Song of Solomon 2:8-3:11

Contemporary English Version

⁸ I hear the voice
    of the one I love,
as he comes leaping
over mountains and hills
⁹     like a deer or a gazelle.
Now he stands outside our wall,
looking through the window
¹⁰     and speaking to me.

My darling, I love you!
    Let's go away together.
¹¹ Winter is past,
    the rain has stopped;
¹² flowers cover the earth,
    it's time to sing.^[a]
The cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
¹³ Fig trees are bearing fruit,
while blossoms on grapevines
    fill the air with perfume.
My darling, I love you!
    Let's go away together.
¹⁴ You are my dove
hiding among the rocks
    on the side of a cliff.
Let me see how lovely you are!
Let me hear the sound
    of your melodious voice.
¹⁵ Our vineyards are in blossom;
we must catch the little foxes
    that destroy the vineyards.^[b]

¹⁶ My darling, I am yours,
    and you are mine,
as you feed your sheep
    among the lilies.
¹⁷ Pretend to be a young deer
dancing on mountain slopes^[c]
    until daylight comes
    and shadows fade away.

3 While in bed at night,
I reached for the one I love
    with heart and soul.
I looked for him,
    but he wasn't there.
² So I searched through the town
    for the one I love.
I looked on every street,
    but he wasn't there.
³ I even asked the guards
    patrolling the town,
“Have you seen the one
    I love so much?”
⁴ Right after that, I found him.
I held him and would not let go
    until I had taken him
    to the home of my mother.
⁵ Young women of Jerusalem,
promise me by the power
    of deer and gazelles,^[d]
never to awaken love
    before it is ready.

⁶ What do we see approaching
from the desert
    like a cloud of smoke?
With it comes the sweet smell
of spices, including myrrh
    and frankincense.
⁷ It is King Solomon
    carried on a throne,
surrounded by sixty
    of Israel's best soldiers.
⁸ Each of them wears a sword.
They are experts at fighting,
    even in the dark.
⁹ The throne is made of trees
    from Lebanon.
¹⁰ Its posts are silver,
    the back is gold,
and the seat is covered
    with purple cloth.
You women of Jerusalem
have taken great care
    to furnish the inside.^[e]
11 Now come and see the crown
given to Solomon by his mother
    on his happy wedding day.