Solomon’s Love Expressed

[a]How beautiful (A)you are, my darling,
[b]How beautiful you are!
Your (B)eyes are like doves (C)behind your veil;
Your (D)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (E)Gilead.
Your (F)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
Which have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
Your lips are like a (G)scarlet thread,
And your (H)mouth is beautiful.
Your (I)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
Your (J)neck is like the tower of David,
Built with layers of stones
On which are (K)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (L)shields of the warriors.
Your (M)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
That (N)graze among the lilies.
(O)Until [c]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (P)myrrh
And to the hill of (Q)frankincense.

(R)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish on you.
Come with me from (S)Lebanon, my (T)bride,
You shall come with me from Lebanon.
You shall [d]come down from the summit of (U)Amana,
From the summit of (V)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
You have [e]enchanted my heart, (W)my sister, my bride;
You have [f]enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (X)necklace.
10 (Y)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much [g](Z)sweeter is your love than wine,
And the (AA)fragrance of your oils
Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
11 Your lips (AB)drip (AC)honey, my bride;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (AD)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A locked garden is my sister, my bride,
A locked spring, a (AE)sealed (AF)fountain.
13 Your branches are an [h](AG)orchard of (AH)pomegranates
With (AI)delicious fruits, (AJ)henna with nard plants,
14 (AK)Nard and saffron, spice reed and (AL)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (AM)frankincense,
(AN)Myrrh, and aloes, along with all the finest balsam oils.
15 You are a garden spring,
A well of [i](AO)fresh water,
And flowing streams from Lebanon.”

The Bride

16 “Awake, north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
[j]Make my (AP)garden breathe out fragrance,
May its balsam oils flow.
May (AQ)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (AR)delicious fruits!”

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  2. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  3. Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit the day blows
  4. Song of Solomon 4:8 Or look
  5. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or stolen
  6. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or stolen
  7. Song of Solomon 4:10 Lit better
  8. Song of Solomon 4:13 Or park; or garden
  9. Song of Solomon 4:15 Lit living; i.e., running
  10. Song of Solomon 4:16 Or Drift through my

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(A) are doves.(B)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(C)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
    not one of them is alone.(D)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(E) is lovely.(F)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(G)
Your neck is like the tower(H) of David,
    built with courses of stone[a];
on it hang a thousand shields,(I)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(J) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(K)
    that browse among the lilies.(L)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(M)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(N)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(O) my darling;
    there is no flaw(P) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(Q)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(R) the summit of Hermon,(S)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(T)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(U)
10 How delightful(V) is your love(W), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(X)
and the fragrance of your perfume(Y)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(Z)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(AA)
12 You are a garden(AB) locked up, my sister, my bride;(AC)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(AD)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(AE)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(AF) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(AG)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(AH) and aloes(AI)
    and all the finest spices.(AJ)
15 You are[b] a garden(AK) fountain,(AL)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(AM)
    that its fragrance(AN) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(AO) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(AP)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)