Bible in 90 Days

3 There is a right time for everything:

⁹ What does one really get from hard work? ¹⁰ I have thought about this in connection with all the various kinds of work God has given to mankind. ¹¹ Everything is appropriate in its own time. But though God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so, many cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹² So I conclude that, first, there is nothing better for a man than to be happy and to enjoy himself as long as he can; ¹³ and second, that he should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of his labors, for these are gifts from God.

¹⁴ And I know this, that whatever God does is final—nothing can be added or taken from it; God’s purpose in this is that man should fear the all-powerful God.^[a]

¹⁵ Whatever is has been long ago; and whatever is going to be has been before; God brings to pass again what was in the distant past and disappeared.^[b]

¹⁶ Moreover, I notice that throughout the earth justice is giving way to crime, and even the police courts are corrupt. ¹⁷ I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everything man does, both good and bad.”

¹⁸ And then I realized that God is letting the world go on its sinful way so that he can test mankind, and so that men themselves will see that they are no better than beasts. ¹⁹ For men and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an absurdity! ²⁰ All go to one place—the dust from which they came and to which they must return. ²¹ For who can prove that the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward into dust? ²² So I saw that there is nothing better for men than that they should be happy in their work, for that is what they are here for, and no one can bring them back to life to enjoy what will be in the future, so let them enjoy it now.

4 Next I observed all the oppression and sadness throughout the earth—the tears of the oppressed, and no one helping them, while on the side of their oppressors were powerful allies. ² So I felt that the dead were better off than the living. ³ And most fortunate of all are those who have never been born and have never seen all the evil and crime throughout the earth.

⁴ Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, chasing the wind. ^5-6 The fool won’t work and almost starves but feels that it is better to be lazy and barely get by, than to work hard, when in the long run it is all so futile.

⁷ I also observed another piece of foolishness around the earth. ⁸ This is the case of a man who is quite alone, without a son or brother, yet he works hard to keep gaining more riches. And to whom will he leave it all, and why is he giving up so much now? It is all so pointless and depressing.

⁹ Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. ¹⁰ If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble.

¹¹ Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

¹³ It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. ¹⁴ Such a lad could come from prison and succeed. He might even become king though born in poverty. ¹⁵ Everyone is eager to help a youth like that, even to help him usurp the throne. ¹⁶ He can become the leader of millions of people and be very popular. But, then, the younger generation grows up around him and rejects him! So again, it is all foolishness, chasing the wind.

5 ^1-3 As you enter the Temple, keep your ears open and your mouth shut! Don’t be a fool who doesn’t even realize it is sinful to make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven and you are only here on earth, so let your words be few. Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, so being a fool makes you a blabbermouth. ⁴ So when you talk to God and vow to him that you will do something, don’t delay in doing it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Keep your promise to him. ⁵ It is far better not to say you’ll do something than to say you will and then not do it. ^6-7 In that case, your mouth is making you sin. Don’t try to defend yourself by telling the messenger from God that it was all a mistake to make the vow.^[c] That would make God very angry; and he might destroy your prosperity. Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words; fear God instead.

⁸ If you see some poor man being oppressed by the rich, with miscarriage of justice anywhere throughout the land, don’t be surprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and the higher officials look up to their superiors. And so the matter is lost in red tape and bureaucracy.^{[d] 9} And over them all is the king. Oh, for a king who is devoted to his country! Only he can bring order from this chaos.

¹⁰ He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! ¹¹ The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth—except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers! ¹² The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, but the rich must worry and suffer insomnia.

^13-14 There is another serious problem I have seen everywhere—savings are put into risky investments that turn sour, and soon there is nothing left to pass on to one’s son. ¹⁵ The man who speculates is soon back to where he began—with nothing. ¹⁶ This, as I said, is a very serious problem, for all his hard work has been for nothing; he has been working for the wind. It is all swept away. ¹⁷ All the rest of his life he is under a cloud—gloomy, discouraged, frustrated, and angry.

¹⁸ Well, one thing, at least, is good: It is for a man to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long the Lord may let him live. ^19-20 And, of course, it is very good if a man has received wealth from the Lord and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life—that is indeed a gift from God. The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for God gives him joy.

6 Yes, but there is a very serious evil which I have seen everywhere— ² God has given to some men very great wealth and honor so that they can have everything they want, but he doesn’t give them the health to enjoy it, and they die and others get it all! This is absurd, a hollow mockery, and a serious fault.

³ Even if a man has a hundred sons and as many daughters and lives to be very old, but leaves so little money at his death that his children can’t even give him a decent burial—I say that he would be better off born dead. ⁴ For though his birth would then be futile and end in darkness, without even a name, ⁵ never seeing the sun or even knowing its existence, yet that is better than to be an old, unhappy man. ⁶ Though a man lives a thousand years twice over but doesn’t find contentment—well, what’s the use?

^7-8 Wise men and fools alike spend their lives scratching for food and never seem to get enough. Both have the same problem, yet the poor man who is wise lives a far better life. ⁹ A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; mere dreaming of nice things is foolish; it’s chasing the wind.

¹⁰ All things are decided by fate; it was known long ago what each man would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

¹¹ The more words you speak, the less they mean, so why bother to speak at all?

¹² In these few days of our empty lifetimes, who can say how one’s days can best be spent? Who can know what will prove best for the future after he is gone? For who knows the future?

7 A good reputation is more valuable than the most expensive perfume.

The day one dies is better than the day he is born! ² It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and it is a good thing to think about it while there is still time. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. ⁴ Yes, a wise man thinks much of death, while the fool thinks only of having a good time now.

⁵ It is better to be criticized by a wise man than to be praised by a fool! ⁶ For a fool’s compliment is as quickly gone as paper in fire, and it is silly to be impressed by it.

⁷ The wise man is turned into a fool by a bribe; it destroys his understanding.

⁸ Finishing is better than starting! Patience is better than pride! ⁹ Don’t be quick-tempered—that is being a fool.

¹⁰ Don’t long for “the good old days,” for you don’t know whether they were any better than these!

¹¹ To be wise is as good as being rich; in fact, it is better. ¹² You can get anything by either wisdom or money, but being wise has many advantages.

¹³ See the way God does things and fall into line. Don’t fight the facts of nature.^[e] Who can straighten what he has made crooked? ¹⁴ Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other—so that everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life.

^15-17 In this silly life I have seen everything, including the fact that some of the good die young and some of the wicked live on and on. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either—don’t be a fool! Why should you die before your time?

¹⁸ Tackle every task that comes along, and if you fear God, you can expect his blessing.

¹⁹ A wise man is stronger than the mayors of ten big cities! ²⁰ And there is not a single man in all the earth who is always good and never sins.

^21-22 Don’t eavesdrop! You may hear your servant cursing you! For you know how often you yourself curse others!

²³ I have tried my best to be wise. I declared, “I will be wise,” but it didn’t work. ²⁴ Wisdom is far away and very difficult to find. ²⁵ I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and the reason for things . . . to prove to myself the wickedness of folly and that foolishness is madness.

²⁶ A prostitute^[f] is more bitter than death. May it please God that you escape from her, but sinners don’t evade her snares.

^27-28 This is my conclusion, says the Preacher. Step by step I came to this result after researching in every direction: One tenth of one percent of the men I interviewed could be said to be wise, but not one woman!

²⁹ And I found that though God has made men upright, each has turned away to follow his own downward road.

8 How wonderful to be wise, to understand things, to be able to analyze them and interpret them. Wisdom lights up a man’s face, softening its hardness.

^2-3 Obey the king as you have vowed to do. Don’t always be trying to get out of doing your duty, even when it’s unpleasant. For the king punishes those who disobey. ⁴ The king’s command is backed by great power, and no one can withstand it or question it. ⁵ Those who obey him will not be punished. The wise man will find a time and a way to do what he says. ^6-7 Yes, there is a time and a way for everything, though man’s trouble lies heavy upon him; for how can he avoid what he doesn’t know is going to happen?

⁸ No one can hold back his spirit from departing; no one has the power to prevent his day of death, for there is no discharge from that obligation and that dark battle. Certainly a man’s wickedness is not going to help him then.

^9-10 I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power of injuring each other. I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man’s evil deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had committed their many crimes! How odd! ¹¹ Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. ¹² But though a man sins a hundred times and still lives, I know very well that those who fear God will be better off, ¹³ unlike the wicked, who will not live long, good lives—their days shall pass away as quickly as shadows because they don’t fear God.

¹⁴ There is a strange thing happening here upon the earth: Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked, and some wicked men as though they were good. This is all very vexing and troublesome!

¹⁵ Then I decided to spend my time having fun because I felt that there was nothing better in all the earth than that a man should eat, drink, and be merry, with the hope that this happiness would stick with him in all the hard work that God gives to mankind everywhere.

^16-17 In my search for wisdom I observed all that was going on everywhere across the earth—ceaseless activity, day and night. (Of course, only God can see everything, and even the wisest man who says he knows everything, doesn’t!)

9 This, too, I carefully explored—that godly and wise men are in God’s will; no one knows whether he will favor them or not. All is chance! ^2-3 The same providence confronts everyone, whether good or bad, religious or irreligious, profane or godly. It seems so unfair that one fate comes to all. That is why men are not more careful to be good but instead choose their own mad course, for they have no hope—there is nothing but death ahead anyway.

⁴ There is hope only for the living. “It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” ⁵ For the living at least know that they will die! But the dead know nothing ; they don’t even have their memories.^{[g] 6} Whatever they did in their lifetimes—loving, hating, envying—is long gone, and they have no part in anything here on earth anymore. ⁷ So go ahead, eat, drink, and be merry, for it makes no difference to God! ⁸ Wear fine clothes—with a dash of cologne! ⁹ Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil. ¹⁰ Whatever you do, do well, for in death, where you are going, there is no working or planning, or knowing, or understanding.

¹¹ Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time. ¹² A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare.

¹³ Here is another thing that has made a deep impression on me as I have watched human affairs: ¹⁴ There was a small city with only a few people living in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. ¹⁵ There was in the city a wise man, very poor, and he knew what to do to save the city, and so it was rescued. But afterwards no one thought any more about him. ¹⁶ Then I realized that though wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, and what he says will not be appreciated. ¹⁷ But even so, the quiet words of a wise man are better than the shout of a king of fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one rotten apple can spoil a barrelful.

10 Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, a small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and honor. ² A wise man’s heart leads him to do right, and a fool’s heart leads him to do evil. ³ You can identify a fool just by the way he walks down the street!

⁴ If the boss is angry with you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit will quiet his bad temper.

⁵ There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by, a sad situation concerning kings and rulers: ⁶ For I have seen foolish men given great authority and rich men not given their rightful place of dignity! ⁷ I have even seen servants riding, while princes walk like servants!

^8-9 Dig a well—and fall into it! Demolish an old wall—and be bitten by a snake! When working in a quarry, stones will fall and crush you! There is risk in each stroke of your ax!

¹⁰ A dull ax requires great strength; be wise and sharpen the blade.

¹¹ When the horse is stolen, it is too late to lock the barn.^[h]

^12-13 It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but a fool’s speech brings him to ruin. Since he begins with a foolish premise, his conclusion is sheer madness. ¹⁴ A fool knows all about the future and tells everyone in detail! But who can really know what is going to happen? ¹⁵ A fool is so upset by a little work that he has no strength for the simplest matter.^[i]

^16-17 Woe to the land whose king is a child and whose leaders are already drunk in the morning. Happy the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders work hard before they feast and drink, and then only to strengthen themselves for the tasks ahead! ¹⁸ Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot. ¹⁹ A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! ²⁰ Never curse the king, not even in your thoughts, nor the rich man, either; for a little bird will tell them what you’ve said.

11 Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. ² Divide your gifts among many,^[j] for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help.

³ When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies. ⁴ If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.^{[k] 5} God’s ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother’s womb. ⁶ Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will.

⁷ It is a wonderful thing to be alive! ⁸ If a person lives to be very old, let him rejoice in every day of life, but let him also remember that eternity is far longer and that everything down here is futile in comparison.

⁹ Young man, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it! Do all you want to; take in everything, but realize that you must account to God for everything you do. ¹⁰ So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, can make serious mistakes.

12 Don’t let the excitement of being young cause you to forget about your Creator. Honor him in your youth before the evil years come—when you’ll no longer enjoy living. ² It will be too late then to try to remember him when the sun and light and moon and stars are dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among your clouds. ³ For there will come a time when your limbs will tremble with age, your strong legs will become weak, and your teeth will be too few to do their work, and there will be blindness too. ⁴ Then let your lips be tightly closed while eating when your teeth are gone! And you will waken at dawn with the first note of the birds; but you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with quavering voice. ⁵ You will be afraid of heights and of falling—a white-haired, withered old man, dragging himself along: without sexual desire, standing at death’s door, and nearing his everlasting home as the mourners go along the streets.

⁶ Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young—before the silver cord of life snaps and the gold bowl is broken; before the pitcher is broken at the fountain and the wheel is broken at the cistern; ⁷ then the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. ⁸ All is futile, says the Preacher; utterly futile.

⁹ But then, because the Preacher was wise, he went on teaching the people all he knew; and he collected proverbs and classified them. ¹⁰ For the Preacher was not only a wise man but a good teacher; he not only taught what he knew to the people, but taught them in an interesting manner. ¹¹ The wise man’s words are like goads that spur to action. They nail down important truths. Students are wise who master what their teachers tell them.

¹² But, my son, be warned: there is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!

¹³ Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man. ¹⁴ For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad.

1 This song of songs, more wonderful than any other, was composed by King Solomon:

The Girl:^{[l] 2} “Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine. ³ How fragrant your cologne, and how great your name! No wonder all the young girls love you! ⁴ Take me with you; come, let’s run!”

The Girl: “The king has brought me into his palace. How happy we will be! Your love is better than wine. No wonder all the young girls love you!”

The Girl: ⁵ “I am dark but beautiful, O girls of Jerusalem, tanned as the dark tents of Kedar.”

King Solomon: “But lovely as the silken tents of Solomon!”

The Girl: ⁶ “Don’t look down on me, you city girls,^[m] just because my complexion is so dark—the sun has tanned me. My brothers were angry with me and sent me out into the sun to tend the vineyards, but see what it has done to me!”

The Girl: ⁷ “Tell me, O one I love, where are you leading your flock today? Where will you be at noon? For I will come and join you there instead of wandering like a vagabond among the flocks of your companions.”

King Solomon: ⁸ “If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman in all the world, follow the trail of my flock to the shepherds’ tents, and there feed your sheep and their lambs. ⁹ What a lovely filly you are,^[n] my love! ¹⁰ How lovely your cheeks are, with your hair^[o] falling down upon them! How stately your neck with that long string of jewels. ¹¹ We shall make you gold earrings and silver beads.”

The Girl: ¹² “The king lies on his bed, enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume. ¹³ My beloved one is a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.”

King Solomon: ¹⁴ “My beloved is a bouquet of flowers in the gardens of Engedi. ¹⁵ How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your eyes are soft as doves’. ¹⁶ What a lovely, pleasant thing you are, lying here upon the grass, ¹⁷ shaded by the cedar trees and firs.”

2 The Girl: “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley.”

King Solomon: ² “Yes, a lily among thorns, so is my beloved as compared with any other girls.”

The Girl: ³ “My lover is an apple tree, the finest in the orchard as compared with any of the other youths. I am seated in his much-desired shade and his fruit is lovely to eat. ⁴ He brings me to the banquet hall, and everyone can see how much he loves me. ⁵ Oh, feed me with your love—your ‘raisins’ and your ‘apples’—for I am utterly lovesick. ⁶ His left hand is under my head and with his right hand he embraces me. ⁷ O girls of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and deer in the park, that you do not awaken my lover.^[p] Let him sleep!”

The Girl: ⁸ “Ah, I hear him—my beloved! Here he comes, leaping upon the mountains and bounding over the hills. ⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle or young deer. Look, there he is behind the wall, now looking in at the windows.

¹⁰ “My beloved said to me, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹ For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. ¹² The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.^{[q] 13} The leaves are coming out,^[r] and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.’

¹⁴ “My dove is hiding behind some rocks, behind an outcrop of the cliff. Call to me and let me hear your lovely voice and see your handsome face.

¹⁵ “The little foxes are ruining the vineyards. Catch them, for the grapes are all in blossom.

¹⁶ “My beloved is mine and I am his. He is feeding among the lilies! ¹⁷ Before the dawn comes and the shadows flee away, come to me, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”

3 The Girl: “One night my lover was missing from my bed. I got up to look for him but couldn’t find him. ² I went out into the streets of the city and the roads to seek him, but I searched in vain. ³ The police stopped me, and I said to them, ‘Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?’ ⁴ It was only a little while afterwards that I found him and held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my childhood home, into my mother’s old bedroom. ⁵ I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and deer of the park, not to awake my lover. Let him sleep.”

The Young Women of Jerusalem: ⁶ “Who is this sweeping in from the deserts like a cloud of smoke along the ground, smelling of myrrh and frankincense and every other spice that can be bought? ⁷ Look, it is the chariot^[s] of Solomon with sixty of the mightiest men of his army surrounding it. ⁸ They are all skilled swordsmen and experienced bodyguards. Each one has his sword upon his thigh to defend his king against any onslaught in the night. ⁹ For King Solomon made himself a chariot from the wood of Lebanon. ¹⁰ Its posts are silver, its canopy gold, the seat is purple; and the back is inlaid with these words: ‘With love from the girls of Jerusalem!’”

The Girl: ¹¹ “Go out and see King Solomon, O young women of Zion; see the crown with which his mother crowned him on his wedding day, his day of gladness.”

4 King Solomon: “How beautiful you are, my love, how beautiful! Your eyes are those of doves. Your hair falls across your face like flocks of goats that frisk across the slopes of Gilead. ² Your teeth are white as sheep’s wool, newly shorn and washed; perfectly matched, without one missing. ³ Your lips are like a thread of scarlet—and how beautiful your mouth. Your cheeks are matched loveliness^[t] behind your locks. ⁴ Your neck is stately^[u] as the tower of David, jeweled with a thousand heroes’ shields. ⁵ Your breasts are like twin fawns of a gazelle, feeding among the lilies. ⁶ Until the morning dawns and the shadows flee away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. ⁷ You are so beautiful, my love, in every part of you.

⁸ “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. We will look down from the summit of the mountain, from the top of Mount Hermon,^[v] where the lions have their dens and panthers prowl. ⁹ You have ravished my heart, my lovely one, my bride; I am overcome by one glance of your eyes, by a single bead of your necklace. ¹⁰ How sweet is your love, my darling, my bride. How much better it is than mere wine. The perfume of your love is more fragrant than all the richest spices. ¹¹ Your lips, my dear, are made of honey. Yes, honey and cream are under your tongue, and the scent of your garments is like the scent of the mountains and cedars of Lebanon.

¹² “My darling bride is like a private garden, a spring that no one else can have, a fountain of my own. ^13-14 You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit,^[w] with the rarest of perfumes; nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, and perfume from every other incense tree, as well as myrrh and aloes, and every other lovely spice. ¹⁵ You are a garden fountain, a well of living water, refreshing as the streams from the Lebanon mountains.”

The Girl: ¹⁶ “Come, north wind, awaken; come, south wind, blow upon my garden and waft its lovely perfume to my beloved. Let him come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.”

5 King Solomon: “I am here in my garden, my darling, my bride! I gather my myrrh with my spices and eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk.”

The Young Women of Jerusalem: “Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply!”

The Girl: ² “One night as I was sleeping, my heart awakened in a dream. I heard the voice of my beloved; he was knocking at my bedroom door. ‘Open to me, my darling, my lover, my lovely dove,’ he said, ‘for I have been out in the night and am covered with dew.’

³ “But I said, ‘I have disrobed. Shall I get dressed again? I have washed my feet, and should I get them soiled?’

⁴ “My beloved tried to unlatch the door, and my heart was thrilled within me. ⁵ I jumped up to open it, and my hands dripped with perfume, my fingers with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. ⁶ I opened to my beloved, but he was gone. My heart stopped. I searched for him but couldn’t find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. ⁷ The guards found me and struck and wounded me. The watchman on the wall tore off my veil. ⁸ I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved one, tell him that I am sick with love.”

The Young Women of Jerusalem: ⁹ “O woman of rare beauty, what is it about your loved one that is better than any other, that you command us this?”

The Girl: ¹⁰ “My beloved one is tanned and handsome, better than ten thousand others! ¹¹ His head is purest gold, and he has wavy, raven hair. ¹² His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, deep and quiet. ¹³ His cheeks are like sweetly scented beds of spices. His lips are perfumed lilies, his breath like myrrh. ¹⁴ His arms are round bars of gold set with topaz; his body is bright ivory encrusted with jewels. ¹⁵ His legs are as pillars of marble set in sockets of finest gold, like cedars of Lebanon; none can rival him. ¹⁶ His mouth is altogether sweet, lovable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my beloved, my friend.”

6 The Young Women of Jerusalem: “O rarest of beautiful women, where has your loved one gone? We will help you find him.”

The Girl: ² “He has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to pasture his flock and to gather the lilies. ³ I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. He pastures his flock among the lilies!”

King Solomon: ⁴ “O my beloved, you are as beautiful as the lovely land of Tirzah, yes, beautiful as Jerusalem, and how you capture my heart.^{[x] 5} Look the other way, for your eyes have overcome me! Your hair, as it falls across your face, is like a flock of goats frisking down the slopes of Gilead. ⁶ Your teeth are white as freshly washed ewes, perfectly matched and not one missing. ⁷ Your cheeks are matched loveliness^[y] behind your hair. ⁸ I have sixty other wives, all queens, and eighty concubines, and unnumbered virgins available to me; ⁹ but you, my dove, my perfect one, are the only one among them all, without an equal! The women of Jerusalem were delighted when they saw you, and even the queens and concubines praise you. ¹⁰ ‘Who is this,’ they ask, ‘arising as the dawn, fair as the moon, pure as the sun, so utterly captivating?’”^[z]

The Girl: ¹¹ “I went down into the orchard of nuts and out to the valley to see the springtime there, to see whether the grapevines were budding or the pomegranates were blossoming yet. ¹² Before I realized it, I was stricken with terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people.”^[aa]

The Young Women of Jerusalem: ¹³ “Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you once again.”

The Girl: “Why should you seek a mere Shulammite?”

King Solomon: “Because you dance so beautifully.”^[ab]

7 King Solomon: “How beautiful your tripping feet, O queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the most skilled of craftsmen. ² Your navel is lovely as a goblet filled with wine. Your waist^[ac] is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies. ³ Your two breasts are like two fawns, yes, lovely twins.^{[ad] 4} Your neck is stately as an ivory tower, your eyes as limpid pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is shapely^[ae] like the tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus.

⁵ “As Mount Carmel crowns the mountains, so your hair is your crown. The king is held captive in your queenly tresses.

⁶ “Oh, how delightful you are; how pleasant, O love, for utter delight! ⁷ You are tall and slim like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters of dates. ⁸ I said, I will climb up into the palm tree and take hold of its branches. Now may your breasts be like grape clusters, the scent of your breath like apples, ⁹ and your kisses as exciting as the best of wine, smooth and sweet, causing the lips of those who are asleep to speak.”

The Girl: ¹⁰ “I am my beloved’s and I am the one he desires. ¹¹ Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields and stay in the villages. ¹² Let us get up early and go out to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates are in flower. And there I will give you my love. ¹³ There the mandrakes give forth their fragrance, and the rarest fruits are at our doors, the new as well as old, for I have stored them up for my beloved.”

8 The Girl: “Oh, if only you were my brother; then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would laugh at me. ² I would bring you to my childhood home,^[af] and there you would teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, sweet pomegranate wine. ³ His left hand would be under my head and his right hand would embrace me. ⁴ I adjure you, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken him until he pleases.”

The Young Women of Jerusalem: ⁵ “Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved?”

King Solomon: “Under the apple tree where your mother gave birth to you in her travail, there I awakened your love.”

The Girl: ⁶ “Seal me in your heart with permanent betrothal, for love is strong as death, and jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. It flashes fire, the very flame of Jehovah. ⁷ Many waters cannot quench the flame of love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man tried to buy it with everything he owned, he couldn’t do it.”

The Girl’s Brothers: ⁸ “We have a little sister too young for breasts. What shall we do if someone asks to marry her?”

King Solomon: ⁹ “If she has no breasts,^[ag] we will build upon her a battlement of silver, and if she is a door, we will enclose her with cedar boards.”

The Girl: ¹⁰ “I am slim, tall,^[ah] and full-breasted, and I have found favor in my lover’s eyes. ¹¹ Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon, which he rented out to some farmers there, the rent being one thousand pieces of silver from each. ¹² But as for my own vineyard, you, O Solomon, shall have my thousand pieces of silver, and I will give two hundred pieces to those who care for it. ¹³ O my beloved, living in the gardens, how wonderful that your companions may listen to your voice; let me hear it too. ¹⁴ Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or young deer upon the mountains of spices.”