Song of Solomon 1
New American Standard Bible
The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters
1 The [a]Song of (A)Songs, which is Solomon’s.
[b]The Bride
2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (B)love is [c]sweeter than wine.
3 Your (C)oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your (D)name is like [d]purified oil;
Therefore the [e](E)young women love you.
4 Draw me after you and let’s run together!
The (F)king has brought me into his chambers.”
The Chorus
“We will rejoice in you and be joyful;
We will praise your (G)love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”
The Bride
5 “I am black and (H)beautiful,
You (I)daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the (J)tents of (K)Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am [f]dark,
For the sun has tanned me.
My (L)mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me (M)caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
7 Tell me, you (N)whom my soul loves,
Where do you (O)pasture your flock,
Where do you have it (P)lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who [g]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your (Q)companions?”
Solomon, the Lover, Speaks
8 “If you yourself do not know,
(R)Most beautiful among women,
Go out on the trail of the flock,
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.
9 “[h]To me, (S)my darling, you are like
My (T)mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 Your (U)cheeks are delightful with jewelry,
Your neck with strings of (V)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 [i](W)perfume gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of (X)myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of (Y)henna blossoms
In the vineyards of (Z)Engedi.”
The Groom
15 “[j](AA)How beautiful you are, my darling,
[k]How beautiful you are!
Your (AB)eyes are like doves.”
The Bride
16 “[l]How handsome you are, (AC)my beloved,
And so delightful!
Indeed, our bed is luxuriant!
17 The beams of our house are (AD)cedars,
Our rafters, (AE)junipers.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:1 Or Best of the Songs
- 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.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 Lit more pleasant
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Lit oil poured from one vessel to another
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Or virgins
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Or swarthy, blackish
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Some ancient versions wanders
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit I have compared you to
- Song of Solomon 1:12 Lit nard
- Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 1:16 Lit Behold
Song of Solomon 1
International Standard Version
Title
1 The Most Beautiful Song by Solomon.
The Loved One
2 Let him kiss me over and over again![a]
Your love is better than wine.
3 The fragrance of your perfumed oil is wonderful.
Your name is perfume poured out.
Therefore the young women love you.
4 Take me with[b] you! Let’s run away!
Let the king bring me into his private chambers.
The Young Women
The daughters[c] of Jerusalem[d] will rejoice and be happy for you.
We will value your love more than wine.
They love you appropriately.
The Loved One
5 The daughters[e] of Jerusalem, I’m dark and lovely
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Don’t stare at me because I’m dark;
the sun has tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me.
They made me the caretaker of the vineyards,
but I didn’t take care of my own vineyard.
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where do you graze your flock?
Where do you make your flock lie down[f] at noon?
Why should I be considered a veiled woman[g]
beside the flocks of your companions?
The Lover
8 If you don’t know, most beautiful of women,
go out after the flock and graze your young goats beside the shepherd’s tents.
9 My darling, I compare you to a[h] mare
among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
The Young Women
11 We will make ornaments of gold for you,
accented with silver.
The Loved One
12 While the king was sitting at his table,
my perfume sent forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh[i]
that lies between my breasts all night.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna[j] blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Lover
15 Look at you! You are beautiful, my darling.
Look at you! You are so beautiful.
Your eyes are doves.
The Loved One
16 Look at you! You are handsome, my beloved, truly lovely.
How lush is our couch.
17 The beams of our house are cedar,[k]
our rafters are pine.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:2 Lit. me with the kisses of his mouth
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Lit. Draw me after
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Or The young women
- Song of Solomon 1:4 The Heb. lacks daughters of Jerusalem (cf. v. 5)
- Song of Solomon 1:5 Or The young women
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Lit. where do you make to lie down
- Song of Solomon 1:7 I.e. a prostitute
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit. my
- Song of Solomon 1:13 I.e. a fragrant spice used as a perfume
- Song of Solomon 1:14 I.e. an aromatic shrub used cosmetically
- Song of Solomon 1:17 I.e. a genus of coniferous evergreen in the family Pinaceae; and so throughout the book
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