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Friends

Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women?
    Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

Beloved

My beloved has gone down to his garden,
    to the beds of spices,
    to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
    He browses among the lilies.

Lover

You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah,
    lovely as Jerusalem,
    awesome as an army with banners.
Turn away your eyes from me,
    for they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
    that lie along the side of Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,
    which have come up from the washing,
    of which every one has twins;
    not one is bereaved among them.
Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

There are sixty queens, eighty concubines,
    and virgins without number.
My dove, my perfect one, is unique.
    She is her mother’s only daughter.
    She is the favorite one of her who bore her.
The daughters saw her, and called her blessed.
    The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.

10 Who is she who looks out as the morning,
    beautiful as the moon,
    clear as the sun,
    and awesome as an army with banners?

11 I went down into the nut tree grove,
    to see the green plants of the valley,
    to see whether the vine budded,
    and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Without realizing it,
    my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.

Friends

13 Return, return, Shulammite!
    Return, return, that we may gaze at you.

Lover

Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite,
    as at the dance of Mahanaim?

I Am My Beloved’s

The Daughters of Jerusalem

Where has your beloved gone,
(A)O fairest among women?
Where has your beloved turned aside,
That we may seek him with you?

The Shulamite

My beloved has gone to his (B)garden,
To the beds of spices,
To feed his flock in the gardens,
And to gather lilies.
(C)I am my beloved’s,
And my beloved is mine.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Praise of the Shulamite’s Beauty

The Beloved

O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,
Lovely as Jerusalem,
Awesome as an army with banners!
Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have [a]overcome me.
Your hair is (D)like a flock of goats
Going down from Gilead.
(E)Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
Which have come up from the washing;
Every one bears twins,
And none is [b]barren among them.
(F)Like a piece of pomegranate
Are your temples behind your veil.

There are sixty queens
And eighty concubines,
And (G)virgins without number.
My dove, my (H)perfect one,
Is the only one,
The only one of her mother,
The favorite of the one who bore her.
The daughters saw her
And called her blessed,
The queens and the concubines,
And they praised her.

10 Who is she who looks forth as the morning,
Fair as the moon,
Clear as the sun,
(I)Awesome as an army with banners?

The Shulamite

11 I went down to the garden of nuts
To see the verdure of the valley,
(J)To see whether the vine had budded
And the pomegranates had bloomed.
12 Before I was even aware,
My soul had made me
As the chariots of [c]my noble people.

The Beloved and His Friends

13 Return, return, O Shulamite;
Return, return, that we may look upon you!

The Shulamite

What would you see in the Shulamite—
As it were, the dance of [d]the two camps?

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 6:5 overwhelmed
  2. Song of Solomon 6:6 bereaved
  3. Song of Solomon 6:12 Heb. Ammi Nadib
  4. Song of Solomon 6:13 Heb. Mahanaim