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The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

The [a]Song of Songs [the best of songs], which is Solomon’s.(A)

[b](The Shulammite Bride)


“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” [Solomon arrives, she turns to him, saying,]
“For your love is better than wine.

“The aroma of your oils is fragrant and pleasing;
Your name is perfume poured out;
Therefore the maidens love you.

“Draw me away with you and let us run together!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

[c](The Chorus)

“We will rejoice and be glad in you;
We will remember and extol your love more [sweet and fragrant] than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”

(The Shulammite Bride)


“I am deeply tanned but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
[I am dark] like the tents of [the Bedouins of] Kedar,
Like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon.

“Do not gaze at me because I am deeply tanned,
[I have worked in] the sun; it has left its mark on me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me keeper of the vineyards,
But my own vineyard (my complexion) I have not kept.”

“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who is veiled
Beside the flocks of your companions?”(B)

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

(The Bridegroom)


“If you do not know [where your lover is],
O you fairest among women,
Run along, follow the tracks of the flock,
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.


“To me, my love, you are like
My [favorite] mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 
“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of jewels.”

(The Chorus)

11 
“We will make for you chains and ornaments of gold,
[Studded] with beads of silver.”

(The Shulammite Bride)

12 
“While the king was at his table,
My perfume (Solomon) sent forth [his] fragrance [surrounding me].
13 
“My beloved is to me like a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 
“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna flowers
In the [fragrant] vineyards of [d]Engedi.”

(The Bridegroom)

15 
“Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling,
Behold, how beautiful you are!
Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”

(The Shulammite Bride)

16 
“Behold, how fair and handsome you are, my beloved;
And so delightful!
Our arbor is green and luxuriant.
17 
“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters and panels are cypresses.

The Bride’s Admiration

“I am the rose [of the plain] of Sharon,
The lily of the valleys [that grows in deep places].”

(The Bridegroom)


“Like the lily among the thorns,
So are you, my darling, among the maidens.”

(The Shulammite Bride)


“Like an apple tree [rare and welcome] among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the young men!
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his fruit was sweet and delicious to my palate.

“He has brought me to his banqueting place,
And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].

“Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with apples,
Because I am sick with love.

“Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”(C)

(The Bridegroom)


“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field [which run free],
That you do not rouse nor awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

(The Shulammite Bride)


“Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he comes,
Climbing on the mountains,
Leaping and running on the hills!(D)

“My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is gazing through the lattice.

10 
“My beloved speaks and says to me,
‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
11 
‘For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12 
‘The flowers appear on the earth once again;
The time for singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 
‘The fig tree has budded and ripens her figs,
And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away [to climb the rocky steps of the hillside].’”

(The Bridegroom)

14 
“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,
In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

(The Chorus)

15 
“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love],
While our vineyards are in blossom.”

(The Shulammite Bride)

16 
“My beloved is mine and I am his;
He pastures his flock among the lilies.(E)
17 
“Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,
Return quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether [which separate us].”

The Bride’s Troubled Dream

(The Shulammite Bride)

“On my bed night after night [I dreamed that] I sought the one
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.(F)

I said ‘So I must arise now and go out into the city;
Into the streets and into the squares [places I do not know]
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but I did not find him.

“The watchmen who go around the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’

“Scarcely had I passed them
When I found him whom my soul loves.
I held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”(G)

(The Bridegroom)


“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
That you do not rouse nor awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

Solomon’s Wedding Day

(The Shulammite Bride)


“What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like [stately] pillars of smoke
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the fragrant powders of the merchant?”

(The Chorus)


“Behold, it is the couch ([e]palanquin) of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.

“All of them handle the sword,
All expert in war;
Each man has his sword at his thigh,
Guarding against the terrors of the night.

“King Solomon has made for himself a palanquin
From the [cedar] wood of Lebanon.
10 
“He made its posts of silver,
Its back of gold,
Its seat of purple cloth,
The interior lovingly and intricately wrought
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 
“Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And gaze on King Solomon wearing the crown
With which his mother [Bathsheba] has crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
On the day of his gladness of heart.”

Solomon’s Love Expressed

(The Bridegroom)

“How fair and beautiful you are, my darling,
How very beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;
Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].

“Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.

“Your lips are like a ribbon of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate
Behind your veil.

“Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of [glistening] stones,
Whereon hang a thousand shields,
All of them shields of warriors.

“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.

“Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
[In my thoughts] I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.


“O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair.
There is no flaw nor blemish in you!(H)

Come away with me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the top of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.(I)

“You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride;
You have ravished my heart and given me courage with a single glance of your eyes,
With one jewel of your necklace.
10 
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
And the fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of balsam and spices.(J)
11 
“Your lips, my [promised] bride, drip honey [as the honeycomb];
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 
“A garden enclosed is my sister, my [promised] bride—
A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
13 
“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates,
[A paradise] with precious fruits, henna with fragrant plants,(K)
14 
Fragrant plants and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
15 
You are a fountain in a garden,
A well of fresh and living water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”(L)

(The Shulammite Bride)

16 
“Awake, O north wind,
And come, south wind [blow softly upon my garden];
Make my garden breathe out fragrance, [for the one in whom my soul delights],
Let its spices flow forth.
Let my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choicest fruits.”

The Torment of Separation

(The Bridegroom)

“I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words].
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, friends;
Drink and drink deeply, O lovers.”(M)

(The Shulammite Bride)


“I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice [in my dream]! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with the [heavy night] dew;
My hair [is covered] with the dampness of the night.’(N)

“I had taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I had washed my feet,
How could I get them dirty again?(O)

“My beloved extended his hand through the opening [of the door],
And my feelings were aroused for him.

“I arose to open for my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.

“I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My heart went out to him when he spoke.
I searched for him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he did not answer me.

“The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took my shawl from me.

“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you tell him—
[Say that] I am sick from love [sick from being without him].”(P)

(The Chorus)


“What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
That you should so command us to take an oath?”(Q)

Admiration by the Bride

(The Shulammite Bride)

10 
“My beloved is exquisitely handsome and ruddy,
Outstanding among ten thousand.(R)
11 
“His head is like [precious] gold, pure gold;
His hair is [curly] like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 
“His eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk
And reposed in their setting.
13 
“His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,
Banks of sweet, fragrant herbs.
His lips are lilies
Dripping sweet-scented myrrh.
14 
“His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl;
His abdomen is a figure of carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
15 
“His legs are [strong and steady] pillars of alabaster
Set upon pedestals of fine gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
Stately and choice as the cedars.
16 
“His mouth is full of sweetness;
Yes, he is altogether lovely and desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.”(S)

Mutual Delight in Each Other

(The Chorus)

“Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Where is your beloved hiding himself,
That we may seek him with you?”

(The Shulammite Bride)


“My beloved has gone down to his garden,
To the beds of balsam,
To feed his flock in the gardens
And gather lilies.

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who feeds his flock among the lilies.”

(The Bridegroom)


“You are as beautiful as [f]Tirzah, my darling,
As lovely as Jerusalem,
As majestic as an army with banners!

“Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me,
For they have confused and overcome me;
Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.

“Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.

“Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate
Behind your veil.

“There are sixty queens and eighty [g]concubines,
And maidens without number;

But my dove, my perfect one, stands alone [above them all];
She is her mother’s only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her blessed and happy,
The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,(T)

10 
‘Who is this that looks down like the dawn,
Fair and beautiful as the full moon,
Clear and pure as the sun,
As majestic as an army with banners?’
11 
“I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the flowers of the valley,
To see whether the grapevine had budded
And the pomegranates were in flower.
12 
“Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought me
Into the area of the princes of my people [the king’s retinue].”

(The Chorus)

13 
“Return, return, O Shulammite;
Return, return, that we may gaze at you.”

(The Bridegroom)

“Why should you gaze at the Shulammite,
As at the dance of the two armies?

Admiration by the Bridegroom

“How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.

“Your navel is a round goblet
Which never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Surrounded with lilies.

“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
The twins of a gazelle.

“Your neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes the [sparkling] pools of Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
Which looks toward Damascus.

“Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,
And the flowing hair of your head like purple threads;
I, the king, am held captive by your [h]tresses.

“How beautiful and how delightful you are,
My love, with all your delights!

“Your stature is like that of a palm tree
And your breasts like its clusters [of dates].

“I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree;
I will grasp its branches.
Let your breasts be like clusters of the grapevine,
And the fragrance of your breath like apples,

‘And your kisses like the best wine!’”

(The Shulammite Bride)

“It goes down smoothly and sweetly for my beloved,
Gliding gently over his lips while he sleeps.

The Union of Love

10 
“I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is for me.(U)
11 
“Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country,
Let us spend the night in the villages.(V)
12 
“Let us go out early to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine has budded
And its blossoms have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have flowered.
There I will give you my love.
13 
“The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
And over our doors are all [kinds of] choice fruits,
Both new and old,
Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.

The Lovers Speak

“Oh, that you were like a brother to me,
Who nursed at the breasts of my mother.
If I found you out of doors, I would kiss you;
No one would blame me or despise me, either.(W)

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

(The Bridegroom)


“I command you to take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
That you do not rouse nor awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

(The Chorus)


“Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning upon her beloved?”

(The Shulammite Bride)

“Under the apple tree I awakened you [to my love];
There your mother was in labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave you birth.

“Put me like a seal on your heart,
Like a seal on your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead).
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
[A most vehement flame] the very flame of the [i]Lord!(Y)

“Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can rivers drown it.
If a man would offer all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly scorned and despised.”

(The Chorus)


“We have a little sister
And she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for [in marriage]?

“If she is a wall (discreet, womanly),
We will build on her a turret (dowry) of silver;
But if she is a door (bold, flirtatious),
We will enclose her with planks of cedar.”

(The Shulammite Bride)

10 
“I was a wall, and my breasts were like the towers.
Then I became in the king’s eyes
As one [to be respected and allowed] to find peace.
11 
“Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers;
Each one was to bring him a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
12 
“My very own vineyard is at my disposal;
The thousand [shekels of silver] are for you, O Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who tend the fruit.”

(The Bridegroom)

13 
“O you who sit in the gardens,
My companions are listening for your voice—
Let me hear it.”

(The Shulammite Bride)

14 
“Hurry, my beloved and come quickly,
Like a gazelle or a young stag [taking me home]
On the mountains of spices.”

Notas al pie

  1. Song of Solomon 1:1 Some theologians believe the Song of Solomon to be a collection of songs, but it is more generally understood to be a sort of drama or lyric poem celebrating the wholesomeness of a growing love that leads to maturity in marriage. The ancient rabbis understood it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel, and viewed the details as symbolic.
  2. Song of Solomon 1:2 The parenthetical headings indicate that the speakers are not from the Hebrew text nor the Septuagint, but reflect an ancient tradition which appears in some manuscripts.
  3. Song of Solomon 1:5 The purpose of the chorus is to echo and expand the sentiments of the bride and her bridegroom. The members of the chorus are not always known, but have been variously identified as “daughters of Jerusalem,” “daughters of Zion,” “ladies in waiting,” “friends” or “relatives” of the bride.
  4. Song of Solomon 1:14 An oasis on the western side of the Dead Sea.
  5. Song of Solomon 3:7 A conveyance that was used in ancient times especially for the transport of one person, that consisted of an enclosed sedan chair usually in the form of a box with wooden shutters, and that is carried on the shoulders of men by means of projecting poles.
  6. Song of Solomon 6:4 A city in northern Israel known for its gardens and natural beauty.
  7. Song of Solomon 6:8 See note Gen 22:24.
  8. Song of Solomon 7:5 I.e. the long, unbound hair of a woman.
  9. Song of Solomon 8:6 Heb YHWH (Yahweh).

Solomon’s Song of Songs.(A)

She[a]

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
    for your love(B) is more delightful than wine.(C)
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(D)
    your name(E) is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women(F) love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
    Let the king bring me into his chambers.(G)

Friends

We rejoice and delight(H) in you[b];
    we will praise your love(I) more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely,(J)
    daughters of Jerusalem,(K)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(L)
    like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
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;(M)
    my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep(N) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(O) woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(P)
    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.(Q)
10 Your cheeks(R) are beautiful with earrings,
    your neck with strings of jewels.(S)
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.(T)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(U)
    resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(V) is to me a cluster of henna(W) blossoms
    from the vineyards of En Gedi.(X)

He

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

She

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

He

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

She[d]

I am a rose[e](AC) of Sharon,(AD)
    a lily(AE) of the valleys.

He

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

She

Like an apple[f] tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved(AF) among the young men.
I delight(AG) to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(AH)
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(AI)
    and let his banner(AJ) over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,(AK)
    for I am faint with love.(AL)
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.(AM)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(AN)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(AO)

Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(AP)
My beloved is like a gazelle(AQ) or a young stag.(AR)
    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;(AS)
    the blossoming(AT) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

14 My dove(AU) 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.(AV)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(AW)
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(AX)
    our vineyards that are in bloom.(AY)

She

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(AZ)
    he browses among the lilies.(BA)
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(BB)
turn, my beloved,(BC)
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(BD)
    on the rugged hills.[g](BE)

All night long on my bed
    I looked(BF) 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.(BG)
    “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,(BH)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(BI)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(BJ)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(BK)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(BL)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(BM) and incense
    made from all the spices(BN) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(BO)
    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.(BP)
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.(BQ)
Look[h] 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.(BR)

He

How beautiful you are, my darling!
    Oh, how beautiful!
    Your eyes behind your veil(BS) are doves.(BT)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from the hills of Gilead.(BU)
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.(BV)
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth(BW) is lovely.(BX)
Your temples behind your veil
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(BY)
Your neck is like the tower(BZ) of David,
    built with courses of stone[i];
on it hang a thousand shields,(CA)
    all of them shields of warriors.
Your breasts(CB) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle(CC)
    that browse among the lilies.(CD)
Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,(CE)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(CF)
    and to the hill of incense.
You are altogether beautiful,(CG) my darling;
    there is no flaw(CH) in you.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(CI)
    come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
    from the top of Senir,(CJ) the summit of Hermon,(CK)
from the lions’ dens
    and the mountain haunts of leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(CL)
    you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.(CM)
10 How delightful(CN) is your love(CO), my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(CP)
and the fragrance of your perfume(CQ)
    more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue.(CR)
The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(CS)
12 You are a garden(CT) locked up, my sister, my bride;(CU)
    you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(CV)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(CW)
    with choice fruits,
    with henna(CX) and nard,
14     nard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon,(CY)
    with every kind of incense tree,
    with myrrh(CZ) and aloes(DA)
    and all the finest spices.(DB)
15 You are[j] a garden(DC) fountain,(DD)
    a well of flowing water
    streaming down from Lebanon.

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(DE)
    that its fragrance(DF) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(DG) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(DH)

He

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

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,(DL) my flawless(DM) one.(DN)
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,(DO)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,(DP)
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.(DQ)
    My heart sank at his departure.[k]
I looked(DR) 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.(DS)
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(DT)
    if you find my beloved,(DU)
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.(DV)

Friends

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

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    outstanding among ten thousand.(DX)
11 His head is purest gold;
    his hair is wavy
    and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(DY)
    by the water streams,
washed in milk,(DZ)
    mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks(EA) are like beds of spice(EB)
    yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies(EC)
    dripping with myrrh.(ED)
14 His arms are rods of gold
    set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
    decorated with lapis lazuli.(EE)
15 His legs are pillars of marble
    set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,(EF)
    choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth(EG) is sweetness itself;
    he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,(EH) this is my friend,
    daughters of Jerusalem.(EI)

Friends

Where has your beloved(EJ) gone,
    most beautiful of women?(EK)
Which way did your beloved turn,
    that we may look for him with you?

She

My beloved has gone(EL) down to his garden,(EM)
    to the beds of spices,(EN)
to browse in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(EO)
    he browses among the lilies.(EP)

He

You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(EQ) my darling,
    as lovely as Jerusalem,(ER)
    as majestic as troops with banners.(ES)
Turn your eyes from me;
    they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from Gilead.(ET)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
    not one of them is missing.(EU)
Your temples behind your veil(EV)
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(EW)
Sixty queens(EX) there may be,
    and eighty concubines,(EY)
    and virgins beyond number;
but my dove,(EZ) my perfect one,(FA) is unique,
    the only daughter of her mother,
    the favorite of the one who bore her.(FB)
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines praised her.

Friends

10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
    fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
    majestic as the stars in procession?

He

11 I went down to the grove of nut trees
    to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
    or the pomegranates were in bloom.(FC)
12 Before I realized it,
    my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[l]

Friends

13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
    come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!

He

Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
    as on the dance(FD) of Mahanaim?[m]

[n]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
    O prince’s(FE) daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
    the work of an artist’s hands.
Your navel is a rounded goblet
    that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
    encircled by lilies.
Your breasts(FF) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.(FG)
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon(FH)
    by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon(FI)
    looking toward Damascus.
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.(FJ)
    Your hair is like royal tapestry;
    the king is held captive by its tresses.
How beautiful(FK) you are and how pleasing,
    my love, with your delights!(FL)
Your stature is like that of the palm,
    and your breasts(FM) like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
    I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
    the fragrance of your breath like apples,(FN)
    and your mouth like the best wine.

She

May the wine go straight to my beloved,(FO)
    flowing gently over lips and teeth.[o]
10 I belong to my beloved,
    and his desire(FP) is for me.(FQ)
11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
    let us spend the night in the villages.[p]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards(FR)
    to see if the vines have budded,(FS)
if their blossoms(FT) have opened,
    and if the pomegranates(FU) are in bloom(FV)
    there I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes(FW) send out their fragrance,
    and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
    that I have stored up for you, my beloved.(FX)

If only you were to me like a brother,
    who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
    I would kiss you,
    and no one would despise me.
I would lead you
    and bring you to my mother’s house(FY)
    she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
    the nectar of my pomegranates.
His left arm is under my head
    and his right arm embraces me.(FZ)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
    Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(GA)

Friends

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(GB)
    leaning on her beloved?

She

Under the apple tree I roused you;
    there your mother conceived(GC) you,
    there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
    like a seal on your arm;
for love(GD) is as strong as death,
    its jealousy[q](GE) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.[r]
Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it[s] would be utterly scorned.(GF)

Friends

We have a little sister,
    and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
    on the day she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
    we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
    we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

She

10 I am a wall,
    and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
    like one bringing contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard(GG) in Baal Hamon;
    he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
    a thousand shekels[t](GH) of silver.
12 But my own vineyard(GI) is mine to give;
    the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
    and two hundred[u] are for those who tend its fruit.

He

13 You who dwell in the gardens
    with friends in attendance,
    let me hear your voice!

She

14 Come away, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle(GJ)
or like a young stag(GK)
    on the spice-laden mountains.(GL)

Notas al pie

  1. 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.
  2. Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
  3. Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
  4. Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
  5. Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
  6. Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
  7. Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
  8. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
  9. Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  10. Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
  11. Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke
  12. Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
  13. Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
  14. Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
  15. Song of Songs 7:9 Septuagint, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew lips of sleepers
  16. Song of Songs 7:11 Or the henna bushes
  17. Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
  18. Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
  19. Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
  20. Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
  21. Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms