The Shulammite Bride’s Desire
The Song of aSongs, which is Solomon’s.
2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your alove is better than wine.
3 Your aoils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your bname is like purified oil;
Therefore the cmaidens love you.
4 Draw me after you and let us run together!
The aking has brought me into his chambers.”
“We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your blove more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”
5 “I am black but alovely,
O bdaughters of Jerusalem,
Like the ctents of dKedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not look at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My amother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me bcaretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
7 Tell me, O you awhom my soul loves,
Where do you bshepherd your flock,
Where do you make it clie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who veils herself
Beside the flocks of your dcompanions?”
Solomon and His Bride Extol Each Other
8 “If you yourself do not know,
aMost beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the dwellings of the shepherds.
9 “To a amare of mine among the chariots of Pharaoh
I compare you, O bmy darling.
10 Your acheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of bbeads.”
11 “We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”
12 “While the king was at his banqueting table,
My aperfume gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of amyrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of ahenna blossoms
In the vineyards of bEngedi.”
15 “aBehold, you are beautiful, my darling,
Behold, you are beautiful!
Your beyes are like doves.”
16 “Behold, you are handsome, amy beloved,
Indeed, so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!
17 The beams of our houses are acedars,
Our rafters, bcypresses.
“I am the arose of bSharon,
The clily of the valleys.”
2 “Like a lily among the thorns,
So is amy darling among the daughters.”
3 “Like an aapple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the sons.
In his shade I had great desire and sat down,
And his bfruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He has abrought me to his house of banqueting,
And his bbanner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with araisin cakes,
Refresh me with bapples,
Because cI am lovesick.
6 Let ahis left hand be under my head
And ahis right hand bembrace me.”
7 “I acall you to solemnly swear, O bdaughters of Jerusalem,
By the cgazelles or by the dhinds of the field,
aThat you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
The Bride Delights in Her Beloved
8 “The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Leaping aon the mountains,
Jumping on the hills!
9 My beloved is like a agazelle or a byoung stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall;
He gazes through the windows;
He is peering cthrough the lattice.
10 “My beloved answered and said to me,
‘aArise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
11 For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over; it is gone.
12 The flowers have appeared in the land;
The time for pruning has arrived;
And the voice of the aturtledove has been heard in our land.
13 The afig tree has ripened its figs,
And the bvines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”
14 “O amy dove, bin the clefts of the rock,
In the secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your appearance,
cLet me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your appearance is dlovely.”
15 “aSeize the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are wreaking destruction on the vineyards,
While our bvineyards are in blossom.”
16 “aMy beloved is mine, and I am his,
He who bshepherds his flock among the lilies.
17 aUntil the day breathes and the shadows flee,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a bgazelle
Or a young stag con the mountains of Bether.”
The Bride’s Troubled Dream
“On my bed night after night I sought him
aWhom my soul loves;
I bsought him but did not find him.
2 ‘I must arise now and go about the city;
In the astreets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
3 aThe watchmen who go about the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
4 aScarcely had I passed them by
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I bseized him and would not let him go
Until I had cbrought him to my mother’s house,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”
5 “I acall you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the bgazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
Solomon Arrives on His Wedding Day
6 “aWho is this coming up from the wilderness
Like bcolumns of smoke,
As rising incense of cmyrrh and dfrankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?
7 Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them are those who seize the sword,
aLearned in war;
Each man has his bsword at his side,
Guarding against the cdreadful things of the night.
9 King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
Its back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior inlaid with love
By the adaughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth and see, O adaughters of Zion,
King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the bday of his wedding,
And on the day of his gladness of heart.”
Solomon Praises the Beauty of His Bride
“Behold, you are beautiful, amy darling,
Behold, you are beautiful!
Your beyes are like doves cbehind your veil;
Your dhair is like a flock of goats
That have leapt down from Mount eGilead.
2 Your ateeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
3 Your lips are like a ascarlet thread,
And your bmouth is lovely.
Your ctemples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 Your aneck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones
On which are bhung one thousand shields,
All the small cshields of the mighty men.
5 Your atwo breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which bfeed among the lilies.
6 aUntil the day breathes
And the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of bmyrrh
And to the hill of bfrankincense.
7 “aYou are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
8 Come with me from aLebanon, my bbride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the top of cAmana,
From the top of dSenir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 You have made my heart beat faster, amy sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your bnecklace.
10 aHow beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much bbetter is your love than wine,
And the cfragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of spices!
11 Your lips, my bride, adrip bhoney from the comb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the cfragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A rock garden locked, a aspring bsealed up.
13 Your shoots are an aorchard of bpomegranates
With cchoice fruits, dhenna with nard plants,
14 aNard and saffron, calamus and bcinnamon,
With all the trees of cfrankincense,
dMyrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
A well of afresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”
16 “Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my agarden breathe out fragrance,
Let its spices flow forth.
May bmy beloved come into his garden
And eat its cchoice fruits!”
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
“I have acome into my garden, bmy sister, my bride;
I have picked my cmyrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my dhoney;
I have edrunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, ffriends;
Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
2 “I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, amy sister, my darling,
bMy dove, my perfect one!
For my head is full of dew,
My clocks with the damp of the night.’
3 I have ataken off my long‑sleeved garment,
How can I put it on again?
I have bwashed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved sent forth his hand through the opening,
And my afeelings moaned for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands adripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had aturned away and passed by!
My soul went out to him as he bspoke.
I csearched for him, but I did not find him;
I dcalled him, but he did not answer me.
7 The awatchmen who go about in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.
8 I acall you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
What will you tell him?
Tell him that bI am sick with love.”
9 “What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
O amost beautiful among women?
What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
That thus you call us to solemnly swear?”
The Bride Extols Her Beloved
10 “My beloved is dazzling and aruddy,
bLifted up as a banner among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, fine gold;
His alocks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His aeyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Washed in milk,
And sitting in their bsetting.
13 His cheeks are like a abed of spices,
Towers of sweet‑scented herbs;
His lips are blilies
cDripping with liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with aberyl;
His abdomen is a plate of ivory
Inlaid with bsapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold;
His appearance is like aLebanon
Choice as the bcedars.
16 His amouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly bdesirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Solomon and His Bride Extol Each Other
“aWhere has your beloved gone,
O bmost beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
2 “My beloved has gone down to his agarden,
To the bbeds of spices,
To cshepherd his flock in the gardens
And gather dlilies.
3 aI am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who bshepherds his flock among the lilies.”
4 “aYou are as beautiful as bTirzah, my darling,
As clovely as dJerusalem,
As emajestic as an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overwhelmed me;
aYour hair is like a flock of goats
That have leapt down from Gilead.
6 aYour 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 aYour temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 There are sixty aqueens and eighty concubines,
And bmaidens without number;
9 She is the only one—amy dove, my perfect one;
She is the only one of her mother;
She is the pure one of her who bore her.
The bdaughters saw her and called her blessed,
The cqueens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 ‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full amoon,
As pure bas the sun,
As cmajestic as an army with banners?’
11 I went down to the garden of nut trees
To see the blossoms of the valley,
To see whether athe vine had flourished
Or the bpomegranates had bloomed.
12 I did not know it, but my soul set me
Among the chariots of my noble people.”
13 “Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, that we may behold you!”
“Why should you behold the Shulammite,
As at the adance of bthe two companies?
“How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O anoble’s daughter!
The curves of your thighs are like ornaments,
The work of the hands of an artist.
2 Your navel is like a round basin
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Encircled with lilies.
3 Your atwo breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
4 Your aneck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in bHeshbon
By the gate of Bath‑rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like aCarmel,
And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
6 How abeautiful and how pleasant you are,
My love, with all your pleasures!
7 Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree;
I will seize its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your breath like aapples,
9 And your amouth like the best wine!”
“It bgoes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall asleep.
The Union of Love
10 “aI am my beloved’s,
And his bdesire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields,
Let us spend the night in the villages.
12 Let us rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let us asee whether the vine has flourished
And its blossoms have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The amandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all bchoice fruits,
Both new and old,
Which I have treasured up for you, my beloved.
The Power and Preciousness of Love
“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;
No one would despise me, either.
2 I would lead you and abring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to teach me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the sweet wine of my pomegranates.
3 Let ahis left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”
4 “aI call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Why should you arouse or awaken my love
Until she pleases?”
5 “aWho is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning on her beloved?”
“Beneath the bapple tree I awakened you;
There your mother was in labor with you;
There she was in labor and gave you birth.
6 Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a aseal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
bJealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of Yah.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
aIf a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
8 “We have a little sister,
And she ahas 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 barricade her with aplanks of cedar.”
10 “I was a wall, and amy breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a avineyard at Baal‑hamon;
He bgave the vineyard to ccaretakers.
Each one was to bring one dthousand shekels of silver for its efruit.
12 My very own vineyard is before me;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
13 “O you who sit in the gardens,
My acompanions are giving heed to your voice—
bLet me hear it!”
14 “Hurry, my beloved,
And be alike a gazelle or a young stag
On the bmountains of spices.”