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I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.(A)

As a lily among brambles,
    so is my love among maidens.

As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,
    so is my beloved among young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
    and his fruit was sweet to my taste.(B)
He brought me to the banqueting house,
    and his intention toward[a] me was love.(C)
Sustain me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am faint with love.(D)
O that his left hand were under my head
    and that his right hand embraced me!(E)
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
    until it is ready!(F)

Springtime Rhapsody

The voice of my beloved!
    Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.(G)
My beloved is like a gazelle
    or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
    behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
    looking through the lattice.(H)
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away,(I)
11 for now the winter is past,
    the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
    the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.(J)
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
    and come away.(K)
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    in the covert of the cliff,
let me see your face;
    let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.(L)
15 Catch us the foxes,
    the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards—
    for our vineyards are in blossom.”(M)

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
    he pastures his flock among the lilies.(N)
17 Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
    or a young stag on the cleft mountains.[b](O)

Footnotes

  1. 2.4 Heb banner above
  2. 2.17 Or on the mountains of Bether; meaning of Heb uncertain

Love in bloom

[Woman]

I’m a rose of the Sharon plain,
        a lily of the valleys.

[Man]

Like a lily among thornbushes,
        so is my dearest among the young women.

[Woman]

Like an apple tree among the wild trees,
        so is my lover among the young men.
In his shade I take pleasure in sitting,
        and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He has brought me to the house of wine;
        his banner raised over me is love.

Sustain me with raisin cakes,
        strengthen me with apples,
        for I’m weak with love!

His left arm is beneath my head,
        his right embraces me.

Make a solemn pledge, daughters of Jerusalem,
        by the gazelles or the wild deer:
Don’t rouse, don’t arouse love
        until it desires.

Listen! It’s my lover: here he comes now,
        leaping upon the mountains,
        bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
        or a young stag.
Here he stands now,
        outside our wall,
        peering through the windows,
        peeking through the lattices.

10 My lover spoke and said to me,
“Rise up, my dearest,
        my fairest, and go.
11 Here, the winter is past;
        the rains have come and gone.
12 Blossoms have appeared in the land;
        the season of singing[a] has arrived,
        and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The green fruit is on the fig tree,
        and the grapevines in bloom are fragrant.
Rise up,[b] my dearest,
        my fairest, and go.
14 My dove—in the rock crevices,
        hidden in the cliff face—
        let me catch sight of you;
        let me hear your voice!
The sound of your voice is sweet,
        and the sight of you is lovely.”

15 Catch foxes for us—
        those little foxes
        that spoil vineyards,
        now that our vineyards are in bloom!

16 I belong to my lover and he belongs to me—
        the one grazing among the lilies.
17         Before the day breeze blows
        and the shadows flee,
    turn about, my love; be like a gazelle
        or a young stag
        upon the jagged mountains.[c]

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 2:12 Or pruning
  2. Song of Solomon 2:13 LXX and Kethib add go; but Qere, DSS, Vulg, Syr, and Tg lack the verb; cf 2:10.
  3. Song of Solomon 2:17 Or upon the mountains of Bether; cf 8:14 mountains of spice