Song of Solomon 6
New Living Translation
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.[a]
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.[b]
Young Women of Jerusalem
13 [c]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?[d]
Footnotes
- 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.
Song of Solomon 6
Living Bible
6 The Young Women of Jerusalem: “O rarest of beautiful women, where has your loved one gone? We will help you find him.”
The Girl: 2 “He has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to pasture his flock and to gather the lilies. 3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. He pastures his flock among the lilies!”
King Solomon: 4 “O my beloved, you are as beautiful as the lovely land of Tirzah, yes, beautiful as Jerusalem, and how you capture my heart.[a] 5 Look the other way, for your eyes have overcome me! Your hair, as it falls across your face, is like a flock of goats frisking down the slopes of Gilead. 6 Your teeth are white as freshly washed ewes, perfectly matched and not one missing. 7 Your cheeks are matched loveliness[b] behind your hair. 8 I have sixty other wives, all queens, and eighty concubines, and unnumbered virgins available to me; 9 but you, my dove, my perfect one, are the only one among them all, without an equal! The women of Jerusalem were delighted when they saw you, and even the queens and concubines praise you. 10 ‘Who is this,’ they ask, ‘arising as the dawn, fair as the moon, pure as the sun, so utterly captivating?’”[c]
The Girl: 11 “I went down into the orchard of nuts and out to the valley to see the springtime there, to see whether the grapevines were budding or the pomegranates were blossoming yet. 12 Before I realized it, I was stricken with terrible homesickness and wanted to be back among my own people.”[d]
The Young Women of Jerusalem: 13 “Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you once again.”
The Girl: “Why should you seek a mere Shulammite?”
King Solomon: “Because you dance so beautifully.”[e]
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:4 how you capture my heart, literally, “terrible as an army with banners.”
- Song of Solomon 6:7 matched loveliness, literally, “like the halves of a pomegranate.”
- Song of Solomon 6:10 so utterly captivating, literally, “terrible as an army with banners.”
- Song of Solomon 6:12 among my own people, literally, “among the chariots of my princely people.” Another possible reading is, “beside my beloved in his chariot.”
- Song of Solomon 6:13 you dance so beautifully, literally, “you move as upon a dance before two armies.”
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.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.