A Time for Everything

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a (A)time for every matter under heaven—

A time to give birth and a (B)time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A (C)time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to (D)weep and a time to (E)laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to (F)dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to (G)be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to (H)hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

(I)What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the (J)task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to [a]occupy themselves.

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Mankind

11 He has (K)made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind (L)will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

12 I know that there is (M)nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the (N)gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will [b](O)fear Him. 15 (P)That which is, is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God [c]seeks what has passed by.

16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is (Q)wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said [d]to myself, “(R)God will judge the righteous and the wicked,” for a (S)time for every matter and for every deed [e]is there. 18 I said [f]to myself regarding the sons of mankind, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are as (T)animals, they to themselves.” 19 (U)For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals [g]is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility. 20 All go to the same place. All came from the (V)dust and all return to the dust. 21 Who knows that the (W)spirit of the sons of mankind ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that (X)nothing is better than when a person is happy in his activities, for that is his [h]lot. For who will bring him to see (Y)what will occur after him?

The Evils of Oppression

Then I looked again at all the acts of (Z)oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had (AA)no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them. So (AB)I congratulated the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are still living. But (AC)better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

I have seen that every labor and every (AD)skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is (AE)futility and striving after wind. The fool (AF)folds his hands and (AG)consumes his own flesh. One hand full of rest is (AH)better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

Then I looked again at futility under the sun. There was a man without a [i]dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, (AI)his eyes were not satisfied with riches, and he never asked, “And (AJ)for whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is futility, and it is an (AK)unhappy task.

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; 10 for if [j]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not [k]another to lift him up! 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they [l]keep warm, but (AL)how can one be warm alone? 12 And if [m]one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

13 A (AM)poor yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive [n]instruction— 14 for he has come (AN)out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I have seen all those living under the sun move to the side of the second youth who [o]replaces him. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them. Even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him; for this too is (AO)futility and striving after wind.

Your Attitude toward God

[p](AP)Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and approach to listen rather than to offer the (AQ)sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil. [q]Do not be (AR)quick with your mouth or [r]impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your (AS)words be few. For the dream comes through much [s]effort, and the voice of a (AT)fool through many words.

When you (AU)make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. (AV)Pay what you vow! It is (AW)better that you not vow, than vow and not pay. Do not let your [t]speech cause [u]you to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a (AX)mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice, and destroy the work of your hands? For in many dreams and in many words there is futility. Rather, [v](AY)fear God.

If you see (AZ)oppression of the poor and (BA)denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be (BB)shocked at the [w]sight; for one [x]official watches over another [y]official, and there are higher [z]officials over them. After all, a king who cultivates the field is beneficial to the land.

The Foolishness of Riches

10 (BC)One who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income. This too is futility. 11 (BD)When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to [aa]look at them? 12 The sleep of the laborer is (BE)sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the [ab]full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.

13 There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: (BF)wealth being [ac]hoarded by its owner to his detriment. 14 When that wealth was lost through bad business and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing [ad]to support him. 15 (BG)As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will (BH)take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a sickening evil: exactly as a person [ae]is born, so will he [af]die. (BI)What then is the advantage for him who (BJ)labors for the wind? 17 All his life (BK)he also eats in darkness with (BL)great irritation, sickness, and anger.

18 Here is what I have seen to be (BM)good and [ag]fitting: to eat, to drink, and [ah]enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few [ai]years of his life which God has given him; for this is his [aj](BN)reward. 19 Furthermore, as for every person to whom (BO)God has given riches and wealth, He has also (BP)given him the opportunity to [ak]enjoy them and to receive his [al]reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the (BQ)gift of God. 20 For he will not often call to mind the [am]years of his life, because (BR)God keeps [an]him busy with the joy of his heart.

The Futility of Life

There is an (BS)evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread [ao]among mankind: a person to whom God has (BT)given riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul (BU)lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to [ap]enjoy these things, but a foreigner [aq]enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many [ar]they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper (BV)burial, then I say, “Better (BW)the miscarriage than he, for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness. It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet [as]it is better off than that man. Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—(BX)do not all go to one and the same place?”

(BY)All a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet [at]his appetite is not [au]satisfied. For (BZ)what advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living? What the eyes (CA)see is better than what the soul [av]desires. This too is (CB)futility and striving after wind.

10 Whatever (CC)exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he (CD)cannot dispute with the [aw]one who is mightier than he is. 11 For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person? 12 For who knows what is good for a person during his lifetime, during the few [ax]years of his futile life? He will [ay]spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a person (CE)what will happen after him under the sun?

Wisdom and Foolishness Contrasted

A (CF)good name is better than good [az]oil,
And the (CG)day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because [ba]that is the (CH)end of every person,
And the living [bb](CI)takes it to [bc]heart.
(CJ)Sorrow is better than laughter,
For (CK)when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
The [bd]mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the [be]mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
It is better to (CL)listen to the rebuke of a wise person
Than for one to listen to the song of fools.
For as the [bf]crackling of (CM)thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the (CN)laughter of the fool;
And this too is futility.
For (CO)oppression makes a wise person look foolish,
And a (CP)bribe [bg]corrupts the heart.
The (CQ)end of a matter is better than its beginning;
(CR)Patience of spirit is better than arrogance of spirit.
Do not be [bh](CS)eager in your spirit to be angry,
For anger resides in the [bi]heart of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good,
And an (CT)advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For (CU)wisdom is [bj]protection just as money is [bk]protection,
But the advantage of knowledge is that (CV)wisdom keeps its possessors alive.
13 Consider the (CW)work of God,
For who is (CX)able to straighten what He has bent?
14 (CY)On the day of prosperity be happy,
But (CZ)on the day of adversity consider:
God has made the one as well as the other
So that a person will (DA)not discover anything that will come after him.

15 I have seen everything during my [bl](DB)lifetime of futility; there is (DC)a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness, and there is (DD)a wicked person who prolongs his life in his wickedness. 16 Do not be excessively (DE)righteous, and do not (DF)be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be foolish. Why should you (DG)die [bm]before your time? 18 It is good that you grasp one thing while not [bn]letting go of the other; for one who (DH)fears God comes out with [bo]both of them.

19 (DI)Wisdom strengthens a wise person more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Indeed, (DJ)there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin. 21 Also, do not [bp]take seriously all the words which are spoken, so that you do not hear your servant (DK)cursing you, 22 for [bq]you know that even you have cursed others many times as well.

23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” (DL)but wisdom was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and (DM)very [br]mysterious. (DN)Who can discover it? 25 I [bs](DO)directed my [bt]mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity. 26 And I discovered as more (DP)bitter than death the woman whose heart is (DQ)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. (DR)One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but (DS)the sinner will be captured by her.

27 “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “by adding one thing to another to find an explanation, 28 which [bu]I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a (DT)woman among all these. 29 Behold, I have found only this, that (DU)God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

Obey Rulers

Who is like the wise person and who knows the meaning of a matter? A person’s wisdom (DV)illuminates his face and makes his (DW)stern face [bv]brighten up.

I say, “Keep the [bw]command of the king because of the (DX)oath [bx]before God. Do not be in a hurry [by](DY)to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Since the word of the king is authoritative, (DZ)who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

One who (EA)keeps a royal command (EB)experiences no [bz]trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. For (EC)there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a person’s trouble is heavy upon him. If no one (ED)knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? (EE)No one has authority over the wind to restrain the wind, nor authority over the day of death; and there is no military discharge in the time of war, and (EF)evil will not save [ca]those who practice it. All this I have seen, and have applied my [cb]mind to every deed that has been done under the sun at a time when one person has exercised (EG)authority over another person to his detriment.

10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they are (EH)soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility. 11 Because the (EI)sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore (EJ)the hearts of the sons of mankind among them are [cc]fully given to do evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may (EK)lengthen his life, still I know that it will go (EL)well for those who fear God, who fear [cd]Him openly. 13 But it will (EM)not go well for the evil person and he will not lengthen his days like a (EN)shadow, because he does not fear God.

14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are (EO)righteous people to whom it [ce]happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are (EP)evil people to whom it [cf]happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for (EQ)a person under the sun except to eat, drink, and be joyful, and this will stand by him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 When I (ER)devoted my [cg]mind to know wisdom and to see the business which has been done on the earth (even though one should [ch](ES)never sleep day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that (ET)one cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though a person laboriously seeks, he will not discover; and (EU)even if the wise person claims to know, he cannot discover.

People Are in the Hand of God

For I have taken all this to my heart, even to [ci]examine [cj]it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are (EV)in the hand of God. (EW)People do not know whether it will be (EX)love or hatred; anything [ck]awaits them.

(EY)It is the same for all. There is (EZ)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who [cl]is afraid to swear an oath. This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is (FA)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, (FB)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and (FC)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die; but the dead (FD)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their (FE)memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a (FF)share in all that is done under the sun.

Go then, (FG)eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. See that your (FH)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of (FI)oil on your head. [cm]Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your (FJ)futile life which He has given you under the sun, [cn]all the days of your futility; for this is your (FK)reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (FL)do it with all your might; for there is no (FM)activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in (FN)Sheol where you are going.

11 I again saw under the sun that the (FO)race is not to the swift and the (FP)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor (FQ)wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and (FR)chance overtake them all. 12 For indeed, a person does not (FS)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and (FT)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are (FU)ensnared at an evil time when it (FV)suddenly falls on them.

13 This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and [co]it impressed me: 14 there (FW)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a (FX)poor wise man, and he [cp]saved the city (FY)by his wisdom. Yet (FZ)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(GA)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are [cq]ignored. 17 The (GB)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (GC)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (GD)one sinner destroys much good.

A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies turn a (GE)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more [cr]potent than wisdom and honor. A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (GF)person’s heart directs him toward the left. Even when the fool walks along the road, his [cs]sense is lacking, and he [ct](GG)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. If the ruler’s [cu]temper rises against you, (GH)do not abandon your place, because (GI)composure puts great offenses to rest.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: (GJ)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. I have seen (GK)slaves riding (GL)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

(GM)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a (GN)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [cv]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its [cw]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. 11 If the serpent bites [cx](GO)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. 12 (GP)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a (GQ)fool consume him; 13 the beginning of [cy]his talking is foolishness, and the end of [cz]it is evil (GR)insanity. 14 Yet the (GS)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him (GT)what will come after him? 15 The labor of [da]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, land whose (GU)king is a boy, and whose princes [db]feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for (GV)drunkenness. 18 Through (GW)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. 19 People prepare a meal for enjoyment, (GX)wine makes life joyful, and (GY)money [dc]is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, (GZ)in your bedroom do not (HA)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

11 (HB)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you (HC)will find it [dd]after many days. (HD)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what (HE)misfortune may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it [de]lies. One who watches the wind will not sow and one who looks at the clouds will not harvest. Just as you do not (HF)know the path of the [df]wind, and (HG)how bones are formed in the womb of the [dg]pregnant woman, so you do not (HH)know the activity of God who makes everything.

Sow your seed (HI)in the morning and do not [dh]be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether [di]one or the other will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to (HJ)see the sun. Indeed, if a person lives many years, let him (HK)rejoice in them all; but let him remember the (HL)days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the [dj]impulses of your heart and the [dk](HM)desires of your eyes. Yet know that (HN)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So remove [dl]sorrow from your heart and keep [dm](HO)pain away from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are [dn]fleeting.

Remember God in Your Youth

12 (HP)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the (HQ)evil days come and the years approach when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the (HR)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are (HS)bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and (HT)those who look through [do]windows grow [dp]dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the (HU)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the (HV)daughters of song will [dq]sing softly. Furthermore, people are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal (HW)home while the (HX)mourners move around in the street. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [dr]broken and the (HY)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the (HZ)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [ds](IA)spirit will return to (IB)God who gave it. (IC)Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”

Purpose of the Preacher

In addition to being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and arranged (ID)many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find (IE)delightful words and to write (IF)words of truth correctly.

11 The (IG)words of the wise are like [dt](IH)goads, and masters of these collections are like driven (II)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the [du]writing of (IJ)many books is endless, and excessive (IK)study is [dv]wearying to the body.

13 The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: (IL)fear God and (IM)keep His commandments, because this applies to (IN)every person. 14 For (IO)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

The [dw]Song of (IP)Songs, which is Solomon’s.

[dx]The Bride

“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (IQ)love is [dy]sweeter than wine.
Your (IR)oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your (IS)name is like [dz]purified oil;
Therefore the [ea](IT)young women love you.
Draw me after you and let’s run together!
The (IU)king has brought me into his chambers.”

The Chorus

“We will rejoice in you and be joyful;
We will praise your (IV)love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”

The Bride

“I am black and (IW)beautiful,
You (IX)daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the (IY)tents of (IZ)Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
Do not stare at me because I am [eb]dark,
For the sun has tanned me.
My (JA)mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me (JB)caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
Tell me, you (JC)whom my soul loves,
Where do you (JD)pasture your flock,
Where do you have it (JE)lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who [ec]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your (JF)companions?”

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

“If you yourself do not know,
(JG)Most beautiful among women,
Go out on the trail of the flock,
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.

[ed]To me, (JH)my darling, you are like
My (JI)mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 Your (JJ)cheeks are delightful with jewelry,
Your neck with strings of (JK)beads.”

The Chorus

11 “We will make for you jewelry of gold
With beads of silver.”

The Bride

12 “While the king was at his table,
My [ee](JL)perfume gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of (JM)myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of (JN)henna blossoms
In the vineyards of (JO)Engedi.”

The Groom

15 [ef](JP)How beautiful you are, my darling,
[eg]How beautiful you are!
Your (JQ)eyes are like doves.”

The Bride

16 [eh]How handsome you are, (JR)my beloved,
And so delightful!
Indeed, our bed is luxuriant!
17 The beams of our house are (JS)cedars,
Our rafters, (JT)junipers.

The Bride’s Admiration

“I am the [ei](JU)rose of (JV)Sharon,
The (JW)lily of the valleys.”

The Groom

“Like a lily among the thorns,
So is (JX)my darling among the [ej]young women.”

The Bride

“Like an (JY)apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the [ek]young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his (JZ)fruit was sweet to my [el]taste.
He has (KA)brought me to his [em]banquet hall,
And his (KB)banner over me is love.
Refresh me with (KC)raisin cakes,
Sustain me with (KD)apples,
Because (KE)I am lovesick.
(KF)His left hand is under my head,
And (KG)his right hand (KH)embraces me.”

The Groom

(KI)Swear to me, you (KJ)daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (KK)gazelles or by the (KL)does of the field,
(KM)That you will not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

The Bride

“Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Leaping (KN)on the mountains,
Jumping on the hills!
My beloved is like a (KO)gazelle or a (KP)young [en]stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering (KQ)through the lattice.

10 “My beloved responded and said to me,
(KR)Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
11 For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12 The blossoms have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for [eo]pruning the vines,
And the voice of the (KS)turtledove has been heard in our land.
13 The (KT)fig tree has ripened its fruit,
And the (KU)vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”

The Groom

14 (KV)My dove, (KW)in the clefts of the [ep]rock,
In the hiding place of the mountain pathway,
Let me see [eq]how you look,
(KX)Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is pleasant,
And [er]you look (KY)delightful.”

The Chorus

15 (KZ)Catch the [es]foxes for us,
The [et]little [eu]foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our (LA)vineyards are in blossom.”

The Bride

16 (LB)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He (LC)pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 (LD)Until the cool of the day, when the shadows flee,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a (LE)gazelle
Or a young stag (LF)on the mountains of [ev]Bether.”

The Bride’s Troubled Dream

“On my bed night after night I sought him
(LG)Whom my soul loves;
I (LH)sought him but did not find him.
[ew]I must arise now and [ex]go around in the city;
In the (LI)streets and in the public squares
[ey]I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
(LJ)The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
(LK)Hardly had I [ez]left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I (LL)held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had (LM)brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the room of her who conceived me.”

The Groom

(LN)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (LO)gazelles or by the does of the field,
That you will not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

Solomon’s Wedding Day

The Bride

[fa](LP)What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like (LQ)columns of smoke,
Perfumed with (LR)myrrh and (LS)frankincense,
With all the scented powders of the merchant?

The Chorus

Behold, it is [fb]the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty warriors around it,
Of the warriors of Israel.
All of them are wielders of the sword,
(LT)Expert in war;
Each man has his (LU)sword at his side,
Guarding against the [fc](LV)terrors of the night.
King Solomon has made for himself a [fd]sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
Its [fe]back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior lovingly inlaid
By the (LW)daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, you (LX)daughters of Zion,
And look at King Solomon with the [ff]crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the (LY)day of his wedding,
And on the day of the joy of his heart.”

Solomon’s Love Expressed

[fg]How beautiful (LZ)you are, my darling,
[fh]How beautiful you are!
Your (MA)eyes are like doves (MB)behind your veil;
Your (MC)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (MD)Gilead.
Your (ME)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
Which have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
Your lips are like a (MF)scarlet thread,
And your (MG)mouth is beautiful.
Your (MH)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
Your (MI)neck is like the tower of David,
Built with layers of stones
On which are (MJ)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (MK)shields of the warriors.
Your (ML)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
That (MM)graze among the lilies.
(MN)Until [fi]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (MO)myrrh
And to the hill of (MP)frankincense.

(MQ)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish on you.
Come with me from (MR)Lebanon, my (MS)bride,
You shall come with me from Lebanon.
You shall [fj]come down from the summit of (MT)Amana,
From the summit of (MU)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
You have [fk]enchanted my heart, (MV)my sister, my bride;
You have [fl]enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (MW)necklace.
10 (MX)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much [fm](MY)sweeter is your love than wine,
And the (MZ)fragrance of your oils
Than that of all kinds of balsam oils!
11 Your lips (NA)drip (NB)honey, my bride;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (NC)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A locked garden is my sister, my bride,
A locked spring, a (ND)sealed (NE)fountain.
13 Your branches are an [fn](NF)orchard of (NG)pomegranates
With (NH)delicious fruits, (NI)henna with nard plants,
14 (NJ)Nard and saffron, spice reed and (NK)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (NL)frankincense,
(NM)Myrrh, and aloes, along with all the finest balsam oils.
15 You are a garden spring,
A well of [fo](NN)fresh water,
And flowing streams from Lebanon.”

The Bride

16 “Awake, north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
[fp]Make my (NO)garden breathe out fragrance,
May its balsam oils flow.
May (NP)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (NQ)delicious fruits!”

The Torment of Separation

The Groom

“I have (NR)come into my garden, (NS)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (NT)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (NU)honey;
I have (NV)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (NW)friends;
Drink and [fq]drink deeply, lovers.”

The Bride

“I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (NX)my sister, my darling,
(NY)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is [fr]drenched with dew,
My (NZ)locks with the dew drops of the night.’
I have (OA)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (OB)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my (OC)feelings were stirred for him.
I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (OD)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (OE)turned away and had gone!
My [fs]heart went out to him as he (OF)spoke.
I (OG)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (OH)called him but he did not answer me.
The (OI)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
(OJ)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (OK)I am lovesick.”

The Chorus

[ft]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (OL)most beautiful among women?
[fu]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”

Admiration by the Bride

The Bride

10 “My beloved is dazzling and [fv](OM)reddish,
(ON)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (OO)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (OP)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (OQ)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (OR)bed of balsam,
[fw]Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (OS)lilies
(OT)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (OU)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with [fx](OV)sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (OW)Lebanon,
Choice as the (OX)cedars.
16 His [fy](OY)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (OZ)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”

Mutual Delight in Each Other

The Chorus

(PA)Where has your beloved gone,
O (PB)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”

The Bride

“My beloved has gone down to his (PC)garden,
To the (PD)beds of balsam,
To (PE)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (PF)lilies.
(PG)I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who (PH)pastures his flock among the lilies.”

The Groom

(PI)You are as beautiful as (PJ)Tirzah, my darling,
As (PK)lovely as (PL)Jerusalem,
As (PM)awesome as an army with banners.
Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
(PN)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
(PO)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
(PP)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
There are sixty (PQ)queens and eighty concubines,
And [fz](PR)young women without number;
But (PS)my dove, my perfect one, is [ga]unique:
She is her mother’s [gb]only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her.
The [gc](PT)young women saw her and called her [gd]blessed,
The (PU)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

10 ‘Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (PV)moon,
As pure (PW)as the sun,
As (PX)awesome as an army with banners?’
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the plants of the valley,
To see whether (PY)the vine had grown
Or the (PZ)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 [ge]Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of [gf]my noble people.”

The Chorus

13 [gg]Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!”

The Groom

“Why should you look at the Shulammite,
As at the (QA)dance of [gh](QB)the two armies?

Admiration by the Groom

[gi]How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
[gj](QC)Prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
Your navel is like a round goblet
That never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat,
[gk]Surrounded with lilies.
Your (QD)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
Your (QE)neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in (QF)Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which looks toward Damascus.
Your head [gl]crowns you like (QG)Carmel,
And the flowing hair of your head is like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
How (QH)beautiful and how delightful you are,
[gm]My love, with all your delights!
[gn]Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters.
I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree,
I will grasp its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your [go]breath like (QI)apples,
And your [gp](QJ)mouth like the best wine!”

The Bride

“It (QK)goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who are asleep.

The Union of Love

10 (QL)I am my beloved’s,
And his (QM)desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved, let’s go out to the [gq]country,
Let’s spend the night in the villages.
12 Let’s rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let’s (QN)see whether the vine has grown
And its buds have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The (QO)mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all (QP)delicious fruits,
New as well as old,
Which I have saved for you, my beloved.

The Lovers Speak

“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.
I would lead you and (QQ)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.
Let (QR)his left hand be under my head,
And his right hand embrace me.”

The Groom

(QS)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem:
[gr]Do not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

The Chorus

(QT)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning on her beloved?”

The Bride

“Beneath the (QU)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother went into labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave birth to you.
Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a (QV)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[gs](QW)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flames are flames of fire,
[gt]The flame of the Lord.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers flood over it;
(QX)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”

The Chorus

“We have a little sister,
And she (QY)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
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 (QZ)planks of cedar.”

The Bride

10 “I was a wall, and (RA)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a (RB)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (RC)entrusted the vineyard to (RD)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (RE)thousand shekels of silver for its (RF)fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is [gu]at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”

The Groom

13 “You who sit in the gardens:
My (RG)companions are listening for your voice—
(RH)Let me hear it!”

The Bride

14 [gv]Hurry, my beloved,
And be (RI)like a gazelle or a young [gw]stag
On the (RJ)mountains of balsam trees!”

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:10 Or trouble
  2. Ecclesiastes 3:14 Or be in awe before Him
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or finds
  4. Ecclesiastes 3:17 Lit in my heart
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:17 I.e., exists with God
  6. Ecclesiastes 3:18 Lit in my heart
  7. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Lit and they have one fate
  8. Ecclesiastes 3:22 Or reward
  9. Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit second
  10. Ecclesiastes 4:10 Lit they fall
  11. Ecclesiastes 4:10 Lit a second
  12. Ecclesiastes 4:11 Lit have warmth
  13. Ecclesiastes 4:12 Lit he
  14. Ecclesiastes 4:13 Or warning
  15. Ecclesiastes 4:15 Lit stands in his place
  16. Ecclesiastes 5:1 Ch 4:17 in Heb
  17. Ecclesiastes 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Heb
  18. Ecclesiastes 5:2 Lit hurry your heart
  19. Ecclesiastes 5:3 Lit task
  20. Ecclesiastes 5:6 Lit mouth
  21. Ecclesiastes 5:6 Lit your body
  22. Ecclesiastes 5:7 Or revere
  23. Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit delight
  24. Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit high one
  25. Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit high one
  26. Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit ones
  27. Ecclesiastes 5:11 Lit see with their eyes
  28. Ecclesiastes 5:12 Lit satiety
  29. Ecclesiastes 5:13 Lit guarded
  30. Ecclesiastes 5:14 Lit in his hand
  31. Ecclesiastes 5:16 Lit comes
  32. Ecclesiastes 5:16 Lit go
  33. Ecclesiastes 5:18 Lit beautiful
  34. Ecclesiastes 5:18 Lit see good
  35. Ecclesiastes 5:18 Or days
  36. Ecclesiastes 5:18 Or share
  37. Ecclesiastes 5:19 Lit eat from it
  38. Ecclesiastes 5:19 Or share
  39. Ecclesiastes 5:20 Or days
  40. Ecclesiastes 5:20 As in LXX
  41. Ecclesiastes 6:1 Lit upon
  42. Ecclesiastes 6:2 Lit eat from it
  43. Ecclesiastes 6:2 Lit eats it
  44. Ecclesiastes 6:3 Lit the days of his years
  45. Ecclesiastes 6:5 Lit more rest has this one than that
  46. Ecclesiastes 6:7 Lit the soul
  47. Ecclesiastes 6:7 Lit filled
  48. Ecclesiastes 6:9 Lit goes after
  49. Ecclesiastes 6:10 Or Him who
  50. Ecclesiastes 6:12 Lit days
  51. Ecclesiastes 6:12 Lit do
  52. Ecclesiastes 7:1 I.e., olive oil
  53. Ecclesiastes 7:2 I.e., death
  54. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit gives
  55. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit his heart
  56. Ecclesiastes 7:4 Lit heart
  57. Ecclesiastes 7:4 Lit heart
  58. Ecclesiastes 7:6 Lit voice
  59. Ecclesiastes 7:7 Lit destroys
  60. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit hasty
  61. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit chest
  62. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
  63. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
  64. Ecclesiastes 7:15 Lit days
  65. Ecclesiastes 7:17 Lit when not your time
  66. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit resting your hand
  67. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit all of them
  68. Ecclesiastes 7:21 Lit give your heart to
  69. Ecclesiastes 7:22 Lit your heart knows
  70. Ecclesiastes 7:24 Lit deep
  71. Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit turned about
  72. Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit heart
  73. Ecclesiastes 7:28 Lit my soul still seeks
  74. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Or change
  75. Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit mouth
  76. Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit of
  77. Ecclesiastes 8:3 Lit to go out from his presence
  78. Ecclesiastes 8:5 Lit evil thing
  79. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Lit its possessors
  80. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Lit heart
  81. Ecclesiastes 8:11 Lit full to do
  82. Ecclesiastes 8:12 Lit before Him
  83. Ecclesiastes 8:14 Lit strikes
  84. Ecclesiastes 8:14 Lit strikes
  85. Ecclesiastes 8:16 Lit heart
  86. Ecclesiastes 8:16 Lit see no sleep in his eyes
  87. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Or explain
  88. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit all this
  89. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit is before them
  90. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Lit fears an oath
  91. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit See
  92. Ecclesiastes 9:9 all...your futility not found in some ancient versions
  93. Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit it was great to me
  94. Ecclesiastes 9:15 Or might have saved
  95. Ecclesiastes 9:16 Lit not listened to
  96. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit costly
  97. Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit heart
  98. Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit says
  99. Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
  100. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit iron
  101. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit faces
  102. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit with no incantation
  103. Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit the words of his mouth
  104. Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit his mouth
  105. Ecclesiastes 10:15 Lit fools make
  106. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Lit eat
  107. Ecclesiastes 10:19 Lit answers all
  108. Ecclesiastes 11:1 Lit in, within
  109. Ecclesiastes 11:3 Lit is
  110. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or with many mss spirit into the bones in the womb
  111. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Lit full
  112. Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit let down your hand
  113. Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit this or that
  114. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Lit ways
  115. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Lit sights
  116. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or anger
  117. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Lit evil
  118. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Lit futility
  119. Ecclesiastes 12:3 Or holes
  120. Ecclesiastes 12:3 I.e., in their eyesight
  121. Ecclesiastes 12:4 Lit be low
  122. Ecclesiastes 12:6 As in LXX; Heb removed
  123. Ecclesiastes 12:7 Or breath
  124. Ecclesiastes 12:11 I.e., spiked sticks for driving cattle
  125. Ecclesiastes 12:12 Lit making
  126. Ecclesiastes 12:12 Lit weariness
  127. Song of Solomon 1:1 Or Best of the Songs
  128. Song of Solomon 1:2 The speaker identifications are not from the Hebrew text nor the Septuagint, but reflect an ancient tradition which appears in some manuscripts.
  129. Song of Solomon 1:2 Lit more pleasant
  130. Song of Solomon 1:3 Lit oil poured from one vessel to another
  131. Song of Solomon 1:3 Or virgins
  132. Song of Solomon 1:6 Or swarthy, blackish
  133. Song of Solomon 1:7 Some ancient versions wanders
  134. Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit I have compared you to
  135. Song of Solomon 1:12 Lit nard
  136. Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
  137. Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
  138. Song of Solomon 1:16 Lit Behold
  139. Song of Solomon 2:1 Lit asphodel
  140. Song of Solomon 2:2 Lit daughters
  141. Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit sons
  142. Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit palate
  143. Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit house of wine
  144. Song of Solomon 2:9 Lit of the stags
  145. Song of Solomon 2:12 Or singing
  146. Song of Solomon 2:14 Or crag
  147. Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit your appearance
  148. Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit your appearance
  149. Song of Solomon 2:15 Or jackals
  150. Song of Solomon 2:15 Or young
  151. Song of Solomon 2:15 Or jackals
  152. Song of Solomon 2:17 Or ravines; or perfumes
  153. Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me arise
  154. Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me go about
  155. Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me seek
  156. Song of Solomon 3:4 Lit passed
  157. Song of Solomon 3:6 Lit Who
  158. Song of Solomon 3:7 I.e., an elegant couch designed to be carried with poles by servants
  159. Song of Solomon 3:8 Lit terror in the nights
  160. Song of Solomon 3:9 I.e., an elegant throne with poles, carried by servants
  161. Song of Solomon 3:10 Or support
  162. Song of Solomon 3:11 Or wreath
  163. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  164. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  165. Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit the day blows
  166. Song of Solomon 4:8 Or look
  167. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or stolen
  168. Song of Solomon 4:9 Or stolen
  169. Song of Solomon 4:10 Lit better
  170. Song of Solomon 4:13 Or park; or garden
  171. Song of Solomon 4:15 Lit living; i.e., running
  172. Song of Solomon 4:16 Or Drift through my
  173. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or become drunk
  174. Song of Solomon 5:2 Lit filled
  175. Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit soul
  176. Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
  177. Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
  178. Song of Solomon 5:10 I.e., of reddish hair or skin
  179. Song of Solomon 5:13 Lit Towers
  180. Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit lapis lazuli
  181. Song of Solomon 5:16 Lit palate
  182. Song of Solomon 6:8 Or virgins
  183. Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
  184. Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
  185. Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit daughters
  186. Song of Solomon 6:9 Or happy
  187. Song of Solomon 6:12 Lit I was not aware, my soul
  188. Song of Solomon 6:12 Or Ammi-nadib
  189. Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7:1 in Heb
  190. Song of Solomon 6:13 Or Mahanaim
  191. Song of Solomon 7:1 Ch 7:2 in Heb
  192. Song of Solomon 7:1 Or Nobleman’s
  193. Song of Solomon 7:2 Lit Fenced around
  194. Song of Solomon 7:5 Lit is upon
  195. Song of Solomon 7:6 Or With love among your charms
  196. Song of Solomon 7:7 Lit This stature of yours
  197. Song of Solomon 7:8 Lit nose
  198. Song of Solomon 7:9 Lit palate
  199. Song of Solomon 7:11 Lit field
  200. Song of Solomon 8:4 Lit Why should you disturb or
  201. Song of Solomon 8:6 Or Its passion is as inflexible
  202. Song of Solomon 8:6 Another reading is A vehement flame
  203. Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit before me
  204. Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit Flee
  205. Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit of the stags

A Time for Everything

There is a time(A) for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,(B)
    a time to kill(C) and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent(D) and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?(E) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(F) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(H) what God has done from beginning to end.(I) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(J) and find satisfaction(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(L) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(M)

15 Whatever is has already been,(N)
    and what will be has been before;(O)
    and God will call the past to account.[b]

16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment(P)
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”(Q)

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(R) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(T) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(V) because that is their lot.(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

Again I looked and saw all the oppression(X) that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.(Y)
And I declared that the dead,(Z)
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.(AA)
But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,(AB)
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.(AC)

And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(AD)

Fools fold their hands(AE)
    and ruin themselves.
Better one handful with tranquillity
    than two handfuls with toil(AF)
    and chasing after the wind.

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content(AG) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
    “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
    a miserable business!

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Advancement Is Meaningless

13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Fulfill Your Vow to God

[d]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth,
    do not be hasty in your heart
    to utter anything before God.(AH)
God is in heaven
    and you are on earth,
    so let your words be few.(AI)
A dream(AJ) comes when there are many cares,
    and many words mark the speech of a fool.(AK)

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.(AL) He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.(AM) It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.(AN) Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.(AO)

Riches Are Meaningless

If you see the poor oppressed(AP) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
    permits them no sleep.(AQ)

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:(AR)

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14     or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
    there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
    and as everyone comes, so they depart.(AS)
They take nothing from their toil(AT)
    that they can carry in their hands.(AU)

16 This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
    and what do they gain,
    since they toil for the wind?(AV)
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink(AW) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor(AX) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions,(AY) and the ability to enjoy them,(AZ) to accept their lot(BA) and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.(BB) 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.(BC)

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them,(BD) and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.(BE)

A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn(BF) child is better off than he.(BG) It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?(BH)

Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
    yet their appetite is never satisfied.(BI)
What advantage have the wise over fools?(BJ)
What do the poor gain
    by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.(BK)

10 Whatever exists has already been named,(BL)
    and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
    with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?

12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days(BM) they pass through like a shadow?(BN) Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

Wisdom

A good name is better than fine perfume,(BO)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(BP)
It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(BQ) is the destiny(BR) of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter,(BS)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(BT)
It is better to heed the rebuke(BU) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns(BV) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(BW) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
    and a bribe(BX) corrupts the heart.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience(BY) is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked(BZ) in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.(CA)

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(CB) better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(CC)
    and benefits those who see the sun.(CD)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
    as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
    Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done:(CE)

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?(CF)
14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(CG)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life(CH) of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(CI)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time?(CJ)
18 It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God(CK) will avoid all extremes.[e]

19 Wisdom(CL) makes one wise person more powerful(CM)
    than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(CN)
    no one who does what is right and never sins.(CO)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you(CP) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(CQ)
    but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
    who can discover it?(CR)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
    to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(CS)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
    and the madness of folly.(CT)

26 I find more bitter than death
    the woman who is a snare,(CU)
whose heart is a trap
    and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
    but the sinner she will ensnare.(CV)

27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[f](CW) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28     while I was still searching
    but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
    but not one upright woman(CX) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
    God created mankind upright,
    but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance.

Obey the King

Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(CY) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(CZ)

Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(DA)
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

Since no one knows the future,
    who can tell someone else what is to come?
As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
    so[g] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
    so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[h] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(DB)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[i] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(DC) with those who fear God,(DD) who are reverent before him.(DE) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(DF) it will not go well with them, and their days(DG) will not lengthen like a shadow.

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(DH) This too, I say, is meaningless.(DI) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(DJ), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(DK) and be glad.(DL) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(DM) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(DN)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(DO) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(DP)

A Common Destiny for All

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(DQ) All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[j] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,
    so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
    so with those who are afraid to take them.(DR)

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(DS) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(DT) and afterward they join the dead.(DU) Anyone who is among the living has hope[k]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

For the living know that they will die,
    but the dead know nothing;(DV)
they have no further reward,
    and even their name(DW) is forgotten.(DX)
Their love, their hate
    and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
    in anything that happens under the sun.(DY)

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(DZ) with a joyful heart,(EA) for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white,(EB) and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife,(EC) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(ED) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(EE) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(EF) for in the realm of the dead,(EG) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(EH)

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,(EI)
nor does food come to the wise(EJ)
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(EK) happen to them all.(EL)

12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

As fish are caught in a cruel net,
    or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(EM)
    that fall unexpectedly upon them.(EN)

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(EO) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(EP) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(EQ)

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
    than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(ER) is better than weapons of war,
    but one sinner destroys much good.

10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
    so a little folly(ES) outweighs wisdom and honor.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
    but the heart of the fool to the left.
Even as fools walk along the road,
    they lack sense
    and show everyone(ET) how stupid they are.
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
    do not leave your post;(EU)
    calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(EV)

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
    the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions,(EW)
    while the rich occupy the low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback,
    while princes go on foot like slaves.(EX)

Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(EY)
    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(EZ)
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(FA)

10 If the ax is dull
    and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
    but skill will bring success.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
    the charmer receives no fee.(FB)

12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(FC)
    but fools are consumed by their own lips.(FD)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
    at the end they are wicked madness—
14     and fools multiply words.(FE)

No one knows what is coming—
    who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(FF)

15 The toil of fools wearies them;
    they do not know the way to town.

16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[l](FG)
    and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
    and whose princes eat at a proper time—
    for strength and not for drunkenness.(FH)

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
    because of idle hands, the house leaks.(FI)

19 A feast is made for laughter,
    wine(FJ) makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king(FK) even in your thoughts,
    or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
    and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Invest in Many Ventures

11 Ship(FL) your grain across the sea;
    after many days you may receive a return.(FM)
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
    you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

If clouds are full of water,
    they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know the path of the wind,(FN)
    or how the body is formed[m] in a mother’s womb,(FO)
so you cannot understand the work of God,
    the Maker of all things.

Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,(FP)
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

Light is sweet,
    and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.(FQ)
However many years anyone may live,
    let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember(FR) the days of darkness,
    for there will be many.
    Everything to come is meaningless.

You who are young, be happy while you are young,
    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
    and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
    God will bring you into judgment.(FS)
10 So then, banish anxiety(FT) from your heart
    and cast off the troubles of your body,
    for youth and vigor are meaningless.(FU)

12 Remember(FV) your Creator
    in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble(FW) come
    and the years approach when you will say,
    “I find no pleasure in them”—
before the sun and the light
    and the moon and the stars grow dark,
    and the clouds return after the rain;
when the keepers of the house tremble,
    and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
    and those looking through the windows grow dim;
when the doors to the street are closed
    and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
    but all their songs grow faint;(FX)
when people are afraid of heights
    and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
    and the grasshopper drags itself along
    and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home(FY)
    and mourners(FZ) go about the streets.

Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
    and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
    and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns(GA) to the ground it came from,
    and the spirit returns to God(GB) who gave it.(GC)

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.[n](GD)
    “Everything is meaningless!(GE)

The Conclusion of the Matter

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.(GF) 10 The Teacher(GG) searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.(GH)

11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails(GI)—given by one shepherd.[o] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.(GJ)

13 Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God(GK) and keep his commandments,(GL)
    for this is the duty of all mankind.(GM)
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,(GN)
    including every hidden thing,(GO)
    whether it is good or evil.

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(GP)

She[p]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(GQ) is more delightful than wine.(GR)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(GS)
    your name(GT) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(GU) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(GV)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(GW) in you[q];
    we will praise your love(GX) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(GY)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(GZ)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(HA)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[r]
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;(HB)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(HC) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(HD) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(HE)
    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.(HF)
10 Your cheeks(HG) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(HH)
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.(HI)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(HJ)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(HK) is to me a cluster of henna(HL) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(HM)

He

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

She

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

He

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

She[s]

I am a rose[t](HR) of Sharon,(HS)
    a lily(HT) of the valleys.

He

Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

She

Like an apple[u] tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved(HU) among the young men.
I delight(HV) to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(HW)
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(HX)
    and let his banner(HY) over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,(HZ)
    for I am faint with love.(IA)
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.(IB)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(IC)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(ID)

Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(IE)
My beloved is like a gazelle(IF) or a young stag.(IG)
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;(IH)
    the blossoming(II) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

14 My dove(IJ) in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.(IK)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(IL)
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(IM)
    our vineyards that are in bloom.(IN)

She

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(IO)
    he browses among the lilies.(IP)
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(IQ)
turn, my beloved,(IR)
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(IS)
    on the rugged hills.[v](IT)

All night long on my bed
    I looked(IU) for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(IV)
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(IW)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(IX)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(IY)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(IZ)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(JA)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(JB) and incense
    made from all the spices(JC) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(JD)
    the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
    all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
    prepared for the terrors of the night.(JE)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
    he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
    its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
    its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
    and look, you daughters of Zion.(JF)
Look[w] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
    the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
    the day his heart rejoiced.(JG)

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(JH) are doves.(JI)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(JJ)
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.(JK)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(JL) is lovely.(JM)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(JN)
Your neck is like the tower(JO) of David,
    built with courses of stone[x];
on it hang a thousand shields,(JP)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(JQ) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(JR)
    that browse among the lilies.(JS)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(JT)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(JU)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(JV) my darling;
    there is no flaw(JW) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(JX)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(JY) the summit of Hermon,(JZ)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(KA)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(KB)
10 How delightful(KC) is your love(KD), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(KE)
and the fragrance of your perfume(KF)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(KG)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(KH)
12 You are a garden(KI) locked up, my sister, my bride;(KJ)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(KK)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(KL)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(KM) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(KN)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(KO) and aloes(KP)
    and all the finest spices.(KQ)
15 You are[y] a garden(KR) fountain,(KS)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(KT)
    that its fragrance(KU) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(KV) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(KW)

He

I have come into my garden,(KX) my sister, my bride;(KY)
    I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
    I have drunk my wine and my milk.(KZ)

Friends

Eat, friends, and drink;
    drink your fill of love.

She

I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove,(LA) my flawless(LB) one.(LC)
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe—
    must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
    must I soil them again?
My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
    my heart began to pound for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,(LD)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,(LE)
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.(LF)
    My heart sank at his departure.[z]
I looked(LG) for him but did not find him.
    I called him but he did not answer.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(LH)
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(LI)
    if you find my beloved,(LJ)
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.(LK)

Friends

How is your beloved better than others,
    most beautiful of women?(LL)
How is your beloved better than others,
    that you so charge us?

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    outstanding among ten thousand.(LM)
11 His head is purest gold;
    his hair is wavy
    and black as a raven.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
  2. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit
  4. Ecclesiastes 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:17, and 5:2-20 is numbered 5:1-19.
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
  7. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
  8. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  9. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten
  10. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
  11. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
  12. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
  13. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or know how life (or the spirit) / enters the body being formed
  14. Ecclesiastes 12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10
  15. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Or Shepherd
  16. 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.
  17. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  18. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
  19. Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
  20. Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
  21. Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
  22. Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
  23. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
  24. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  25. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
  26. Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke