Beginning
1 The Song of (A)Songs, which is Solomon's.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
She[a]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (B)love is better than wine;
3 your (C)anointing oils are fragrant;
your (D)name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 (E)Draw me after you; (F)let us run.
(G)The king has brought me into his chambers.
Others
We will (H)exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol (I)your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
She
5 I am very dark, but (J)lovely,
O (K)daughters of Jerusalem,
like (L)the tents of (M)Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My (N)mother's sons were angry with me;
they made me (O)keeper of (P)the vineyards,
but (Q)my own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you (R)whom my soul loves,
where you (S)pasture your flock,
where you make it (T)lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your (U)companions?
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
8 If you do not know,
O (V)most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds' tents.
9 I compare you, (W)my love,
to (X)a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
10 (Y)Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
Others
11 We will make for you[b] ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12 While (Z)the king was on his couch,
my (AA)nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of (AB)myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of (AC)henna blossoms
in the vineyards of (AD)Engedi.
He
15 (AE)Behold, (AF)you are beautiful, (AG)my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your (AH)eyes are doves.
She
16 Behold, you are beautiful, (AI)my beloved, truly (AJ)delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of our house are (AK)cedar;
our rafters are (AL)pine.
He
2 As a lily among brambles,
so is (AN)my love among the young women.
She
3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my (AO)beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat (AP)in his shadow,
and his (AQ)fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He (AR)brought me to the banqueting house,[d]
and his (AS)banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with (AT)raisins;
refresh me with apples,
(AU)for I am sick with love.
6 His (AV)left hand is under my head,
and his right hand (AW)embraces me!
7 I (AX)adjure you,[e] O (AY)daughters of Jerusalem,
by (AZ)the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping (BA)over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like (BB)a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
(BC)“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11 for behold, the winter is past;
(BD)the rain is over and gone.
12 (BE)The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing[f] has come,
and the voice of (BF)the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 (BG)The fig tree ripens its figs,
and (BH)the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
(BI)Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14 O my (BJ)dove, in the (BK)clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me (BL)hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is (BM)lovely.
15 Catch (BN)the foxes[g] for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
(BO)for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16 (BP)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he (BQ)grazes[h] among the lilies.
17 Until (BR)the day breathes
and (BS)the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like (BT)a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.[i]
The Bride's Dream
3 On my bed (BU)by night
I sought (BV)him whom my soul loves;
(BW)I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in (BX)the streets and in the squares;
I will seek (BY)him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 (BZ)The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found (CA)him whom my soul loves.
I (CB)held him, and would not let him go
until I had (CC)brought him into my mother's house,
and into the chamber of (CD)her who conceived me.
5 (CE)I adjure you, (CF)O daughters of Jerusalem,
(CG)by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
6 (CH)What is that coming up from the wilderness
like (CI)columns of smoke,
perfumed with (CJ)myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter[j] of Solomon!
Around it are (CK)sixty (CL)mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his (CM)sword at his thigh,
against (CN)terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage[k]
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by (CO)the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O (CP)daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on (CQ)the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty
He
4 Behold, (CR)you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
(CS)Your eyes are doves
(CT)behind your veil.
(CU)Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down (CV)the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your (CW)teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like (CX)a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is (CY)lovely.
Your (CZ)cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
(DA)behind your veil.
4 Your (DB)neck is like the tower of David,
built in (DC)rows of stone;[l]
on it (DD)hang a thousand shields,
all of (DE)them shields of warriors.
5 Your (DF)two breasts are like two (DG)fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that (DH)graze among the lilies.
6 (DI)Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of (DJ)myrrh
and the hill of (DK)frankincense.
7 (DL)You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no (DM)flaw in you.
8 (DN)Come with me from (DO)Lebanon, my (DP)bride;
come with me from (DQ)Lebanon.
Depart[m] from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of (DR)Senir and (DS)Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have captivated my heart, my (DT)sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one (DU)jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my (DV)sister, my bride!
How much (DW)better is your love than wine,
and (DX)the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your (DY)lips drip nectar, my bride;
(DZ)honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is (EA)like the fragrance of (EB)Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my (EC)sister, my bride,
a spring locked, (ED)a fountain (EE)sealed.
13 Your shoots are (EF)an orchard of pomegranates
with all (EG)choicest fruits,
(EH)henna with (EI)nard,
14 nard and saffron, (EJ)calamus and (EK)cinnamon,
with all trees of (EL)frankincense,
(EM)myrrh and (EN)aloes,
with all (EO)choice spices—
15 a garden fountain, a well of (EP)living water,
and flowing streams from (EQ)Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my (ER)garden,
let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
He
5 I (EV)came to my garden, my (EW)sister, my bride,
I gathered my (EX)myrrh with my spice,
I ate my (EY)honeycomb with my honey,
I (EZ)drank my wine with my milk.
Others
Eat, (FA)friends, drink,
and be drunk with love!
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
She
2 I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is (FB)knocking.
“Open to me, my (FC)sister, my (FD)love,
my (FE)dove, my (FF)perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my (FG)locks with the drops of the night.”
3 (FH)I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had (FI)bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with (FJ)liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he (FK)spoke.
(FL)I sought him, but found him not;
(FM)I called him, but he gave no answer.
7 (FN)The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8 I (FO)adjure you, O (FP)daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
(FQ)I am sick with love.
Others
9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O (FR)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus (FS)adjure us?
The Bride Praises Her Beloved
She
10 My beloved is radiant and (FT)ruddy,
(FU)distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
(FV)his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His (FW)eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool.[n]
13 His (FX)cheeks are like (FY)beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are (FZ)lilies,
dripping (GA)liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with (GB)jewels.
His body is polished ivory,[o]
bedecked with (GC)sapphires.[p]
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like (GD)Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His (GE)mouth[q] is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O (GF)daughters of Jerusalem.
Others
6 Where has your beloved gone,
O (GG)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
Together in the Garden of Love
She
2 My beloved has gone down to his (GH)garden
to (GI)the beds of spices,
to (GJ)graze[r] in the gardens
and to gather (GK)lilies.
3 (GL)I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
4 You are beautiful as (GM)Tirzah, (GN)my love,
(GO)lovely as (GP)Jerusalem,
(GQ)awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me—
(GR)Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
6 (GS)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
not one among them has lost its young.
7 (GT)Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are (GU)sixty (GV)queens and eighty (GW)concubines,
and (GX)virgins without number.
9 My (GY)dove, my (GZ)perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to (HA)her who bore her.
(HB)The young women saw her and called her blessed;
(HC)the queens and (HD)concubines also, and they praised her.
10 (HE)“Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
(HF)awesome as an army with banners?”
She
11 I went down to the nut orchard
to look at (HG)the blossoms of the valley,
(HH)to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 (HI)Before I was aware, my desire set me
among (HJ)the chariots of my kinsman, a prince.[s]
Others
He
7 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O (HO)noble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like (HP)jewels,
the work of (HQ)a master hand.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with (HR)lilies.
3 (HS)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your (HT)neck is like an ivory tower.
Your (HU)eyes are pools in (HV)Heshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of (HW)Lebanon,
which looks toward (HX)Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like (HY)Carmel,
and your (HZ)flowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6 (IA)How beautiful and (IB)pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights![v]
7 Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like (IC)clusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
9 and your (ID)mouth[w] like the best wine.
She
It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding over lips and teeth.[x]
The Bride Gives Her Love
11 (IG)Come, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages;[y]
12 let us go out early to the vineyards
(IH)and see whether the vines have budded,
whether (II)the grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13 (IJ)The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
(IK)new as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
Longing for Her Beloved
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,
and none would despise me.
2 I would lead you and (IL)bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you (IM)spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
3 (IN)His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
4 I (IO)adjure you, O (IP)daughters of Jerusalem,
(IQ)that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
5 (IR)Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as (IS)a seal upon your arm,
for (IT)love is strong as death,
(IU)jealousy[z] is fierce as the grave.[aa]
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very (IV)flame of the Lord.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his (IW)house,
he[ab] would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
8 We have a little sister,
and she (IX)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 enclose her with (IY)boards of cedar.
She
10 (IZ)I was a wall,
and my (JA)breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds[ac] peace.
11 Solomon had (JB)a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he (JC)let out the vineyard to (JD)keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit (JE)a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and (JF)the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
13 (JG)O you who dwell in the gardens,
with (JH)companions listening for your voice;
(JI)let me hear it.
She
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.