M How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves.(A)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.(B)
Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one having a twin,
and not one missing.[a](C)
Your lips are like a scarlet cord,(D)
and your mouth[b] is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow[c] is like a slice of pomegranate.(E)
Your neck is like the tower of David,(F)
constructed in layers.
A thousand bucklers are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.[d]
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,(G) that feed among the lilies.
Before the day breaks[e]
and the shadows flee,(H)
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(I)
You are absolutely beautiful,(J) my darling,
with no imperfection in you.

Come with me from Lebanon,[f](K) my bride(L)
with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon,(M)
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
You have captured my heart,(N) my sister,[g](O) my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride.
Your love is much better than wine,(P)
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.(Q)
Honey and milk(R) are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:2 Lit and no one bereaved among them
  2. Song of Solomon 4:3 Or speech
  3. Song of Solomon 4:3 Or temple, or cheek, or lips
  4. Song of Solomon 4:4 Perhaps describing the woman’s necklace
  5. Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit breathes
  6. Song of Solomon 4:8 In Hb, the word for Lebanon is similar to “frankincense” in Sg 4:6,14,15.
  7. Song of Solomon 4:9 A term of endearment

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)

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.