Chronological
Title
1 The Most Beautiful Song by Solomon.
The Loved One
2 Let him kiss me over and over again![a]
Your love is better than wine.
3 The fragrance of your perfumed oil is wonderful.
Your name is perfume poured out.
Therefore the young women love you.
4 Take me with[b] you! Let’s run away!
Let the king bring me into his private chambers.
The Young Women
The daughters[c] of Jerusalem[d] will rejoice and be happy for you.
We will value your love more than wine.
They love you appropriately.
The Loved One
5 The daughters[e] of Jerusalem, I’m dark and lovely
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Don’t stare at me because I’m dark;
the sun has tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me.
They made me the caretaker of the vineyards,
but I didn’t take care of my own vineyard.
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where do you graze your flock?
Where do you make your flock lie down[f] at noon?
Why should I be considered a veiled woman[g]
beside the flocks of your companions?
The Lover
8 If you don’t know, most beautiful of women,
go out after the flock and graze your young goats beside the shepherd’s tents.
9 My darling, I compare you to a[h] mare
among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
The Young Women
11 We will make ornaments of gold for you,
accented with silver.
The Loved One
12 While the king was sitting at his table,
my perfume sent forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh[i]
that lies between my breasts all night.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna[j] blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Lover
15 Look at you! You are beautiful, my darling.
Look at you! You are so beautiful.
Your eyes are doves.
The Loved One
16 Look at you! You are handsome, my beloved, truly lovely.
How lush is our couch.
17 The beams of our house are cedar,[k]
our rafters are pine.
2 I’m a flower[l] from Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
The Lover
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
The Loved One
3 Like an apple[m] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
In his shade I take delight and sit down,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.[n]
4 He has brought me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,[o]
for I’m weak with love.
6 I wish that his left hand were under my head,
and that his right hand were embracing me!
7 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or by the does of the field,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![p]
8 The voice of my beloved!
Look! He’s coming,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, there he stands behind our wall,
looking through the windows,
gazing through the lattice.
The Lover
10 My beloved spoke to me:
“Get up, my darling, my beautiful one, and come on.
11 Look! Winter is past.
The rain is over and gone.
12 Blossoms have appeared in the land.
The season of songbirds[q] has arrived,
and cooing of turtledoves is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree has produced its fruit,[r]
the grapevines have blossomed and exude their fragrance.
“Get up, my darling, my beautiful one, and come on.
14 My dove, in the hidden places of the rocks,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
show me your form, and let me hear your voice.
For your voice is pleasant,
and your shape is lovely.
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that destroy the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.”
The Loved One
16 My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him.
He is the one who shepherds his flock among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks[s] and the shadows flee,
turn around, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the rugged mountains.[t]
The Loved One
3 Night after night on my bed,
I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but didn’t find him.
2 I’ll get up and go all around the city,
throughout the streets, and in the squares.
I’ll seek the one I love.
I sought him, but didn’t find him.
3 The watchmen who go all around the city found me.
I asked,[u] “Have you seen the one I love?”
4 I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held him and wouldn’t let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
5 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or by the does of the field,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![v]
The Lover Arrives
6 What[w] is this coming up from the desert
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh[x] and incense[y]
from all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look! It’s Solomon’s sedan chair,[z]
with 60 of the best soldiers in Israel[aa] surrounding it.
8 All of them are wearing swords and are
experienced in battle.
Each has his sword on his thigh,
ready for the terror of the night.[ab]
9 King Solomon made the sedan chair for himself
from the trees of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold.
Its seat was purple,
and its interior was lovingly inlaid
by the young women of Jerusalem.
11 Come out, young women of Zion,
and see King Solomon with the crown
with which his mother crowned him
on his wedding day—
his day of great delight.[ac]
The Lover
4 Look at you! You are beautiful, my darling.
Look at you! You are so beautiful.
Your eyes behind your veil are doves,
your hair is like a flock of goats
coming down from Mt. Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep about to be sheared,[ad]
who are coming up from being washed.[ae]
All of them are twins,
not one has lost[af] her young.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your temple is like a slice of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with rows of stones.
A thousand shields are hung upon it,
all the shields of the warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks[ag] and the shadows flee,
I’ll go to the mountain of myrrh[ah]
and to the hill of frankincense.[ai]
7 My darling, you are altogether beautiful
and there is no blemish in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
May you journey from the top of Amana,
from the tops of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountain lairs of leopards.
9 You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my[aj] bride.
You have made my heart beat faster
with one glance of your eyes,
with one strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my[ak] bride.
How much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
than all kinds of spices.
11 Your lips drip honey, my[al] bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.
The scent of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my[am] bride, is a locked garden
a locked rock garden, a sealed up spring.
13 Your shoots are an orchard[an] of pomegranates,
with choice fruit, henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with all the trees of frankincense,
along with myrrh and aloes, and all the finest spices.[ao]
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of fresh water,
streams flowing from Lebanon.
The Loved One
16 Awake, north wind, and come, south wind.
Make my garden breathe out,
let its fragrance[ap] flow.
Let my beloved come into his garden,
and let him eat its choicest fruits.
The Lover
5 I’ve come into my garden, my sister, my[aq] bride;
I’ve gathered my myrrh with my spices.
I’ve eaten my honeycomb with my honey.
I’ve drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, friends!
Drink and become drunk with love.
The Loved One
2 I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
There’s a sound! My beloved is knocking.
The Lover
“Open up for me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
The Loved One
3 “I’ve taken off my clothes[ar]—
am I supposed to put them on again?[as]
I’ve washed my feet—
am I supposed to[at] get them dirty again?”
4 My beloved reached out his hand for the latch.[au]
My feelings for him were aroused.
5 I got up to open the door,[av]
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
on the handle of the lock.
6 I opened the door[aw] for my beloved,
but my beloved had turned away; he was gone!
My very life went out when he departed.[ax]
I searched for him,
but couldn’t find him.
I called out to him,
but he didn’t answer.
7 The watchmen making their[ay] rounds
through the city found me.
They beat me, they bruised me.
Those guarding the walls took my cloak[az] from me.
8 I charge you, young women of Jerusalem,
“If you find my beloved, what are you to tell him?
Tell him[ba] that I’m weak with love.”
The Young Women
9 What is so special about your beloved,[bb]
most beautiful of women?
What is so special about your beloved,
that you charge us like this?
The Loved One
10 My beloved is dazzling,
with a dark and healthy complexion,
outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is pure gold,
his hair is wavy, black like a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
by streams of water,
bathed in milk,
mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,
like towers of perfume.
His lips are lilies,
dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold,
set with beryl.
His stomach is carved ivory,
inlaid with sapphires.[bc]
15 His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice like its cedars.
16 His mouth[bd] is sweetness,
and all of him is desirable.
This is my beloved, this is my friend,
young women of Jerusalem!
The Young Women
6 Where did your beloved go,
most beautiful of women?
Where did your beloved turn,
so we may look for him with you?
The Loved One
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to graze his flock[be] in the gardens
and gather lilies.
3 I belong to my beloved, and my beloved belongs to me.
He is the one who grazes his flock[bf] among the lilies.
The Lover
4 You are beautiful, my darling, like Tirzah,[bg]
lovely like Jerusalem,
as awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes from me,
for they excite me.[bh]
Your hair is like a flock of goats
coming down from Mt. Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
coming up from being washed.[bi]
All of them are twins,
not one has lost[bj] her young.
7 Your temple[bk] behind your veil
is like a slice of pomegranate.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty mistresses,[bl]
and too many young women to count,
9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique.
She’s unique to her mother,
she’s pure to the one who gave birth to her.
Young women see her and call her blessed,
queens and mistresses praise her.
The Young Women
10 Who is this who appears like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awesome as an army with banners?
The Loved One
11 I went down to the walnut orchard,
to look at the green sprouts in the valley,
to see whether the vine had budded,
whether the pomegranates had blossomed.
12 Before I knew it,[bm] I imagined myself
among the chariots of my noble people.[bn]
The Young Women
13 [bo]Return, return, Shulammite,
return, return, so we may look at you!
The Lover
7 [bs]How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
noble lady.[bt]
The curves of your thighs are like ornaments,
the work of a skilled artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your abdomen is a bundle of wheat,
enclosed by lilies.
3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory.
Your eyes are like the[bu] pools in Heshbon,
beside the gate of Beth-rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
which faces Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you[bv] like Mount Carmel.
Your flowing locks[bw] are like purple,
and a king could be captured in the dangling tresses.
6 How beautiful and lovely you are,
you are love with its exquisite delights.[bx]
7 Your stature[by] is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like clusters of fruit.[bz]
8 I told myself, “I’ll go up the palm tree,
and take hold of its fruit.
May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,[ca]
and the smell of your breath like apples.[cb]
9 May your mouth[cc] be like good wine.
The Loved One
May it go down smoothly to my beloved,
gliding gently over the lips of the sleeping ones.
10 I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved.
Let us go out to the country,
let us spend the night in the villages.[cd]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards,
let us see whether the vine has budded,
whether the blossom has opened,
whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I’ll give you my love.
13 The mandrakes give off their[ce] fragrance,
and over our doors are all the choice fruits,
both old and new,
that I’ve stored up for you, my beloved.
8 If only you were like a brother to me,
like[cf] one who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside I would kiss you,
and no one would view me with contempt.[cg]
2 I would lead you,
I would bring you
to the house of my mother
who used to teach me.
I would give you some spiced wine to drink,
from the juice of my pomegranates.[ch]
3 Let his left hand be under my head,
and let his right hand embrace me.
4 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![ci]
The Young Women
5 Who is this coming up from the desert,
leaning on her beloved?
The Loved One
Under the apple tree[cj] I awakened you.
There your mother had gone into labor with you;
there she went into labor and gave birth to you.
6 Set me like a seal[ck] over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
passion[cl] as intense as Sheol.[cm]
The flames of love[cn] are flames of fire,
a blaze that comes from the Lord.[co]
7 Mighty bodies of water cannot extinguish love,
rivers cannot put it out.
If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would surely be viewed with contempt.
The Loved One’s Brothers
8 We[cp] have a little sister,
and she has not yet reached maturity.[cq]
What will we do for our sister
to prepare her for[cr] her engagement?[cs]
9 If she’s a wall,
on her we will build a battlement of silver.
If she’s a door,
we will enclose her with planks of cedar.
The Loved One
10 I was a wall and my breasts were like towers.
Then I became like one who finds peace[ct] in his eyes.
11 Solomon has a vineyard in Baal-hamon.
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers—
each one is to bring 1,000 pieces of silver
in exchange for its fruit.
12 My vineyard belongs to me and is at my disposal.[cu]
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
and 200 are for those who take care of its fruit.
The Lover
13 You who sit in the gardens,
companions are listening for your voice,
but let me hear it.
The Loved One
14 Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
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