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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

I am a wildflower[a] of Sharon,
a lily[b] of the valleys.(A)

Man

Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.

Woman

Like an apricot[c] tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banquet hall,[d](B)
and he looked on me with love.[e](C)
Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,[f]
for I am lovesick.(D)
May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.(E)
Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[g](F)

Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,(G)
bounding over the hills.
My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.(H)
See, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:

Man

Arise,(I) my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing[h] has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.(J)
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;(K)
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.(L)
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.

14 My dove,(M) in the clefts of the rock,(N)
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,[i]
let me hear your voice;(O)
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(P)

Woman

15 [j]Catch the foxes for us(Q)
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.(R)

Woman

16 My love is mine and I am his;(S)
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks[k]
and the shadows flee,
turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag(T) on the divided mountains.[l](U)

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Traditionally rose
  2. 2:1 Or lotus
  3. 2:3 Or apple
  4. 2:4 Lit the house of wine
  5. 2:4 Or and his banner over me is love
  6. 2:5 Or apples
  7. 2:7 Lit until it pleases
  8. 2:12 Or pruning
  9. 2:14 Or form
  10. 2:15 The speaker could be the woman, the man, or both.
  11. 2:17 Lit breathes
  12. 2:17 Or the Bether mountains, or the mountains of spices; Hb obscure