Song of Solomon 8
English Standard Version
Longing for Her Beloved
8 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother's breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me.
2 I would lead you and (A)bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you (B)spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
3 (C)His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
4 I (D)adjure you, O (E)daughters of Jerusalem,
(F)that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
5 (G)Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as (H)a seal upon your arm,
for (I)love is strong as death,
(J)jealousy[a] is fierce as the grave.[b]
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very (K)flame of the Lord.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his (L)house,
he[c] would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
8 We have a little sister,
and she (M)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 enclose her with (N)boards of cedar.
She
10 (O)I was a wall,
and my (P)breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds[d] peace.
11 Solomon had (Q)a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he (R)let out the vineyard to (S)keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit (T)a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and (U)the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
13 (V)O you who dwell in the gardens,
with (W)companions listening for your voice;
(X)let me hear it.
She
14 (Y)Make haste, my beloved,
and be (Z)like a gazelle
or a young stag
on (AA)the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or ardor
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Hebrew as Sheol
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Or it
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or brings out
Song of Solomon 8
International Standard Version
8 If only you were like a brother to me,
like[a] one who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside I would kiss you,
and no one would view me with contempt.[b]
2 I would lead you,
I would bring you
to the house of my mother
who used to teach me.
I would give you some spiced wine to drink,
from the juice of my pomegranates.[c]
3 Let his left hand be under my head,
and let his right hand embrace me.
4 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![d]
The Young Women
5 Who is this coming up from the desert,
leaning on her beloved?
The Loved One
Under the apple tree[e] I awakened you.
There your mother had gone into labor with you;
there she went into labor and gave birth to you.
6 Set me like a seal[f] over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
passion[g] as intense as Sheol.[h]
The flames of love[i] are flames of fire,
a blaze that comes from the Lord.[j]
7 Mighty bodies of water cannot extinguish love,
rivers cannot put it out.
If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would surely be viewed with contempt.
The Loved One’s Brothers
8 We[k] have a little sister,
and she has not yet reached maturity.[l]
What will we do for our sister
to prepare her for[m] her engagement?[n]
9 If she’s a wall,
on her we will build a battlement of silver.
If she’s a door,
we will enclose her with planks of cedar.
The Loved One
10 I was a wall and my breasts were like towers.
Then I became like one who finds peace[o] in his eyes.
11 Solomon has a vineyard in Baal-hamon.
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers—
each one is to bring 1,000 pieces of silver
in exchange for its fruit.
12 My vineyard belongs to me and is at my disposal.[p]
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
and 200 are for those who take care of its fruit.
The Lover
13 You who sit in the gardens,
companions are listening for your voice,
but let me hear it.
The Loved One
14 Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:1 The Heb. lacks like
- Song of Solomon 8:1 I.e. think badly of me
- Song of Solomon 8:2 Or some of my sweet pomegranate wine
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Lit. until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 8:5 Or apricot tree
- Song of Solomon 8:6 I.e. a cylinder seal or a signet ring used to indicate ownership or authority
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or jealousy
- Song of Solomon 8:6 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Lit. its flames
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or an intense blaze
- Song of Solomon 8:8 I.e. the bride’s brothers
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Lit. has no breasts
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Lit. sister on the day when she’s spoken for
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Or marriage
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or contentment
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit. is before me
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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