Song of Solomon 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
2 M Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
3 W Like an apricot[d] 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,[e](B)
and he looked on me with love.[f](C)
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,[g]
for I am lovesick.(D)
6 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.[h](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.[i](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)
Look, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:
M 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[j] 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,[k]
let me hear your voice;(O)
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(P)
15 (W) Catch the foxes for us(Q)—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.(R)
16 W My love is mine and I am his;(S)
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Before the day breaks[l]
and the shadows flee,
turn to me, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag(T) on the divided mountains.[m](U)
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or meadow saffron
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Not the modern flower but a common wildflower in northern Israel
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or lotus
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Or apple
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit the house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Or and his banner over me is love
- Song of Solomon 2:5 Or apples
- Song of Solomon 2:6 Or Let his left hand be under . . . and his right arm embrace me
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Lit until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or pruning
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Or form
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Lit breathes
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or the Bether mountains, or the mountains of spices; Hb obscure
Song of Solomon 2
International Standard Version
2 I’m a flower[a] from Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
The Lover
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.
The Loved One
3 Like an apple[b] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
In his shade I take delight and sit down,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.[c]
4 He has brought me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love.
5 Sustain me with raisin cakes,
refresh me with apples,[d]
for I’m weak with love.
6 I wish that his left hand were under my head,
and that his right hand were embracing me!
7 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or by the does of the field,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![e]
8 The voice of my beloved!
Look! He’s coming,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, there he stands behind our wall,
looking through the windows,
gazing through the lattice.
The Lover
10 My beloved spoke to me:
“Get up, my darling, my beautiful one, and come on.
11 Look! Winter is past.
The rain is over and gone.
12 Blossoms have appeared in the land.
The season of songbirds[f] has arrived,
and cooing of turtledoves is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree has produced its fruit,[g]
the grapevines have blossomed and exude their fragrance.
“Get up, my darling, my beautiful one, and come on.
14 My dove, in the hidden places of the rocks,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
show me your form, and let me hear your voice.
For your voice is pleasant,
and your shape is lovely.
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that destroy the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.”
The Loved One
16 My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him.
He is the one who shepherds his flock among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks[h] and the shadows flee,
turn around, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle or a young stag
on the rugged mountains.[i]
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Or crocus
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Or apricot
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit. palate
- Song of Solomon 2:5 Or apricots
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Lit. until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or for pruning
- Song of Solomon 2:13 Lit. has ripened
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or until the cool of the day; lit. until the day breathes
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or the mountains of Bether
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