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Beloved

I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

Lover

As a lily among thorns,
    so is my love among the daughters.

Beloved

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
    so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight,
    his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banquet hall.
    His banner over me is love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples;
    for I am faint with love.
His left hand is under my head.
    His right hand embraces me.
I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the roes, or by the hinds of the field,
    that you not stir up, nor awaken love,
    until it so desires.

The voice of my beloved!
    Behold, he comes,
    leaping on the mountains,
    skipping on the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young deer.
    Behold, he stands behind our wall!
He looks in at the windows.
    He glances through the lattice.

10 My beloved spoke, and said to me,
    “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
11 For behold, the winter is past.
    The rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth.
    The time of the singing has come,
    and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens her green figs.
    The vines are in blossom.
    They give out their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away.”

Lover

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places of the mountainside,
    let me see your face.
    let me hear your voice;
    for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.
15 Catch for us the foxes,
    the little foxes that plunder the vineyards;
    for our vineyards are in blossom.

Beloved

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his.
    He browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away,
    turn, my beloved,
    and be like a roe or a young deer on the mountains of Bether.

I’m a flower[a] from Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

The Lover

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

The Loved One

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]
He has brought me to the banquet hall,
    and his banner over me is love.
Sustain me with raisin cakes,
    refresh me with apples,[d]
        for I’m weak with love.
I wish that his left hand were under my head,
    and that his right hand were embracing me!
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]

The voice of my beloved!
Look! He’s coming,
    leaping over the mountains,
        bounding over the hills.
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

  1. Song of Solomon 2:1 Or crocus
  2. Song of Solomon 2:3 Or apricot
  3. Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit. palate
  4. Song of Solomon 2:5 Or apricots
  5. Song of Solomon 2:7 Lit. until it pleases
  6. Song of Solomon 2:12 Or for pruning
  7. Song of Solomon 2:13 Lit. has ripened
  8. Song of Solomon 2:17 Or until the cool of the day; lit. until the day breathes
  9. Song of Solomon 2:17 Or the mountains of Bether