SONG OF SOLOMON 1 [†]The Song of a Songs, which is Solomon’s.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
She [1]
2[^][†] Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your b love is better than wine;
3[†] your c anointing oils are fragrant;
your d name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4[^] e Draw me after you; f let us run.
g The king has brought me into his chambers.
Others
We will h exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol b your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
She
5[†] I am very dark, but i lovely,
O j daughters of Jerusalem,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6[†] Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My m mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me n keeper of o the vineyards,
but p my own vineyard I have not kept!
7[†] Tell me, you q whom my soul loves,
where you r pasture your flock,
where you make it s lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your t companions?
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
8[†] If you do not know,
O u most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9[†] I compare you, v my love,
to w a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10[†] x Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
Others
11 We will make for you [2] ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12[†] While y the king was on his couch,
my z nard gave forth its fragrance.
13[†] My beloved is to me a sachet of a myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14[†] My beloved is to me a cluster of b henna blossoms
in the vineyards of c Engedi.
He
15[^] d Behold, e you are beautiful, f my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your g eyes are doves.
She
16[†] Behold, you are beautiful, h my beloved, truly i delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are j cedar;
our rafters are j pine.
SONG OF SOLOMON 2 [†] I am a rose [1] of Sharon,
k a lily of the valleys.
He
2[†] As a lily among brambles,
so is l my love among the young women.
She
3[^][†] As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my m beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat n in his shadow,
and his o fruit was sweet to my taste.
4[†] He p brought me to the banqueting house, [2]
and his q banner over me was love.
5[†] Sustain me with r raisins;
refresh me with apples,
s for I am sick with love.
6[†] His t left hand is under my head,
and his right hand u embraces me!
7[†] I v adjure you, [3] O w daughters of Jerusalem,
by x the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8[†] The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping y over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9[†] My beloved is like z a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10[†] My beloved speaks and says to me:
a “Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11[†] for behold, the winter is past;
b the rain is over and gone.
12 c The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing [4] has come,
and the voice of d the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 e The fig tree ripens its figs,
and f the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
g Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14[†] O my h dove, in the i clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me j hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is k lovely.
15[†] Catch l the foxes [5] for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
f for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16[^] m My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he n grazes [6] among the lilies.
17[†] Until o the day breathes
and p the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like q a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains. [7]
The Bride’s Dream
SONG OF SOLOMON 3 [†] On my bed r by night
I sought s him whom my soul loves;
t I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in u the streets and in the squares;
I will seek s him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 v The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4[†] Scarcely had I passed them
when I found s him whom my soul loves.
I w held him, and would not let him go
until I had x brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of y her who conceived me.
5[†] z I adjure you, a O daughters of Jerusalem,
b by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
6[†] c What is that coming up from the wilderness
like d columns of smoke,
perfumed with e myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7[†] Behold, it is the litter [1] of Solomon!
Around it are f sixty g mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his h sword at his thigh,
against i terror by night.
9[†] King Solomon made himself a carriage [2]
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 love
by j the daughters of Jerusalem.
11[^][†] Go out, O k daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on l the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Solomon Admires His Bride’s Beauty
He
SONG OF SOLOMON 4 [†] Behold, m you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
n Your eyes are doves
o behind your veil.
p Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down q the slopes of Gilead.
2[†] Your r 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 has lost its young.
3[†] Your lips are like s a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is t lovely.
Your u cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
o behind your veil.
4[†] Your v neck is like the tower of David,
on it x hang a thousand shields,
all of y them shields of warriors.
5[†] Your z two breasts are like two a fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that b graze among the lilies.
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of d myrrh
and the hill of d frankincense.
7[†] e You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no f flaw in you.
8[†] g Come with me from h Lebanon, my i bride;
come with me from h Lebanon.
Depart [2] from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of j Senir and k Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9[†] You have captivated my heart, my l sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one m jewel of your necklace.
10[†] How beautiful is your love, my l sister, my bride!
How much n better is your love than wine,
and o the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11[†] Your p lips drip nectar, my bride;
q honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is r like the fragrance of h Lebanon.
12[†] A garden locked is my l sister, my bride,
a spring locked, s a fountain t sealed.
13[^][†] Your shoots are u an orchard of pomegranates
with all v choicest fruits,
14[†] nard and saffron, y calamus and y cinnamon,
with all trees of z frankincense,
with all y choice spices—
15[†] a garden fountain, a well of c living water,
and flowing streams from h Lebanon.
16[†] Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my d garden,
let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
e Let my beloved come to his f garden,
and eat its v choicest fruits.
He
SONG OF SOLOMON 5 [†] I g came to my garden, my h sister, my bride,
I gathered my i myrrh with my spice,
I ate my j honeycomb with my honey,
I k drank my wine with my milk.
Others
Eat, l friends, drink,
and be drunk with love!
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
She
2[†] I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is m knocking.
“Open to me, my n sister, my o love,
for my head is wet with dew,
my r locks with the drops of the night.”
3[†] s I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had t bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4[†] My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with u liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he v spoke.
w I sought him, but found him not;
x I called him, but he gave no answer.
7 y The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8[^][†] I z adjure you, O a daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
b I am sick with love.
Others
9[†] What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O c most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus z adjure us?
The Bride Praises Her Beloved
She
10[^][†] My beloved is radiant and d ruddy,
e distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
f his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His g eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool. [1]
13[†] His i cheeks are like j beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are k lilies,
dripping u liquid myrrh.
14[†] His arms are rods of gold,
set with l jewels.
His body is polished ivory, [2]
bedecked with m sapphires. [3]
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like o Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His p mouth [4] is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O a daughters of Jerusalem.
Others
SONG OF SOLOMON 6 [†] Where has your beloved gone,
O c most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
Together in the Garden of Love
She
2[†] My beloved has gone down to his q garden
to r the beds of spices,
and to gather t lilies.
3[†] u I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
4[†] You are beautiful as v Tirzah, w my love,
z awesome as an army with banners.
5[†] Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me—
a Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
6 b Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
not one among them has lost its young.
7[†] c Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8[†] There are d sixty e queens and eighty e concubines,
and f virgins without number.
9[^] My g dove, my h perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to i her who bore her.
j The young women saw her and called her blessed;
e the queens and e concubines also, and they praised her.
10[†] k “Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
l awesome as an army with banners?”
She
11 I went down to the nut orchard
to look at m the blossoms of the valley,
n to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 o Before I was aware, my desire set me
among p the chariots of my kinsman, a prince. [2]
Others
13[†] [3] Return, return, O q Shulammite,
return, return, that we may look upon you.
He
Why should you look upon q the Shulammite,
as upon r a dance before s two armies? [4]
SONG OF SOLOMON 7 [†] How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O t noble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like u jewels,
the work of v a master hand.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with w lilies.
3[†] x Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4[†] Your y neck is like an ivory tower.
Your z eyes are pools in a Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of b Lebanon,
which looks toward c Damascus.
5[†] Your head crowns you like e Carmel,
and your f flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6[^] g How beautiful and h pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights! [1]
7[†] Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like i clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
9 and your j mouth [2] like the best wine.
She
It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding over lips and teeth. [3]
l and his desire is for me.
The Bride Gives Her Love
11 m Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages; [4]
12[†] let us go out early to the vineyards
n and see whether the vines have budded,
whether o the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13[†] p The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
q new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Longing for Her Beloved
SONG OF SOLOMON 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 r bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you s spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
3 t His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
4[†] I u adjure you, O v daughters of Jerusalem,
w that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
5[†] x Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on 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.
6[^][†] Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as y a seal upon your arm,
for z love is strong as death,
a jealousy [1] is fierce as the grave. [2]
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very b 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 c house,
he [3] would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
8[†] We have a little sister,
and she d 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 e boards of cedar.
She
10 f I was a wall,
and my g breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds [4] peace.
11[†] Solomon had h a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he i let out the vineyard to j keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit k a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and l the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
13 m O you who dwell in the gardens,
with n companions listening for your voice;
o let me hear it.
She
14[†] p Make haste, my beloved,
and be q like a gazelle
or a young stag
on r the mountains of spices.