Category: Song of Solomon

The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

1 TheSong of Songs [the best of songs], which is Solomon’s.

2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” [Solomon arrives, she turns to him, saying,]

“For your love is better than wine.

3 The aroma of your oils is fragrantandpleasing;

Your name is perfume poured out;

Therefore the maidens love you.

4 Draw me away with youandlet us runtogether!

Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

“We will rejoice and be glad in you;

We will rememberandextol your love more [sweet and fragrant] than wine.

Rightly do they love you.”

5 “I am deeply tanned but lovely,

O daughters of Jerusalem,

[I am dark] like the tents of [the Bedouins of] Kedar,

Like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon.

6 Do not gaze at me because I am deeply tanned,

[I have worked in] the sun; it has left its mark on me.

My mother’s sons were angry with me;

They made me keeper of the vineyards,

But my own vineyard (my complexion) I have not kept.”

7 “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,

Where do you pastureyour flock,

Where do you make it lie down at noon?

For why should I be like one who is veiled

Beside the flocks of your companions?”

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

8 “If you do not know [where your lover is],

O you fairest among women,

Run along, follow the tracks of the flock,

And pasture your young goats

By the tents of the shepherds.

9 “To me, my love, you are like

My [favorite] mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,

Your neck with strings of jewels.”

11 “We will make for you chainsandornaments of gold,

[Studded] with beads of silver.”

12 “While the king was at his table,

My perfume (Solomon) sent forth [his] fragrance [surrounding me].

13 My beloved is to me like a pouch of myrrh

Which lies all night between my breasts.

14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna flowers

In the [fragrant] vineyards ofEngedi.”

15 “Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling,

Behold, how beautiful you are!

Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”

16 “Behold, how fairandhandsome you are, my beloved;

Andso delightful!

Our arbor is greenandluxuriant.

17 The beams of our houses are cedars,

Our raftersandpanels are cypresses.

The Bride’s Admiration

1 “I am the rose [of the plain] of Sharon,

The lily of the valleys [that grows in deep places].”

2 “Like the lily among the thorns,

So are you, my darling, among the maidens.”

3 “Like an apple tree [rare and welcome] among the trees of the forest,

So is my beloved among the young men!

In his shade I took great delight and sat down,

And his fruit was sweetanddelicious to my palate.

4 He has brought me to his banqueting place,

And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].

5 Sustain me with raisin cakes,

Refresh me with apples,

Because I am sick with love.

6 Let his left hand be under my head

And his right hand embrace me.”

7 “I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles or by the does of the field [which run free],

That you do not rouse nor awaken my love

Until she pleases.”

8 “Listen! My beloved!

Behold, he comes,

Climbing on the mountains,

Leapingandrunning on the hills!

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Behold, he is standing behind our wall,

He is looking through the windows,

He is gazing through the lattice.

10 “My beloved speaks and says to me,

‘Arise, my love, my fair one,

And come away.

11 For behold, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth once again;

The time for singing has come,

And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree has buddedandripens her figs,

And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one,

And come away [to climb the rocky steps of the hillside].’ ”

14 “O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,

In the shelteredandsecret place of the steep pathway,

Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely.”

15 “Catch the foxes for us,

The little foxes that spoilandruin the vineyards [of love],

While our vineyards are in blossom.”

16 “My beloved is mine and I am his;

He pastureshis flockamong the lilies.

17 Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,

Return quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle

Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether [which separate us].”

The Bride’s Troubled Dream

1 “On my bed night after night [I dreamed that] I sought the one

Whom my soul loves;

I sought him but did not find him.

2 I said‘So I must arise now and go out into the city;

Into the streets and into the squares [places I do not know]

I must seek him whom my soul loves.’

I sought him but I did not find him.

3 The watchmen who go around the city found me,

And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’

4 Scarcely had I passed them

When I found him whom my soul loves.

I held on to him and would not let him go

Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,

And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”

5 “I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles or by the does of the field,

That you do not rouse nor awaken my love

Until she pleases.”

Solomon’s Wedding Day

6 “What is this coming up from the wilderness

Like [stately] pillars of smoke

Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

With all the fragrant powders of the merchant?”

7 “Behold, it is the couch (palanquin) of Solomon;

Sixty mighty men around it,

Of the mighty men of Israel.

8 All of them handle the sword,

All expert in war;

Each man has his sword at his thigh,

Guardingagainst the terrors of the night.

9 King Solomon has made for himself a palanquin

From the [cedar] wood of Lebanon.

10 He made its posts of silver,

Its back of gold,

Its seat of purple cloth,

The interior lovinglyandintricately wrought

By the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion,

And gaze on King Solomon wearing the crown

With which his mother [Bathsheba] has crowned him

On the day of his wedding,

On the day of his gladness of heart.”

Solomon’s Love Expressed

1 “How fairandbeautiful you are, my darling,

How very beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;

Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].

2 Your teeth are like a flock ofnewlyshorn ewes

Which have come up from washing,

All of which bear twins,

And not one among them has lost her young.

3 Your lips are like a ribbon of scarlet,

And your mouth is lovely.

Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate

Behind your veil.

4 Your neck is like the tower of David,

Built with rows of [glistening] stones,

Whereon hang a thousand shields,

All of them shields of warriors.

5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle

Which feed among the lilies.

6 Until the day breaks

And the shadows flee away,

[In my thoughts] I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense.

7 “O my love, you are altogether beautifulandfair.

There is no flawnorblemish in you!

8 Come awaywith me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride,

May you come with me from Lebanon.

Journey down from the top of Amana,

From the summit of Senir and Hermon,

From the dens of lions,

From the mountains of leopards.

9 You have ravished my heartandgiven me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride;

You have ravished my heartandgiven me courage with a singleglanceof your eyes,

With one jewel of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

And the fragrance of your oils

Than allkindsof balsamandspices.

11 Your lips, my [promised] bride, drip honey [as the honeycomb];

Honey and milk are under your tongue,

And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 A garden enclosed is my sister, my [promised] bride—

A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.

13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates,

[A paradise] with precious fruits, henna with fragrant plants,

14 Fragrant plants and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,

With all trees of frankincense,

Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.

15 You area fountain in a garden,

A well of freshandliving water,

And streamsflowingfrom Lebanon.”

16 “Awake, O northwind,

And come, southwind[blow softly upon my garden];

Make my garden breathe outfragrance,[for the one in whom my soul delights],

Let its spices flow forth.

Let my beloved come into his garden

And eat its choicest fruits.”

The Torment of Separation

1 “I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride;

I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsamandspice [from your sweet words].

I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;

I have drunk my wine with my milk.

Eat, friends;

Drink and drink deeply, O lovers.”

2 “I was asleep, but my heart was awake.

A voice [in my dream]! My beloved was knocking:

‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,

My dove, my perfect one!

For my head is drenched with the [heavy night] dew;

My hair [is covered] with the dampness of the night.’

3 I had taken off my dress,

How can I put it onagain?

I had washed my feet,

How could I get them dirtyagain?

4 My beloved extended his hand through the opening [of the door],

And my feelings were aroused for him.

5 I arose to open for my beloved;

And my hands dripped with myrrh,

And my fingers with liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh,

On the handles of the bolt.

6 I opened for my beloved,

But my beloved had turned away and was gone.

My heart went outto himwhen he spoke.

I searched for him, but I could not find him;

I called him, but he did not answer me.

7 The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me.

They struck me, they wounded me;

The guardsmen of the walls took my shawl from me.

8 I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,

If you find my beloved,

As to what you tell him—

[Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him].”

9 “What is your beloved more than another beloved,

O most beautiful among women?

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

That you should so command us to take an oath?”

Admiration by the Bride

10 “My beloved is exquisitely handsome and ruddy,

Outstanding among ten thousand.

11 His head islike[precious] gold, pure gold;

His hair is [curly]likeclusters of dates

And black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves

Beside streams of water,

Bathed in milk

And reposed in their setting.

13 His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,

Banks of sweet, fragrant herbs.

His lips are lilies

Drippingsweet-scentedmyrrh.

14 His hands are rods of gold

Set with beryl;

His abdomen is a figure of carved ivory

Inlaid with sapphires.

15 His legs are [strong and steady] pillars of alabaster

Set upon pedestals of fine gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon,

Statelyandchoice as the cedars.

16 His mouth isfull ofsweetness;

Yes, he is altogether lovelyanddesirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Mutual Delight in Each Other

1 “Where has your beloved gone,

O most beautiful among women?

Where is your beloved hiding himself,

That we may seek him with you?”

2 “My beloved has gone down to his garden,

To the beds of balsam,

To feedhis flockin the gardens

And gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,

He who feedshis flockamong the lilies.”

4 “You are as beautiful asTirzah, my darling,

As lovely as Jerusalem,

As majestic as an army with banners!

5 Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me,

For they have confusedandovercome me;

Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead.

6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

Which have come up from their washing,

All of which bear twins,

And not one among them has lost her young.

7 Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate

Behind your veil.

8 There are sixty queens and eightyconcubines,

And maidens without number;

9 But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all];

She is her mother’s onlydaughter;

She is the purechildof the one who bore her.

The maidens saw her and called her blessedandhappy,

The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her,saying,

10 ‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn,

Fairandbeautiful as the full moon,

Clearandpure as the sun,

As majestic as an army with banners?’

11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees

To see the flowers of the valley,

To see whether the grapevine had budded

And the pomegranates were in flower.

12 Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me

Into the area of the princes of my people [the king’s retinue].”

13 “Return, return, O Shulammite;

Return, return, that we may gaze at you.”

“Why should you gaze at the Shulammite,

As at the dance of the two armies?

Admiration by the Bridegroom

1 “How beautiful are your feet in sandals,

O prince’s daughter!

The curves of your hips are like jewels,

The work of the hands of an artist.

2 Your navel is a round goblet

Which never lacks mixed wine.

Your belly is like a heap of wheat

Surrounded with lilies.

3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,

The twins of a gazelle.

4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory,

Your eyes the [sparkling] pools of Heshbon

By the gate of Bath-rabbim.

Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon

Which looks toward Damascus.

5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,

And the flowing hair of your head like purple threads;

I, the king, am held captive by yourtresses.

6 How beautiful and how delightful you are,

My love, with all your delights!

7 Your stature is like that of a palm tree

And your breastslike itsclusters [of dates].

8 I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree;

I will grasp its branches.

Let your breasts be like clusters of the grapevine,

And the fragrance of your breath like apples,

9 And your kisses like the best wine!’ ”

“It goesdownsmoothlyandsweetly for my beloved,

Gliding gently over his lips while he sleeps.

The Union of Love

10 “I am my beloved’s,

And his desire is for me.

11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country,

Let us spend the night in the villages.

12 Let us go out early to the vineyards;

Let us see whether the vine has budded

And itsblossoms have opened,

And whetherthe pomegranates have flowered.

There I will give you my love.

13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance,

And over our doors are all [kinds of] choicefruits,

Both new and old,

Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.

The Lovers Speak

1 “Oh, that you were like a brother to me,

Who nursed at the breasts of my mother.

If I found you out of doors, I would kiss you;

No one would blame meordespise me, either.

2 I would lead you and bring you

Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;

I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.

3 Let his left hand be under my head

And his right hand embrace me.”

4 “I command you to take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,

That you do not rouse nor awaken my love

Until she pleases.”

5 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness

Leaning upon her beloved?”

“Under the apple tree I awakened you [to my love];

There your mother was in labor with you,

There she was in labor and gave you birth.

6 Put me like a seal on your heart,

Like a seal on your arm;

For love is as strong as death,

Jealousy is as severeandcruel as Sheol (the place of the dead).

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

[A most vehement flame] the very flame of theLord!

7 Many waters cannot quench love,

Nor can rivers drown it.

If a man would offer all the riches of his house for love,

It would be utterly scornedanddespised.”

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 [in marriage]?

9 If she is a wall (discreet, womanly),

We will build on her a turret (dowry) of silver;

But if she is a door (bold, flirtatious),

We will enclose her with planks of cedar.”

10 “I was a wall, and my breasts were like the towers.

Then I became in the king’s eyes

As one [to be respected and allowed] to find peace.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;

He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers;

Each one was to bring him a thousandshekelsof silver for its fruit.

12 My very own vineyard is at my disposal;

The thousand [shekels of silver] are for you, O Solomon,

And two hundred are for those who tend the fruit.”

13 “O you who sit in the gardens,

My companions are listening for your voice—

Let me hear it.”

14 “Hurry, my belovedandcome quickly,

Like a gazelle or a young stag [taking me home]

On the mountains of spices.”