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Groom’s Praise of His Bride

Oh my![a] You are beautiful, my beloved!
    Oh my![b] You are beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
    from behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    that move down from the mountains of Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
    that came up from the washing,
all of them bearing twins,
    and there is none bereaved among them.
Your lips are like a thread of crimson,
    and your mouth is lovely.
Your temple is like pomegranate
    from behind your veil.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
    built in courses;
a thousand ornaments[c] are hung on it,
    all the shields of the warriors.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    twins of a gazelle that feed among the lilies.
Until the day breathes and the shadows flee,
    I will go to the mountain of the myrrh,
        to the hill of the frankincense.
You are completely beautiful, my beloved!
    You are flawless![d]

The Mountains and Fragrance of Lebanon

Come[e] with me from Lebanon, my bride!
    Come with me[f] from Lebanon!
Look from the top of Amana,
    from the top of Senir and Hermon,
from the dwelling places of the lions,
    from the mountains of leopard.
You have stolen (my) heart, my sister bride!
    You have stolen my heart with one glance from your eyes,
        with one ornament from your necklaces.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister bride!
    How better is your love than wine,
        and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your lips drip nectar, my bride;
    honey and milk are under your lips;
        the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon.

The Locked Garden of Delights Is Unlocked

12 A garden locked is my sister bride,
    a spring enclosed,[g] a fountain sealed.
13 Your shoots[h] are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruit,[i]
    henna with nard;
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon spice with all trees of frankincense,
    myrrh and aloes with all chief spices.
15 A garden fountain, a well of living water,
    flowing (streams) from Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind! Come, O south wind!
    Blow upon my garden! Let its fragrances[j] waft forth![k]
Let my beloved come to his garden,
    let him eat his choice fruit!

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:1 Literally “Behold!” Or “Look!”
  2. Song of Solomon 4:1 Literally “Behold!” Or “Look!”
  3. Song of Solomon 4:4 Literally “shields”
  4. Song of Solomon 4:7 Literally “There is no flaw in you!”
  5. Song of Solomon 4:8 Or “You must come”
  6. Song of Solomon 4:8 Or “With me”
  7. Song of Solomon 4:12 Or “a source locked”
  8. Song of Solomon 4:13 Or “your channel”
  9. Song of Solomon 4:13 Literally “fruit of choice things”
  10. Song of Solomon 4:16 Or “perfumes”
  11. Song of Solomon 4:16 Or “His perfumes can waft down”

Lover

Behold, you are beautiful, my love.

    Behold, you are beautiful.
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil.
    Your hair is as a flock of goats,
    that descend from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a newly shorn flock,
    which have come up from the washing,
    where every one of them has twins.
    None is bereaved among them.
Your lips are like scarlet thread.
    Your mouth is lovely.
    Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
Your neck is like David’s tower built for an armory,
    on which a thousand shields hang,
    all the shields of the mighty men.
Your two breasts are like two fawns
    that are twins of a roe,
    which feed among the lilies.

Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away,
    I will go to the mountain of myrrh,
    to the hill of frankincense.

You are all beautiful, my love.
    There is no spot in you.
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
    with me from Lebanon.
    Look from the top of Amana,
    from the top of Senir and Hermon,
    from the lions’ dens,
    from the mountains of the leopards.

You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride.
    You have ravished my heart with one of your eyes,
    with one chain of your neck.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
    How much better is your love than wine,
    the fragrance of your perfumes than all kinds of spices!
11 Your lips, my bride, drip like the honeycomb.
    Honey and milk are under your tongue.
    The smell of your garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, is a locked up garden;
    a locked up spring,
    a sealed fountain.
13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits,
    henna with spikenard plants,
14     spikenard and saffron,
    calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree;
    myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices,
15     a fountain of gardens,
    a well of living waters,
    flowing streams from Lebanon.

Beloved

16 Awake, north wind, and come, you south!
    Blow on my garden, that its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come into his garden,
    and taste his precious fruits.