Song of Solomon 8
New American Standard Bible
The Lovers Speak
8 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 I would lead you and (A)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 (B)his left hand be under my head,
And his right hand embrace me.”
The Groom
4 “(C)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem:
[a]Do not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
The Chorus
5 “(D)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning on her beloved?”
The Bride
“Beneath the (E)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother went into labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave birth to you.
6 Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a (F)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[b](G)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flames are flames of fire,
[c]The flame of the Lord.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers flood over it;
(H)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
The Chorus
8 “We have a little sister,
And she (I)has 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 (J)planks of cedar.”
The Bride
10 “I was a wall, and (K)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a (L)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (M)entrusted the vineyard to (N)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (O)thousand shekels of silver for its (P)fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is [d]at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
The Groom
The Bride
14 “[e]Hurry, my beloved,
And be (S)like a gazelle or a young [f]stag
On the (T)mountains of balsam trees!”
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Lit Why should you disturb or
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or Its passion is as inflexible
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Another reading is A vehement flame
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit before me
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit Flee
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit of the stags
Song of Solomon 8
The Message
8 1-2 I wish you’d been my twin brother,
sharing with me the breasts of my mother,
Playing outside in the street,
kissing in plain view of everyone,
and no one thinking anything of it.
I’d take you by the hand and bring you home
where I was raised by my mother.
You’d drink my wine
and kiss my cheeks.
3-4 Imagine! His left hand cradling my head,
his right arm around my waist!
Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem:
Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,
until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.
The Chorus
5 Who is this I see coming up from the country,
arm in arm with her lover?
The Man
I found you under the apricot tree,
and woke you up to love.
Your mother went into labor under that tree,
and under that very tree she bore you.
The Woman
6-8 Hang my locket around your neck,
wear my ring on your finger.
Love is invincible facing danger and death.
Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.
The fire of love stops at nothing—
it sweeps everything before it.
Flood waters can’t drown love,
torrents of rain can’t put it out.
Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold—
it’s not to be found in the marketplace.
My brothers used to worry about me:
8-9 “Our little sister has no breasts.
What shall we do with our little sister
when men come asking for her?
She’s a virgin and vulnerable,
and we’ll protect her.
If they think she’s a wall, we’ll top it with barbed wire.
If they think she’s a door, we’ll barricade it.”
10 Dear brothers, I’m a walled-in virgin still,
but my breasts are full—
And when my lover sees me,
he knows he’ll soon be satisfied.
The Man
11-12 King Solomon may have vast vineyards
in lush, fertile country,
Where he hires others to work the ground.
People pay anything to get in on that bounty.
But my vineyard is all mine,
and I’m keeping it to myself.
You can have your vast vineyards, Solomon,
you and your greedy guests!
13 Oh, lady of the gardens,
my friends are with me listening.
Let me hear your voice!
The Woman
14 Run to me, dear lover.
Come like a gazelle.
Leap like a wild stag
on the spice mountains.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson