink my wine with my milk.
Eat, friends, drink,
and be drunk with love.(BA)
Another Dream
2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake.
The sound of my beloved knocking!
“Open to me, my sister, my love,
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my locks with the drops of the night.”(BB)
3 I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on again?
I had bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?(BC)
4 My beloved thrust his hand into the opening,
and my inmost being yearned for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
upon the handles of the bolt.(BD)
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I sought him but did not find him;
I called him, but he gave no answer.(BE)
7 Making their rounds in the city
the sentinels found me;
they beat me; they wounded me;
they took away my mantle,
those sentinels of the walls.(BF)
8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
tell him this:
I am faint with love.(BG)
Colloquy of Friends and the Young Woman
9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O fairest among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus charge us?(BH)
10 My beloved is all radiant and ruddy,
distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
beside springs of water,
bathed in milk,
fitly set.[j](BI)
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,
yielding fragrance.
His lips are lilies,
dripping liquid myrrh.(BJ)
14 His arms are rounded gold,
set with jewels.
His body is an ivory panel,[k]
decorated with sapphires.
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set upon bases of gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His speech is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.(BK)
6 Where has your beloved gone,
O fairest among women?
Which way has your beloved turned
that we may seek him with you?(BL)
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in the gardens
and to gather lilies.(BM)
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.(BN)
The Young Woman’s Matchless Beauty
4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as an army with banners.(BO)
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me!
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
moving down the slopes of Gilead.(BP)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins,
and not one among them is bereaved.(BQ)
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.(BR)
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines
and maidens without number.(BS)
9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
the darling of her mother,
flawless to her who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her happy;
the queens and concubines praised her.(BT)
10 “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
terrible as an army with banners?”(BU)
11 I went down to the nut orchard
to look at the blossoms of the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.(BV)
12 Before I was aware, my desire set me
in a chariot beside my prince.[l]
13 [m]Return, return, O Shulammite!
Return, return, that we may look upon you.
Expressions of Praise
7 How graceful are your feet in sandals,
O queenly maiden!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a master hand.(BX)
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl;
may it never lack mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with lilies.
3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.(BY)
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are pools in Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon,
overlooking Damascus.(BZ)
5 Your head crowns you like Carmel,
and your flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.(CA)
6 How fair and pleasant you are,
O loved one, delectable maiden
7 You are stately[p] as a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its branches.”
O may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,(CC)
9 and your kisses[q] like the best wine
that goes down[r] smoothly,
gliding over lips and teeth.[s]
10 I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me.(CD)
11 Come, my beloved,
let us go forth into the fields
and lodge in the villages;
12 let us go out early to the vineyards;
let us see whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.(CE)
13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and over our doors are all choice fruits,
new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.(CF)
8 O that you were like a brother to me,
who nursed at my mother’s breast!
If I met you outside, I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you and bring you
into my mother’s house
and into the chamber of the one who bore me.[t]
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
from the juice of my pomegranates.(CG)
3 O that his left hand were under my head
and that his right hand embraced me!(CH)
4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready!(CI)
Homecoming
5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.(CJ)
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.(CK)
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it[u] would be utterly scorned.
8 We have a little sister,
and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister,
on the day when she is spoken for?(CL)
9 If she is a wall,
we will build upon her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
10 I was a wall,
and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who brings[v] peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he entrusted the vineyard to keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.(CM)
12 My vineyard, my very own, is for myself;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand
and the keepers of the fruit two hundred!
13 O you who dwell in the gardens,
my companions are listening for your voice;
let me hear it.(CN)
14 Make haste, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
upon the mountains of spices!(CO)
Footnotes
- 1.17 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 2.4 Heb banner above
- 2.17 Or on the mountains of Bether; meaning of Heb uncertain
- 3.1 Gk: Heb lacks this line
- 3.10 Cn Compare Gk: Heb with love from the daughters
- 3.11 Gk: Heb adds daughters of Zion
- 4.8 Or Look
- 4.12 Heb mss Gk Vg Syr: MT heap of stones
- 4.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 5.12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 5.14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 6.12 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 6.13 7.1 in Heb
- 6.13 Or dance of Mahanaim
- 7.6 Syr: Heb in delights
- 7.7 Heb This your stature is
- 7.9 Heb palate
- 7.9 Heb to my lover
- 7.9 Gk Syr Vg: Heb lips of sleepers
- 8.2 Gk Syr: Heb my mother; she (or you) will teach me
- 8.7 Or he
- 8.10 Or finds
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.