Song of Songs 5
Legacy Standard Bible
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved
5 “[a]I have (A)come into my garden, (B)my sister, my bride;
I have picked my (C)myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my (D)honey;
I have (E)drunk my wine with my milk.
Eat, (F)friends;
Drink and [b]imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
2 “[c]I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, (G)my sister, my darling,
(H)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is full of dew,
My (I)locks with the [d]damp of the night.’
3 I have (J)taken off my long-sleeved garment,
How can I put it on again?
I have (K)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved sent forth his hand through the opening,
And my [e](L)feelings moaned for him.
5 I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (M)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with [f]liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.
6 I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (N)turned away and passed by!
My soul went out to him as he (O)spoke.
I (P)searched for him, but I did not find him;
I (Q)called him, but he did not answer me.
7 The (R)watchmen who go about in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.
8 I (S)call you to solemnly swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
What will you tell him?
Tell him that (T)I am sick with love.”
9 “[g]What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
O (U)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved that he is more than any other beloved,
That thus you call us to solemnly swear?”
The Bride Extols Her Beloved
10 “[h]My beloved is dazzling and (V)ruddy,
(W)Lifted up as a banner among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, fine gold;
His (X)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (Y)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Washed in milk,
And sitting in their (Z)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (AA)bed of spices,
Towers of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are (AB)lilies
(AC)Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (AD)beryl;
His abdomen is a plate of ivory
Inlaid with [i](AE)sapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
Set on bases of fine gold;
His appearance is like (AF)Lebanon
Choice as the (AG)cedars.
16 His [j](AH)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (AI)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.”
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 5:1 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Songs 5:1 Or become drunk
- Song of Songs 5:2 BRIDE
- Song of Songs 5:2 Lit drops
- Song of Songs 5:4 Lit bowels
- Song of Songs 5:5 Lit passing
- Song of Songs 5:9 CHORUS
- Song of Songs 5:10 BRIDE
- Song of Songs 5:14 Lit lapis lazuli
- Song of Songs 5:16 Lit palate
Song of Songs 5
Christian Standard Bible
Man
5 I have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.
I gather[a] my myrrh with my spices.
I eat my honeycomb with my honey.
I drink my wine with my milk.
Narrator
Woman
2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My love was knocking!(B)
Man
Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,
my hair with droplets of the night.
Woman
3 I have taken off my clothing.(C)
How can I put it back on?
I have washed my feet.
How can I get them dirty?
4 My love thrust his hand through the opening,
and my feelings were stirred for him.
5 I rose to open for my love.
My hands dripped with myrrh,(D)
my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
My heart sank[c] because he had left.[d]
I sought him, but did not find him.(E)
I called him, but he did not answer.
7 The guards who go about the city found me.(F)
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak[e] from me—
the guardians of the walls.(G)
8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you,(H)
if you find my love,
tell him that I am lovesick.(I)
Young Women
9 What makes the one you love better than another,
most beautiful of women?(J)
What makes him better than another,
that you would give us this charge?
Woman
11 His head is purest gold.
His hair is wavy[g](M)
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves(N)
beside flowing streams,
washed in milk
and set like jewels.[h]
13 His cheeks(O) are like beds of spice,
mounds of[i] perfume.
His lips are lilies,
dripping with flowing myrrh.(P)
14 His arms[j] are rods of gold
set[k] with beryl.(Q)
His body[l] is an ivory panel
covered with lapis lazuli.(R)
15 His legs are alabaster pillars
set on pedestals of pure gold.
His presence is like Lebanon,(S)
as majestic as the cedars.(T)
16 His mouth is sweetness.
He is absolutely desirable.(U)
This is my love, and this is my friend,
young women of Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 5:1 Lit pluck
- 5:1 Or Drink your fill, lovers
- 5:6 Lit My soul went out
- 5:6 Or spoken
- 5:7 Or veil, or shawl
- 5:10 Or is radiant and ruddy
- 5:11 Or is like palm leaves; Hb obscure
- 5:12 Lit milk sitting in fullness
- 5:13 LXX, Vg read spice, yielding
- 5:14 Lit hands
- 5:14 Lit filled; Sg 5:2,12
- 5:14 Lit abdomen
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