Song of Solomon 5-8
New American Standard Bible
The Torment of Separation
The Groom
5 “I have (A)come into my garden, (B)my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my (C)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (D)honey;
I have (E)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (F)friends;
Drink and [a]drink deeply, lovers.”
The Bride
2 “I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (G)my sister, my darling,
(H)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is [b]drenched with dew,
My (I)locks with the dew drops of the night.’
3 I have (J)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (K)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my (L)feelings were stirred for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (M)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (N)turned away and had gone!
My [c]heart went out to him as he (O)spoke.
I (P)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (Q)called him but he did not answer me.
7 The (R)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8 (S)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (T)I am lovesick.”
The Chorus
9 “[d]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (U)most beautiful among women?
[e]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 “My beloved is dazzling and [f](V)reddish,
(W)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (X)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (Y)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (Z)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (AA)bed of balsam,
[g]Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (AB)lilies
(AC)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (AD)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with [h](AE)sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (AF)Lebanon,
Choice as the (AG)cedars.
16 His [i](AH)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (AI)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”
Mutual Delight in Each Other
The Chorus
6 “(AJ)Where has your beloved gone,
O (AK)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
The Bride
2 “My beloved has gone down to his (AL)garden,
To the (AM)beds of balsam,
To (AN)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (AO)lilies.
3 (AP)I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who (AQ)pastures his flock among the lilies.”
The Groom
4 “(AR)You are as beautiful as (AS)Tirzah, my darling,
As (AT)lovely as (AU)Jerusalem,
As (AV)awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
(AW)Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
6 (AX)Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
7 (AY)Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 There are sixty (AZ)queens and eighty concubines,
And [j](BA)young women without number;
9 But (BB)my dove, my perfect one, is [k]unique:
She is her mother’s [l]only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her.
The [m](BC)young women saw her and called her [n]blessed,
The (BD)queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 ‘Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full (BE)moon,
As pure (BF)as the sun,
As (BG)awesome as an army with banners?’
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the plants of the valley,
To see whether (BH)the vine had grown
Or the (BI)pomegranates had bloomed.
12 [o]Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of [p]my noble people.”
The Chorus
13 “[q]Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!”
The Groom
Admiration by the Groom
7 “[s]How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
[t](BL)Prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.
2 Your navel is like a round goblet
That never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat,
[u]Surrounded with lilies.
3 Your (BM)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.
4 Your (BN)neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes like the pools in (BO)Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which looks toward Damascus.
5 Your head [v]crowns you like (BP)Carmel,
And the flowing hair of your head is like purple threads;
The king is captivated by your tresses.
6 How (BQ)beautiful and how delightful you are,
[w]My love, with all your delights!
7 [x]Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree,
I will grasp its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your [y]breath like (BR)apples,
9 And your [z](BS)mouth like the best wine!”
The Bride
“It (BT)goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who are asleep.
The Union of Love
10 “(BU)I am my beloved’s,
And his (BV)desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved, let’s go out to the [aa]country,
Let’s spend the night in the villages.
12 Let’s rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let’s (BW)see whether the vine has grown
And its buds have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 The (BX)mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all (BY)delicious fruits,
New as well as old,
Which I have saved for you, my beloved.
The Lovers Speak
8 “Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.
2 I would lead you and (BZ)bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
3 Let (CA)his left hand be under my head,
And his right hand embrace me.”
The Groom
4 “(CB)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem:
[ab]Do not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
The Chorus
5 “(CC)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning on her beloved?”
The Bride
“Beneath the (CD)apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother went into labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave birth to you.
6 Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a (CE)seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
[ac](CF)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flames are flames of fire,
[ad]The flame of the Lord.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers flood over it;
(CG)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.”
The Chorus
8 “We have a little sister,
And she (CH)has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with (CI)planks of cedar.”
The Bride
10 “I was a wall, and (CJ)my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a (CK)vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He (CL)entrusted the vineyard to (CM)caretakers.
Each one was to bring a (CN)thousand shekels of silver for its (CO)fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is [ae]at my disposal;
The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
The Groom
The Bride
14 “[af]Hurry, my beloved,
And be (CR)like a gazelle or a young [ag]stag
On the (CS)mountains of balsam trees!”
Notas al pie
- Song of Solomon 5:1 Or become drunk
- Song of Solomon 5:2 Lit filled
- Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit soul
- Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
- Song of Solomon 5:9 Or What is your beloved more than another beloved
- Song of Solomon 5:10 I.e., of reddish hair or skin
- Song of Solomon 5:13 Lit Towers
- Song of Solomon 5:14 Lit lapis lazuli
- Song of Solomon 5:16 Lit palate
- Song of Solomon 6:8 Or virgins
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit one
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Lit daughters
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or happy
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Lit I was not aware, my soul
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or Ammi-nadib
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7:1 in Heb
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or Mahanaim
- Song of Solomon 7:1 Ch 7:2 in Heb
- Song of Solomon 7:1 Or Nobleman’s
- Song of Solomon 7:2 Lit Fenced around
- Song of Solomon 7:5 Lit is upon
- Song of Solomon 7:6 Or With love among your charms
- Song of Solomon 7:7 Lit This stature of yours
- Song of Solomon 7:8 Lit nose
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Lit palate
- Song of Solomon 7:11 Lit field
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Lit Why should you disturb or
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or Its passion is as inflexible
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Another reading is A vehement flame
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit before me
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit Flee
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Lit of the stags
Song of Solomon 5-8
New Living Translation
Young Man
5 I have entered my garden, my treasure,[a] my bride!
I gather myrrh with my spices
and eat honeycomb with my honey.
I drink wine with my milk.
Young Women of Jerusalem
Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink!
Yes, drink deeply of your love!
Young Woman
2 I slept, but my heart was awake,
when I heard my lover knocking and calling:
“Open to me, my treasure, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3 But I responded,
“I have taken off my robe.
Should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Should I get them soiled?”
4 My lover tried to unlatch the door,
and my heart thrilled within me.
5 I jumped up to open the door for my love,
and my hands dripped with perfume.
My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh
as I pulled back the bolt.
6 I opened to my lover,
but he was gone!
My heart sank.
I searched for him
but could not find him anywhere.
I called to him,
but there was no reply.
7 The night watchmen found me
as they made their rounds.
They beat and bruised me
and stripped off my veil,
those watchmen on the walls.
8 Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem—
If you find my lover,
tell him I am weak with love.
Young Women of Jerusalem
9 Why is your lover better than all others,
O woman of rare beauty?
What makes your lover so special
that we must promise this?
Young Woman
10 My lover is dark and dazzling,
better than ten thousand others!
11 His head is finest gold,
his wavy hair is black as a raven.
12 His eyes sparkle like doves
beside springs of water;
they are set like jewels
washed in milk.
13 His cheeks are like gardens of spices
giving off fragrance.
His lips are like lilies,
perfumed with myrrh.
14 His arms are like rounded bars of gold,
set with beryl.
His body is like bright ivory,
glowing with lapis lazuli.
15 His legs are like marble pillars
set in sockets of finest gold.
His posture is stately,
like the noble cedars of Lebanon.
16 His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is desirable in every way.
Such, O women of Jerusalem,
is my lover, my friend.
Young Women of Jerusalem
6 Where has your lover gone,
O woman of rare beauty?
Which way did he turn
so we can help you find him?
Young Woman
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to his spice beds,
to browse in the gardens
and gather the lilies.
3 I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.
He browses among the lilies.
Young Man
4 You are beautiful, my darling,
like the lovely city of Tirzah.
Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners.
5 Turn your eyes away,
for they overpower me.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are as white as sheep
that are freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.[b]
7 Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
8 Even among sixty queens
and eighty concubines
and countless young women,
9 I would still choose my dove, my perfect one—
the favorite of her mother,
dearly loved by the one who bore her.
The young women see her and praise her;
even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:
10 “Who is this, arising like the dawn,
as fair as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
as majestic as an army with billowing banners?”
Young Woman
11 I went down to the grove of walnut trees
and out to the valley to see the new spring growth,
to see whether the grapevines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I realized it,
my strong desires had taken me to the chariot of a noble man.[c]
Young Women of Jerusalem
13 [d]Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam.
Come back, come back, that we may see you again.
Young Man
Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam,
as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers?[e]
7 [f]How beautiful are your sandaled feet,
O queenly maiden.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the work of a skilled craftsman.
2 Your navel is perfectly formed
like a goblet filled with mixed wine.
Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat
bordered with lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon
overlooking Damascus.
5 Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel,
and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty.
The king is held captive by its tresses.
6 Oh, how beautiful you are!
How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
7 You are slender like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like grape clusters,
and the fragrance of your breath like apples.
9 May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine—
Young Woman
Yes, wine that goes down smoothly for my lover,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.[g]
10 I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.
11 Come, my love, let us go out to the fields
and spend the night among the wildflowers.[h]
12 Let us get up early and go to the vineyards
to see if the grapevines have budded,
if the blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 There the mandrakes give off their fragrance,
and the finest fruits are at our door,
new delights as well as old,
which I have saved for you, my lover.
Young Woman
8 Oh, I wish you were my brother,
who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching,
and no one would criticize me.
2 I would bring you to my childhood home,
and there you would teach me.[i]
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
my sweet pomegranate wine.
3 Your left arm would be under my head,
and your right arm would embrace me.
4 Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
not to awaken love until the time is right.[j]
Young Women of Jerusalem
5 Who is this sweeping in from the desert,
leaning on her lover?
Young Woman
I aroused you under the apple tree,
where your mother gave you birth,
where in great pain she delivered you.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy[k] as enduring as the grave.[l]
Love flashes like fire,
the brightest kind of flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
with all his wealth,
his offer would be utterly scorned.
The Young Woman’s Brothers
8 We have a little sister
too young to have breasts.
What will we do for our sister
if someone asks to marry her?
9 If she is a virgin, like a wall,
we will protect her with a silver tower.
But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door,
we will block her door with a cedar bar.
Young Woman
10 I was a virgin, like a wall;
now my breasts are like towers.
When my lover looks at me,
he is delighted with what he sees.
11 Solomon has a vineyard at Baal-hamon,
which he leases out to tenant farmers.
Each of them pays a thousand pieces of silver
for harvesting its fruit.
12 But my vineyard is mine to give,
and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver.
But I will give two hundred pieces
to those who care for its vines.
Young Man
13 O my darling, lingering in the gardens,
your companions are fortunate to hear your voice.
Let me hear it, too!
Young Woman
14 Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
Notas al pie
- 5:1 Hebrew my sister; also in 5:2.
- 6:6 Hebrew Not one is missing; each has a twin.
- 6:12 Or to the royal chariots of my people, or to the chariots of Amminadab. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 6:13a Verse 6:13 is numbered 7:1 in Hebrew text.
- 6:13b Or as you would at the movements of two armies? or as you would at the dance of Mahanaim? The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 7:1 Verses 7:1-13 are numbered 7:2-14 in Hebrew text.
- 7:9 As in Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads over lips of sleepers.
- 7:11 Or in the villages.
- 8:2 Or there she will teach me.
- 8:4 Or not to awaken love until it is ready.
- 8:6a Or its passion.
- 8:6b Hebrew as Sheol.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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.
