~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine. “Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you. “Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers.” “We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.” “I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. “Do not look at me because I am swarthy, For the sun has burned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard. “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you shepherd your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?” “If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go forth on the trail of the flock And pasture your young goats By the dwellings of the shepherds. “To a mare of mine among the chariots of Pharaoh I compare you, O my darling. “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with strings of beads.” “We will make for you ornaments of gold With beads of silver.” “While the king was at his banqueting table, My perfume gave forth its fragrance. “My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night between my breasts. “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms In the vineyards of Engedi.” “Behold, you are beautiful, my darling, Behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.” “Behold, you are handsome, my beloved, Indeed, so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant! “The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters, cypresses. ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ “I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.” “Like a lily among the thorns, So is my darling among the daughters.” “Like an apple 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 fruit was sweet to my taste. “He has brought me to his house of banqueting, And his banner over me is love. “Sustain me with raisin cakes, Refresh me with apples, Because I am lovesick. “Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me.” “I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, That you do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases.” “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, Jumping on the hills! “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall; He gazes through the windows; He is peering through the lattice. “My beloved answered and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. ‘For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over; it is gone. ‘The flowers have appeared in the land; The time for pruning has arrived; And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. ‘The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!’” “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your appearance, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your appearance is lovely.” “Seize the foxes for us, The little foxes that are wreaking destruction on the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.” “My beloved is mine, and I am his, He who shepherds his flock among the lilies. “Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.” ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ “On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him. ‘I must arise now and go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves.’ I sought him but did not find him. “The watchmen who go about the city found me, And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’ “Scarcely had I passed them by When I found him whom my soul loves; I seized 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.” “I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, That you do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases.” “Who is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, As rising incense of myrrh and frankincense, With all scented powders of the merchant? “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon; Sixty mighty men around it, Of the mighty men of Israel. “All of them are those who seize the sword, Learned in war; Each man has his sword at his side, Guarding against the dreadful things of the night. “King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair From the timber of Lebanon. “He made its posts of silver, Its back of gold And its seat of purple fabric, With its interior inlaid with love By the daughters of Jerusalem. “Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion, King Solomon with the crown With which his mother has crowned him On the day of his wedding, And on the day of his gladness of heart.” ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ “Behold, you are beautiful, my darling, Behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have leapt down from Mount Gilead. “Your teeth 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. “Your lips are like a scarlet thread, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil. “Your neck is like the tower of David, Built with rows of stones On which are hung one thousand shields, All the small shields of the mighty men. “Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle Which feed among the lilies. “Until the day breathes And the shadows flee, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh And to the hill of frankincense. “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you. “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards. “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace. “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices! “Your lips, my bride, drip honey from the comb; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up. “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates With choice fruits, henna with nard plants, Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, With all the trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices. “You are a garden spring, A well of fresh water, And streams flowing from Lebanon.” “Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices flow forth. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!” ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~  “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have picked my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.” “I was asleep, but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is full of dew, My locks with the damp of the night.’ “I have taken off my long-sleeved garment, How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet, How can I dirty them again? “My beloved sent forth his hand through the opening, And my feelings moaned for him. “I arose to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the lock. “I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and passed by! My soul went out to him as he spoke. I searched for him, but I did not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me. “The watchmen 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. “I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, What will you tell him? Tell him that I am sick with love.” “What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved, That thus you call us to solemnly swear?” “My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Lifted up as a banner among ten thousand. “His head is like gold, fine gold; His locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven. “His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Washed in milk, And sitting in their setting. “His cheeks are like a bed of spices, Towers of sweet-scented herbs; His lips are lilies Dripping with liquid myrrh. “His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl; His abdomen is a plate of ivory Inlaid with sapphires. “His legs are pillars of marble Set on bases of fine gold; His appearance is like Lebanon Choice as the cedars. “His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~  “Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?” “My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To shepherd his flock in the gardens And gather lilies. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who shepherds his flock among the lilies.” “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As majestic as an army with banners. “Turn your eyes away from me, For they have overwhelmed me; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have leapt down from Gilead. “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. “Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil. “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number; She is the only one—my dove, my perfect one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the pure one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying, ‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn, As beautiful as the full moon, As pure as the sun, As majestic as an army with banners?’ “I went down to the garden of nut trees To see the blossoms of the valley, To see whether the vine had flourished Or the pomegranates had bloomed. “I did not know it, but my soul set me Among the chariots of my noble people.” “Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may behold you!” “Why should you behold the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two companies? ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~  “How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble’s daughter! The curves of your thighs are like ornaments, The work of the hands of an artist. “Your navel is like a round basin Which never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat Encircled with lilies. “Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle. “Your neck is like a tower of ivory, Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, Which faces toward Damascus. “Your head crowns you like Carmel, And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads; The king is captivated by your tresses. “How beautiful and how pleasant you are, My love, with all your pleasures! “Your stature is like a palm tree, And your breasts are like its clusters. “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 apples, And your mouth like the best wine!” “It goes down smoothly for my beloved, Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall asleep. “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me. “Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields, Let us spend the night in the villages. “Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has flourished And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love. “The mandrakes have given forth fragrance; And over our doors are all choice fruits, Both new and old, Which I have treasured up for you, my beloved. ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~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; No one would despise me, either. “I would lead you and bring 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. “Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me.” “I call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, Why should you arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases?” “Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on her beloved?” “Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; There your mother was in labor with you; There she was in labor and gave you birth. “Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of Yah. “Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.” “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? “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 planks of cedar.” “I was a wall, and my breasts were like towers; Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace. “Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He gave the vineyard to caretakers. Each one was to bring one thousand shekels of silver for its fruit. “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.” “O you who sit in the gardens, My companions are giving heed to your voice— Let me hear it!” “Hurry, my beloved, And be like a gazelle or a young stag On the mountains of spices.”” (Song of Solomon, LSB)
