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The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;
For thy love is better than wine.
Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;
Thy name is as oil poured forth;
Therefore do the [a]virgins love thee.
Draw me; we will run after thee:
The king hath brought me into his chambers;
We will be glad and rejoice in thee;
We will make mention of thy love more than of wine:
[b]Rightly do they love thee.
I am black, but comely,
Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem,
As the tents of Kedar,
As the curtains of Solomon.
Look not upon me, because I am swarthy,
Because the sun hath [c]scorched me.
My mother’s sons were incensed against me;
They made me keeper of the vineyards;
But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,
Where thou feedest thy flock,
Where thou makest it to rest at noon:
For why should I be as one that is veiled
Beside the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

I have compared thee, O [d]my love,
[e]To a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair,
Thy neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make thee plaits of gold
With studs of silver.
12 While the king sat at his table,
My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is unto me as a [f]bundle of myrrh,
That lieth betwixt my breasts.
14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of [g]henna-flowers
In the vineyards of En-gedi.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my love;
Behold thou art fair;
[h]Thine eyes are as doves.

16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant:
Also our couch is green.
17 The beams of our [i]house are [j]cedars,
And our rafters are [k]firs.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 1:3 Or, maidens
  2. Song of Solomon 1:4 Or, In uprightness
  3. Song of Solomon 1:6 Or, looked upon
  4. Song of Solomon 1:9 Or, my friend (and so throughout)
  5. Song of Solomon 1:9 Or, To the steeds. Or, To my steed
  6. Song of Solomon 1:13 Or, bag
  7. Song of Solomon 1:14 Hebrew copher.
  8. Song of Solomon 1:15 Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes
  9. Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, houses
  10. Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, of cedar . . . of fir
  11. Song of Solomon 1:17 Or, cypresses

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
    because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
    and made me take care of the vineyards;(M)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(N) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(O) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(P)
    follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
    by the tents of the shepherds.

He

I liken you, my darling, to a mare
    among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.(Q)
10 Your cheeks(R) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(S)
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
    studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.(T)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(U)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(V) is to me a cluster of henna(W) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(X)

He

15 How beautiful(Y) you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes are doves.(Z)

She

16 How handsome you are, my beloved!(AA)
    Oh, how charming!
    And our bed is verdant.

He

17 The beams of our house are cedars;(AB)
    our rafters are firs.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  3. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma