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Song of Solomon 2-6
English Standard Version
Song of Solomon 2-6
English Standard Version
He
2 As a lily among brambles,
so is (B)my love among the young women.
She
3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my (C)beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat (D)in his shadow,
and his (E)fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He (F)brought me to the banqueting house,[b]
and his (G)banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with (H)raisins;
refresh me with apples,
(I)for I am sick with love.
6 His (J)left hand is under my head,
and his right hand (K)embraces me!
7 I (L)adjure you,[c] O (M)daughters of Jerusalem,
by (N)the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping (O)over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like (P)a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
(Q)“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11 for behold, the winter is past;
(R)the rain is over and gone.
12 (S)The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing[d] has come,
and the voice of (T)the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 (U)The fig tree ripens its figs,
and (V)the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
(W)Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14 O my (X)dove, in the (Y)clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me (Z)hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is (AA)lovely.
15 Catch (AB)the foxes[e] for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
(AC)for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16 (AD)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he (AE)grazes[f] among the lilies.
17 Until (AF)the day breathes
and (AG)the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like (AH)a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.[g]
The Bride's Dream
3 On my bed (AI)by night
I sought (AJ)him whom my soul loves;
(AK)I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in (AL)the streets and in the squares;
I will seek (AM)him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 (AN)The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found (AO)him whom my soul loves.
I (AP)held him, and would not let him go
until I had (AQ)brought him into my mother's house,
and into the chamber of (AR)her who conceived me.
5 (AS)I adjure you, (AT)O daughters of Jerusalem,
(AU)by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
6 (AV)What is that coming up from the wilderness
like (AW)columns of smoke,
perfumed with (AX)myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter[h] of Solomon!
Around it are (AY)sixty (AZ)mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his (BA)sword at his thigh,
against (BB)terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage[i]
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by (BC)the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O (BD)daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on (BE)the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty
He
4 Behold, (BF)you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
(BG)Your eyes are doves
(BH)behind your veil.
(BI)Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down (BJ)the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your (BK)teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like (BL)a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is (BM)lovely.
Your (BN)cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
(BO)behind your veil.
4 Your (BP)neck is like the tower of David,
built in (BQ)rows of stone;[j]
on it (BR)hang a thousand shields,
all of (BS)them shields of warriors.
5 Your (BT)two breasts are like two (BU)fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that (BV)graze among the lilies.
6 (BW)Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of (BX)myrrh
and the hill of (BY)frankincense.
7 (BZ)You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no (CA)flaw in you.
8 (CB)Come with me from (CC)Lebanon, my (CD)bride;
come with me from (CE)Lebanon.
Depart[k] from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of (CF)Senir and (CG)Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have captivated my heart, my (CH)sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one (CI)jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my (CJ)sister, my bride!
How much (CK)better is your love than wine,
and (CL)the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your (CM)lips drip nectar, my bride;
(CN)honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is (CO)like the fragrance of (CP)Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my (CQ)sister, my bride,
a spring locked, (CR)a fountain (CS)sealed.
13 Your shoots are (CT)an orchard of pomegranates
with all (CU)choicest fruits,
(CV)henna with (CW)nard,
14 nard and saffron, (CX)calamus and (CY)cinnamon,
with all trees of (CZ)frankincense,
(DA)myrrh and (DB)aloes,
with all (DC)choice spices—
15 a garden fountain, a well of (DD)living water,
and flowing streams from (DE)Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my (DF)garden,
let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
He
5 I (DJ)came to my garden, my (DK)sister, my bride,
I gathered my (DL)myrrh with my spice,
I ate my (DM)honeycomb with my honey,
I (DN)drank my wine with my milk.
Others
Eat, (DO)friends, drink,
and be drunk with love!
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
She
2 I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is (DP)knocking.
“Open to me, my (DQ)sister, my (DR)love,
my (DS)dove, my (DT)perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my (DU)locks with the drops of the night.”
3 (DV)I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had (DW)bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with (DX)liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he (DY)spoke.
(DZ)I sought him, but found him not;
(EA)I called him, but he gave no answer.
7 (EB)The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8 I (EC)adjure you, O (ED)daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
(EE)I am sick with love.
Others
9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O (EF)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus (EG)adjure us?
The Bride Praises Her Beloved
She
10 My beloved is radiant and (EH)ruddy,
(EI)distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
(EJ)his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His (EK)eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool.[l]
13 His (EL)cheeks are like (EM)beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are (EN)lilies,
dripping (EO)liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with (EP)jewels.
His body is polished ivory,[m]
bedecked with (EQ)sapphires.[n]
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like (ER)Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His (ES)mouth[o] is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O (ET)daughters of Jerusalem.
Others
6 Where has your beloved gone,
O (EU)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
Together in the Garden of Love
She
2 My beloved has gone down to his (EV)garden
to (EW)the beds of spices,
to (EX)graze[p] in the gardens
and to gather (EY)lilies.
3 (EZ)I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
4 You are beautiful as (FA)Tirzah, (FB)my love,
(FC)lovely as (FD)Jerusalem,
(FE)awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me—
(FF)Your hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
6 (FG)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
not one among them has lost its young.
7 (FH)Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are (FI)sixty (FJ)queens and eighty (FK)concubines,
and (FL)virgins without number.
9 My (FM)dove, my (FN)perfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to (FO)her who bore her.
(FP)The young women saw her and called her blessed;
(FQ)the queens and (FR)concubines also, and they praised her.
10 (FS)“Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
(FT)awesome as an army with banners?”
She
11 I went down to the nut orchard
to look at (FU)the blossoms of the valley,
(FV)to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 (FW)Before I was aware, my desire set me
among (FX)the chariots of my kinsman, a prince.[q]
Others
He
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or pruning
- Song of Solomon 2:15 Or jackals
- Song of Solomon 2:16 Or he pastures his flock
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or mountains of Bether
- Song of Solomon 3:7 That is, the couch on which servants carry a king
- Song of Solomon 3:9 Or sedan chair
- Song of Solomon 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Or Look
- Song of Solomon 5:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Hebrew lapis lazuli
- Song of Solomon 5:16 Hebrew palate
- Song of Solomon 6:2 Or to pasture his flock; also verse 3
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or chariots of Ammi-Nadib
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7:1 in Hebrew
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim
Song of Songs 2-6
New International Version
Song of Songs 2-6
New International Version
She[a]
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple[c] tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved(D) among the young men.
I delight(E) to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(F)
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(G)
and let his banner(H) over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,(I)
for I am faint with love.(J)
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(K)
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(L)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(M)
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.(N)
9 My beloved is like a gazelle(O) or a young stag.(P)
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;(Q)
the blossoming(R) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
He
14 My dove(S) 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.(T)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(U)
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(V)
our vineyards that are in bloom.(W)
She
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(X)
he browses among the lilies.(Y)
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(Z)
turn, my beloved,(AA)
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(AB)
on the rugged hills.[d](AC)
3 All night long on my bed
I looked(AD) for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 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.
3 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.(AE)
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 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,(AF)
to the room of the one who conceived me.(AG)
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(AH)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(AI)
6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness(AJ)
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(AK) and incense
made from all the spices(AL) of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,(AM)
the noblest of Israel,
8 all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.(AN)
9 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.(AO)
Look[e] 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.(AP)
He
4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil(AQ) are doves.(AR)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.(AS)
2 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.(AT)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth(AU) is lovely.(AV)
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(AW)
4 Your neck is like the tower(AX) of David,
built with courses of stone[f];
on it hang a thousand shields,(AY)
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts(AZ) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle(BA)
that browse among the lilies.(BB)
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(BC)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(BD)
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful,(BE) my darling;
there is no flaw(BF) in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(BG)
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir,(BH) the summit of Hermon,(BI)
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(BJ)
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.(BK)
10 How delightful(BL) is your love(BM), my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(BN)
and the fragrance of your perfume(BO)
more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.(BP)
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(BQ)
12 You are a garden(BR) locked up, my sister, my bride;(BS)
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(BT)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(BU)
with choice fruits,
with henna(BV) and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,(BW)
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh(BX) and aloes(BY)
and all the finest spices.(BZ)
15 You are[g] a garden(CA) fountain,(CB)
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
She
16 Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(CC)
that its fragrance(CD) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(CE) come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.(CF)
He
5 I have come into my garden,(CG) my sister, my bride;(CH)
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.(CI)
Friends
Eat, friends, and drink;
drink your fill of love.
She
2 I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove,(CJ) my flawless(CK) one.(CL)
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
4 My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
5 I arose to open for my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,(CM)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened for my beloved,(CN)
but my beloved had left; he was gone.(CO)
My heart sank at his departure.[h]
I looked(CP) for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.(CQ)
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak,
those watchmen of the walls!
8 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(CR)—
if you find my beloved,(CS)
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.(CT)
Friends
9 How is your beloved better than others,
most beautiful of women?(CU)
How is your beloved better than others,
that you so charge us?
She
10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand.(CV)
11 His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(CW)
by the water streams,
washed in milk,(CX)
mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks(CY) are like beds of spice(CZ)
yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies(DA)
dripping with myrrh.(DB)
14 His arms are rods of gold
set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
decorated with lapis lazuli.(DC)
15 His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,(DD)
choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth(DE) is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,(DF) this is my friend,
daughters of Jerusalem.(DG)
Friends
6 Where has your beloved(DH) gone,
most beautiful of women?(DI)
Which way did your beloved turn,
that we may look for him with you?
She
2 My beloved has gone(DJ) down to his garden,(DK)
to the beds of spices,(DL)
to browse in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(DM)
he browses among the lilies.(DN)
He
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(DO) my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,(DP)
as majestic as troops with banners.(DQ)
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.(DR)
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing.(DS)
7 Your temples behind your veil(DT)
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(DU)
8 Sixty queens(DV) there may be,
and eighty concubines,(DW)
and virgins beyond number;
9 but my dove,(DX) my perfect one,(DY) is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.(DZ)
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.(EA)
12 Before I realized it,
my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[i]
Friends
13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!
He
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
- Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
- Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
- Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
- Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
- Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
- Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke
- Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
- Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.