The Bride Praises the Bridegroom

The Beloved

I (A)have come to my garden, my (B)sister, my spouse;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
(C)I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.

(To His Friends)

Eat, O (D)friends!
Drink, yes, drink deeply,
O beloved ones!

The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening

The Shulamite

I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
(E)He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, [a]my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My [b]locks with the drops of the night.”

I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
How can I [c]defile them?
My beloved put his hand
By the [d]latch of the door,
And my heart yearned for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.

I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My [e]heart leaped up when he spoke.
(F)I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
(G)The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
That you tell him I am lovesick!

The Daughters of Jerusalem

What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
(H)O fairest among women?
What is your beloved
More than another beloved,
That you so [f]charge us?

The Shulamite

10 My beloved is white and ruddy,
[g]Chief among ten thousand.
11 His head is like the finest gold;
His locks are wavy,
And black as a raven.
12 (I)His eyes are like doves
By the rivers of waters,
Washed with milk,
And [h]fitly set.
13 His cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Banks of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies,
Dripping liquid myrrh.

14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon,
Excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 5:2 my companion, friend
  2. Song of Solomon 5:2 curls or hair
  3. Song of Solomon 5:3 dirty
  4. Song of Solomon 5:4 opening
  5. Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit. soul
  6. Song of Solomon 5:9 adjure
  7. Song of Solomon 5:10 Distinguished
  8. Song of Solomon 5:12 sitting in a setting

I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride:
I have gathered my myrrh with my [a]spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, O friends;
Drink, yea, drink abundantly, [b]O beloved.

I [c]was asleep, but my heart waked:
It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,
Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my [d]undefiled;
For my head is filled with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night.
I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
And my [e]heart was moved for him.
I rose up to open to my beloved;
And my hands dropped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
Upon the handles of the bolt.
I opened to my beloved;
But my beloved had [f]withdrawn himself, and was gone.
My soul [g]had failed me when he spake:
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
The watchmen that go about the city found me,
They smote me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls took away my [h]mantle from me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If ye find my beloved,
[i]That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.

What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
O thou fairest among women?
What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
That thou dost so adjure us?

10 My beloved is white and ruddy,
[j]The chiefest among ten thousand.
11 His head is as the most fine gold;
His locks are [k]bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks,
Washed with milk, and [l]fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of [m]spices,
As [n]banks of sweet herbs:
His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are as [o]rings of gold set with [p]beryl:
His body is as [q]ivory work [r]overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold:
His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His [s]mouth is most sweet;
Yea, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, balsam
  2. Song of Solomon 5:1 Or, of love
  3. Song of Solomon 5:2 Or, sleep, but my heart waketh
  4. Song of Solomon 5:2 Hebrew perfect.
  5. Song of Solomon 5:4 Hebrew bowels.
  6. Song of Solomon 5:6 Or, turned away
  7. Song of Solomon 5:6 Hebrew went forth.
  8. Song of Solomon 5:7 Or, veil
  9. Song of Solomon 5:8 Hebrew What will ye tell him? That etc.
  10. Song of Solomon 5:10 Hebrew Marked out by a banner.
  11. Song of Solomon 5:11 Or, curling
  12. Song of Solomon 5:12 Or, sitting by full streams
  13. Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, balsam
  14. Song of Solomon 5:13 Or, towers of perfumes
  15. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, cylinders
  16. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, topaz
  17. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, bright ivory
  18. Song of Solomon 5:14 Or, encrusted
  19. Song of Solomon 5:16 Or, speech. Hebrew palate.