Song of Songs 8
Christian Standard Bible
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[a]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(A) who taught me.[b]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from the juice of my pomegranate.
3 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.(B)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(C)
Young Women
5 Who is this(D) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
Woman
I awakened you under the apricot tree.(E)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(F)
For love is as strong as death;(G)
jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(H)—
an almighty flame![c]
7 A huge torrent cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[d] for love,(I)
it would be utterly scorned.
Brothers
8 Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(J)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver barricade on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with cedar planks.(K)
Woman
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(L)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(M)
Each was to bring for his fruit
one thousand pieces of silver.(N)
12 I have my own vineyard.[h](O)
The one thousand are for you, Solomon,
but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits.
Man
Woman
Footnotes
- 8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me
- 8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore me
- 8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord
- 8:7 Lit all the wealth of his house
- 8:10 Or was
- 8:10 Or brings
- 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.
- 8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; Sg 1:6
- 8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine.
- 8:14 Lit Flee
Song of Solomon 8
International Standard Version
8 If only you were like a brother to me,
like[a] one who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you outside I would kiss you,
and no one would view me with contempt.[b]
2 I would lead you,
I would bring you
to the house of my mother
who used to teach me.
I would give you some spiced wine to drink,
from the juice of my pomegranates.[c]
3 Let his left hand be under my head,
and let his right hand embrace me.
4 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem,
that you won’t awaken or arouse love
before its proper time![d]
The Young Women
5 Who is this coming up from the desert,
leaning on her beloved?
The Loved One
Under the apple tree[e] I awakened you.
There your mother had gone into labor with you;
there she went into labor and gave birth to you.
6 Set me like a seal[f] over your heart,
like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
passion[g] as intense as Sheol.[h]
The flames of love[i] are flames of fire,
a blaze that comes from the Lord.[j]
7 Mighty bodies of water cannot extinguish love,
rivers cannot put it out.
If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would surely be viewed with contempt.
The Loved One’s Brothers
8 We[k] have a little sister,
and she has not yet reached maturity.[l]
What will we do for our sister
to prepare her for[m] her engagement?[n]
9 If she’s a wall,
on her we will build a battlement of silver.
If she’s a door,
we will enclose her with planks of cedar.
The Loved One
10 I was a wall and my breasts were like towers.
Then I became like one who finds peace[o] in his eyes.
11 Solomon has a vineyard in Baal-hamon.
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers—
each one is to bring 1,000 pieces of silver
in exchange for its fruit.
12 My vineyard belongs to me and is at my disposal.[p]
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
and 200 are for those who take care of its fruit.
The Lover
13 You who sit in the gardens,
companions are listening for your voice,
but let me hear it.
The Loved One
14 Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:1 The Heb. lacks like
- Song of Solomon 8:1 I.e. think badly of me
- Song of Solomon 8:2 Or some of my sweet pomegranate wine
- Song of Solomon 8:4 Lit. until it pleases
- Song of Solomon 8:5 Or apricot tree
- Song of Solomon 8:6 I.e. a cylinder seal or a signet ring used to indicate ownership or authority
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or jealousy
- Song of Solomon 8:6 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Lit. its flames
- Song of Solomon 8:6 Or an intense blaze
- Song of Solomon 8:8 I.e. the bride’s brothers
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Lit. has no breasts
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Lit. sister on the day when she’s spoken for
- Song of Solomon 8:8 Or marriage
- Song of Solomon 8:10 Or contentment
- Song of Solomon 8:12 Lit. is before me
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