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Song of Solomon 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Song of Solomon 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[a]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(A) who taught me.[b]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
3 His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(B)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(C)
5 Y Who is this(D) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
W I awakened you under the apricot tree.(E)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(F)
For love is as strong as death;(G)
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(H)—
the fiercest of all.[c]
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[d] for love,(I)
it would be utterly scorned.
8 B Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(J)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver parapet on it.
If she is a door,
we will enclose it with cedar planks.[e](K)
10 W I am[f] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.[g]
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(L)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(M)
Each was to bring for his fruit
1,000 pieces of silver.(N)
12 I have my own vineyard.[h](O)
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.
14 W Hurry to me, my love,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.(R)
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me
- Song of Solomon 8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore me
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord
- Song of Solomon 8:7 Lit all the wealth of his house
- Song of Solomon 8:9 Vv. 8-9 may record what the girl’s brothers used to say.
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or was
- Song of Solomon 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; Sg 1:6
- Song of Solomon 8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine.
Song of Songs 8
New International Version
Song of Songs 8
New International Version
8 If only you were to me like a brother,
who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
2 I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house(A)—
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
3 His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.(B)
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(C)
Friends
5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness(D)
leaning on her beloved?
She
Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived(E) you,
there she who was in labor gave you birth.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love(F) is as strong as death,
its jealousy[a](G) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.[b]
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it[c] would be utterly scorned.(H)
Friends
8 We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
She
10 I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard(I) in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels[d](J) of silver.
12 But my own vineyard(K) is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred[e] are for those who tend its fruit.
He
13 You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
She
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
- Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
- Song of Songs 8:7 Or he
- Song of Songs 8:11 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms; also in verse 12
- Song of Songs 8:12 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
Song of Solomon 8
New King James Version
Song of Solomon 8
New King James Version
Lovers Reunited at Their Country Home
8 Oh, that you were like my brother,
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I should find you outside,
I would kiss you;
I would not be despised.
2 I would lead you and bring you
Into the (A)house of my mother,
She who used to instruct me.
I would cause you to drink of (B)spiced wine,
Of the juice of my pomegranate.
(To the Daughters of Jerusalem)
3 (C)His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
4 (D)I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.
Love Renewed in Lebanon
A Relative
5 (E)Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?
I awakened you under the apple tree.
There your mother brought you forth;
There she who bore you brought you forth.
The Shulamite to Her Beloved
6 (F)Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
(G)Jealousy as [a]cruel as [b]the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
[c]A most vehement flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
(H)If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.
The Shulamite’s Brothers
8 (I)We have a little sister,
And she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
In the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
We will build upon her
A battlement of silver;
And if she is a door,
We will enclose her
With boards of cedar.
The Shulamite
10 I am a wall,
And my breasts like towers;
Then I became in his eyes
As one who found peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon;
(J)He leased the vineyard to keepers;
Everyone was to bring for its fruit
A thousand silver coins.
(To Solomon)
12 My own vineyard is before me.
You, O Solomon, may have a thousand,
And those who tend its fruit two hundred.
The Beloved
13 You who dwell in the gardens,
The companions listen for your voice—
(K)Let me hear it!
The Shulamite
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:6 severe, lit. hard
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or Sheol
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Lit. A flame of Yah, poetic form of YHWH, the Lord
- Song of Solomon 8:14 Hurry, lit. Flee
Song of Solomon 8
New Living Translation
Song of Solomon 8
New Living Translation
Young Woman
8 Oh, I wish you were my brother,
who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching,
and no one would criticize me.
2 I would bring you to my childhood home,
and there you would teach me.[a]
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
my sweet pomegranate wine.
3 Your left arm would be under my head,
and your right arm would embrace me.
4 Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
not to awaken love until the time is right.[b]
Young Women of Jerusalem
5 Who is this sweeping in from the desert,
leaning on her lover?
Young Woman
I aroused you under the apple tree,
where your mother gave you birth,
where in great pain she delivered you.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy[c] as enduring as the grave.[d]
Love flashes like fire,
the brightest kind of flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
with all his wealth,
his offer would be utterly scorned.
The Young Woman’s Brothers
8 We have a little sister
too young to have breasts.
What will we do for our sister
if someone asks to marry her?
9 If she is a virgin, like a wall,
we will protect her with a silver tower.
But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door,
we will block her door with a cedar bar.
Young Woman
10 I was a virgin, like a wall;
now my breasts are like towers.
When my lover looks at me,
he is delighted with what he sees.
11 Solomon has a vineyard at Baal-hamon,
which he leases out to tenant farmers.
Each of them pays a thousand pieces of silver
for harvesting its fruit.
12 But my vineyard is mine to give,
and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver.
But I will give two hundred pieces
to those who care for its vines.
Young Man
13 O my darling, lingering in the gardens,
your companions are fortunate to hear your voice.
Let me hear it, too!
Young Woman
14 Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
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.