1 ¶The song of songs, which is of Solomon.

² ¶ Oh! if he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! for thy love is better than wine.

³ Because of the savour of thy good ointments (ointment poured forth is thy name), therefore have the virgins loved thee.

⁴ Draw me after thee, we will run. The king has brought me into his chambers; we will be glad and rejoice in thee; we will remember thy love more than the wine; the upright love thee.

⁵ I am dark, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, more desirable as the booths of Kedar, as the tents of Solomon.

⁶ Do not look upon me because I am dark because the sun has looked upon me; my mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but I have not kept my own vineyard.

⁷ ¶ Tell me, O thou whom my soul loves, where thou dost feed, where thou dost make thy flock to rest at noon; for why did I have to be as a wanderer after the flocks of thy companions?

⁸ If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go forth, following the footprints of the flock and feed thy little female goats beside the booths of the shepherds.

⁹ I have compared thee, O my love, to a mare of the chariots of Pharaoh.

¹⁰ Thy cheeks are beautiful between the earrings, thy neck between the necklaces.

¹¹ We will make thee earrings of gold with studs of silver.

¹² ¶ While the king was on his couch, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance.

¹³ A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me that rests between my breasts.

¹⁴ My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire {Heb. ransom} in the vineyards of Engedi.

¹⁵ Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

¹⁶ Behold, thou art fair, O my beloved, and pleasant; also our bed has flowers.

¹⁷ The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.