Song of Solomon 2
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]
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 Songs 2
Christian Standard Bible
Man
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
Woman
3 Like an apricot[c] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet hall,[d](B)
and he looked on me with love.[e](C)
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,[f]
for I am lovesick.(D)
6 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.(E)
7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[g](F)
8 Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,(G)
bounding over the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.(H)
See, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:
Man
Arise,(I) my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing[h] has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.(J)
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;(K)
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.(L)
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
14 My dove,(M) in the clefts of the rock,(N)
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,[i]
let me hear your voice;(O)
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(P)
Woman
15 [j]Catch the foxes for us(Q)—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.(R)
Woman
16 My love is mine and I am his;(S)
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks[k]
and the shadows flee,
turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag(T) on the divided mountains.[l](U)
Footnotes
- 2:1 Traditionally rose
- 2:1 Or lotus
- 2:3 Or apple
- 2:4 Lit the house of wine
- 2:4 Or and his banner over me is love
- 2:5 Or apples
- 2:7 Lit until it pleases
- 2:12 Or pruning
- 2:14 Or form
- 2:15 The speaker could be the woman, the man, or both.
- 2:17 Lit breathes
- 2:17 Or the Bether mountains, or the mountains of spices; Hb obscure
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.