Song of Solomon 6
Revised Standard Version
6 Whither has your beloved gone,
O fairest among women?
Whither has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
The Bride’s Matchless Beauty
4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they disturb me—
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
moving down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,
that have come up from the washing,
all of them bear twins,
not one among them is bereaved.
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and maidens without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one, is only one,
the darling of her mother,
flawless to her that bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her happy;
the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.
10 “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
terrible as an army with banners?”
11 I went down to the nut orchard,
to look at the blossoms of the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I was aware, my fancy set me
in a chariot beside my prince.[a]
13 [b] Return, return, O Shu′lammite,
return, return, that we may look upon you.
Why should you look upon the Shu′lammite,
as upon a dance before two armies?[c]
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Cn: The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7.1 in Heb
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim
Song of Solomon 6
American Standard Version
6 Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women?
Whither hath thy beloved turned him,
That we may seek him with thee?
2 My beloved is gone down to his garden,
To the beds of [a]spices,
To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:
He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah,
Comely as Jerusalem,
Terrible as [b]an army with banners.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me,
For they [c]have overcome me.
Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
That lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes,
Which are come up from the washing;
Whereof every one hath twins,
And none is bereaved among them.
7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate
Behind thy veil.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines,
And [d]virgins without number.
9 My dove, my [e]undefiled, is but one;
She is the only one of her mother;
She is the [f]choice one of her that bare her.
The daughters saw her, and called her blessed;
Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning,
Fair as the moon,
[g]Clear as the sun,
Terrible as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the garden of nuts,
To see the green plants of the valley,
To see whether the vine budded,
And the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Before I was aware, my [h]soul [i]set me
Among the chariots of my [j]princely people.
13 Return, return, O Shulammite;
Return, return, that we may look upon thee.
Why will ye look upon the Shulammite,
As upon the dance [k]of Mahanaim?
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:2 Or, balsam
- Song of Solomon 6:4 Hebrew bannered hosts.
- Song of Solomon 6:5 Or, make me afraid
- Song of Solomon 6:8 Or, maidens
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Hebrew perfect.
- Song of Solomon 6:9 Or, pure
- Song of Solomon 6:10 Or, Pure
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, desire
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, made me like the chariots of Amminadib
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Or, willing
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or, of two companies
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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