Song of Solomon 3
English Standard Version
The Bride's Dream
3 On my bed (A)by night
I sought (B)him whom my soul loves;
(C)I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in (D)the streets and in the squares;
I will seek (E)him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 (F)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 (G)him whom my soul loves.
I (H)held him, and would not let him go
until I had (I)brought him into my mother's house,
and into the chamber of (J)her who conceived me.
5 (K)I adjure you, (L)O daughters of Jerusalem,
(M)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 (N)What is that coming up from the wilderness
like (O)columns of smoke,
perfumed with (P)myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter[a] of Solomon!
Around it are (Q)sixty (R)mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his (S)sword at his thigh,
against (T)terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage[b]
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 (U)the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O (V)daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on (W)the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
Footnotes
- 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 3
New Living Translation
Young Woman
3 One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover.
I yearned for him, but he did not come.
2 So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city,
searching in all its streets and squares.
I will search for the one I love.”
So I searched everywhere but did not find him.
3 The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds,
and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”
4 Then scarcely had I left them
when I found my love!
I caught and held him tightly,
then I brought him to my mother’s house,
into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.
5 Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and wild deer,
not to awaken love until the time is right.[a]
Young Women of Jerusalem
6 Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness
like a cloud of smoke?
Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense
and every kind of spice?
7 Look, it is Solomon’s carriage,
surrounded by sixty heroic men,
the best of Israel’s soldiers.
8 They are all skilled swordsmen,
experienced warriors.
Each wears a sword on his thigh,
ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.
9 King Solomon’s carriage is built
of wood imported from Lebanon.
10 Its posts are silver,
its canopy gold;
its cushions are purple.
It was decorated with love
by the young women of Jerusalem.
Young Woman
11 Come out to see King Solomon,
young women of Jerusalem.[b]
He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day,
his most joyous day.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
