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Solomon’s Praise of His Dancing Maiden

How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
    O royal princess![a]
The curves of your thighs[b] are like jewels,[c]
    the work of the hands of a craftsman.
Your navel is a round wine-mixing bowl[d]
    that does not lack mixed[e] wine!
Your belly is a heap of wheat
    encircled with lilies.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like a tower of ivory;
    your eyes are pools in Heshbon at the gate of Beth Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
    looking out over Damascus.[f]
Your head crowns you like Carmel;[g][h]
    the flowing locks of your head are like purple tapestry;[i]
        a king is held captive in the tresses!
How beautiful you are and how pleasant,
    O loved one in the delights!
Your stature[j] is like the palm tree,
    and your breasts are like clusters.
I say, “I will climb up the palm tree;
    I will lay hold of its fruit clusters.”
Let your breasts be pleasing like clusters of the vine
    and the scent of your breath like the apples.
Your palate is like the best wine that goes down for my beloved,
    smoothly gliding over my lips and teeth.[k]

Mutual Possession Refrain

10 I belong to my beloved,[l]
    and he desires me![m]

Rendezvous in the Countryside

11 Come, my beloved, let us go out to the countryside;[n]
    let us spend the night[o] in the villages.
12 Let us rise early to go[p] to the vineyards;
    let us see whether the vine has budded,[q]
whether the grape blossom has opened,
    and whether the pomegranates are in bloom;[r]
there I will give my love to you.
13 The mandrakes give off their fragrance,
    and over our doorway is every kind of delicious fruit;[s]
both fresh and dried fruit I have stored up[t] for you, O my beloved.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 7:1 Or “O daughter of leader”
  2. Song of Solomon 7:1 Literally “thigh”
  3. Song of Solomon 7:1 Literally “ornaments”
  4. Song of Solomon 7:2 Literally “a bowl of the roundness”
  5. Song of Solomon 7:2 Or “blended”
  6. Song of Solomon 7:4 Literally “looking out over the face of Damascus”
  7. Song of Solomon 7:5 Literally “Your head is on you like the Carmel”
  8. Song of Solomon 7:5 Because of its height and fertility, Mount Carmel is often associated with royalty
  9. Song of Solomon 7:5 Literally “the purple”
  10. Song of Solomon 7:7 Literally “this your height”
  11. Song of Solomon 7:9 Or “over lips of sleepers.” One Hebrew textual tradition preserves the reading “lips of those who sleep” (MT). Another Hebrew tradition reads “my lips and my teeth,” as reflected by the ancient versions (LXX, Latin Vulgate, Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta). The latter is adopted here since it makes the most sense poetically
  12. Song of Solomon 7:10 Literally “I am for my beloved”
  13. Song of Solomon 7:10 Literally “and his desire is for me.” Or “and his desire belongs to me”
  14. Song of Solomon 7:11 Literally “go forth into the field”
  15. Song of Solomon 7:11 Or “lodge”
  16. Song of Solomon 7:12 Or “let us go”
  17. Song of Solomon 7:12 Or “sprouted”
  18. Song of Solomon 7:12 Literally “have bloomed”
  19. Song of Solomon 7:13 Or “over our doorways all choice things
  20. Song of Solomon 7:13 Literally “new also old I have laid up”

[a]How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
noble lady.[b]
The curves of your thighs are like ornaments,
    the work of a skilled artist’s hands.
Your navel is a rounded goblet
    that never lacks mixed wine.
Your abdomen is a bundle of wheat,
    enclosed by lilies.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like a tower of ivory.
    Your eyes are like the[c] pools in Heshbon,
        beside the gate of Beth-rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
    which faces Damascus.
Your head crowns you[d] like Mount Carmel.
    Your flowing locks[e] are like purple,
        and a king could be captured in the dangling tresses.
How beautiful and lovely you are,
    you are love with its exquisite delights.[f]
Your stature[g] is like a palm tree,
    and your breasts are like clusters of fruit.[h]
I told myself, “I’ll go up the palm tree,
    and take hold of its fruit.
May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,[i]
    and the smell of your breath like apples.[j]
May your mouth[k] be like good wine.

The Loved One

May it go down smoothly to my beloved,
    gliding gently over the lips of the sleeping ones.
10 I belong to my beloved,
    and his desire is for me.

11 Come, my beloved.
    Let us go out to the country,
        let us spend the night in the villages.[l]
12 Let us go early to the vineyards,
    let us see whether the vine has budded,
whether the blossom has opened,
    whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
        There I’ll give you my love.
13 The mandrakes give off their[m] fragrance,
    and over our doors are all the choice fruits,
both old and new,
    that I’ve stored up for you, my beloved.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 7:1 This v. is 7:2 in MT
  2. Song of Solomon 7:1 Or prince’s daughter
  3. Song of Solomon 7:4 The Heb. lacks like the
  4. Song of Solomon 7:5 Lit. is on you
  5. Song of Solomon 7:5 Lit. the hair of your head
  6. Song of Solomon 7:6 Or my love with exquisite delights; Lit. Love with exquisite delights
  7. Song of Solomon 7:7 Lit. This stature of yours
  8. Song of Solomon 7:7 The Heb. lacks of fruit
  9. Song of Solomon 7:8 I.e. grapes
  10. Song of Solomon 7:8 Or apricots
  11. Song of Solomon 7:9 Lit. palate
  12. Song of Solomon 7:11 Or night among the henna blossoms
  13. Song of Solomon 7:13 The Heb. lacks their