Font Size
Song of Songs 3-4
Christian Standard Bible
Song of Songs 3-4
Christian Standard Bible
3 In my bed at night[a]
I sought the one I love;(A)
I sought him, but did not find him.[b](B)
2 I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and the plazas.(C)
I will seek the one I love.
I sought him, but did not find him.
3 The guards who go about the city found me.(D)
I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”
4 I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house(E)—
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
5 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.[c](F)
Narrator
6 Who is this(G) coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense(H)
from every fragrant powder of the merchant?
7 Look! Solomon’s bed
surrounded by sixty warriors
from the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them are skilled with swords
and trained in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side(I)
to guard against the terror of the night.(J)
9 King Solomon made a carriage for himself
with wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back[d] of gold,
and its seat of purple.
Its interior is inlaid with love[e]
by the young women of Jerusalem.(K)
11 Go out, young women of Zion,(L)
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown his mother placed on him
on the day of his wedding(M)—
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.
Man
4 How beautiful you are, my darling.
How very beautiful!
Behind your veil,
your eyes are doves.(N)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.(O)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
coming up from washing,
each one bearing twins,
and none has lost its young.[f](P)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord,(Q)
and your mouth[g] is lovely.
Behind your veil,
your brow[h] is like a slice of pomegranate.(R)
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,(S)
constructed in layers.
A thousand shields are hung on it—
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,(T) that feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks[i]
and the shadows flee,(U)
I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.(V)
7 You are absolutely beautiful,(W) my darling;
there is no imperfection in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon,[j](X) my bride;(Y)
come with me from Lebanon!
Descend from the peak of Amana,
from the summit of Senir and Hermon,(Z)
from the dens of the lions,
from the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have captured my heart,(AA) my sister,(AB) my bride.
You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,(AC)
and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam.
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.(AD)
Honey and milk(AE) are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden—
a locked garden[k] and a sealed spring.(AF)
13 Your branches are a paradise[l] of pomegranates
with choicest fruits;(AG)
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,(AH)
with all the trees of frankincense,(AI)
myrrh and aloes,(AJ)
with all the best spices.
15 You are a garden spring,
a well of flowing water(AK)
streaming from Lebanon.
Woman
16 Awaken,(AL) north wind;
come, south wind.
Blow on my garden,
and spread the fragrance of its spices.
Let my love come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits.(AM)
Footnotes
- 3:1 Or bed night after night
- 3:1 LXX adds I called him, but he did not answer me
- 3:5 Lit until it pleases
- 3:10 Or base, or canopy
- 3:10 Or leather
- 4:2 Lit and no one bereaved among them
- 4:3 Or speech
- 4:3 Or temple, or cheek, or lips
- 4:6 Lit breathes
- 4:8 In Hb, the word for Lebanon is similar to “frankincense” in Sg 4:6,14,15.
- 4:12 Some Hb mss read locked fountain
- 4:13 Or park, or orchard
Song of Songs 3-4
New International Version
Song of Songs 3-4
New International Version
3 All night long on my bed
I looked(A) for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.(B)
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(C)
to the room of the one who conceived me.(D)
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(E)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(F)
6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness(G)
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(H) and incense
made from all the spices(I) of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,(J)
the noblest of Israel,
8 all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.(K)
9 King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
and look, you daughters of Zion.(L)
Look[a] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.(M)
He
4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil(N) are doves.(O)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.(P)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.(Q)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth(R) is lovely.(S)
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(T)
4 Your neck is like the tower(U) of David,
built with courses of stone[b];
on it hang a thousand shields,(V)
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts(W) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle(X)
that browse among the lilies.(Y)
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(Z)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(AA)
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful,(AB) my darling;
there is no flaw(AC) in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(AD)
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir,(AE) the summit of Hermon,(AF)
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(AG)
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.(AH)
10 How delightful(AI) is your love(AJ), my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(AK)
and the fragrance of your perfume(AL)
more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.(AM)
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(AN)
12 You are a garden(AO) locked up, my sister, my bride;(AP)
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(AQ)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(AR)
with choice fruits,
with henna(AS) and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,(AT)
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh(AU) and aloes(AV)
and all the finest spices.(AW)
15 You are[c] a garden(AX) fountain,(AY)
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
She
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
- Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, 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.