The Shulamite

16 Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
(A)Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant (B)fruits.

The Bride Praises the Bridegroom

The Beloved

I (C)have come to my garden, my (D)sister, my spouse;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
(E)I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.

(To His Friends)

Eat, O (F)friends!
Drink, yes, drink deeply,
O beloved ones!

The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening

The Shulamite

I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
(G)He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, [a]my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My [b]locks with the drops of the night.”

I have taken off my robe;
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet;
How can I [c]defile them?
My beloved put his hand
By the [d]latch of the door,
And my heart yearned for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the lock.

I opened for my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My [e]heart leaped up when he spoke.
(H)I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called him, but he gave me no answer.
(I)The watchmen who went about the city found me.
They struck me, they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls
Took my veil away from me.
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
That you tell him I am lovesick!

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 5:2 my companion, friend
  2. Song of Solomon 5:2 curls or hair
  3. Song of Solomon 5:3 dirty
  4. Song of Solomon 5:4 opening
  5. Song of Solomon 5:6 Lit. soul

She

16 Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,(A)
    that its fragrance(B) may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved(C) come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.(D)

He

I have come into my garden,(E) my sister, my bride;(F)
    I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
    I have drunk my wine and my milk.(G)

Friends

Eat, friends, and drink;
    drink your fill of love.

She

I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove,(H) my flawless(I) one.(J)
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe—
    must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
    must I soil them again?
My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
    my heart began to pound for him.
I arose to open for my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,(K)
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
I opened for my beloved,(L)
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.(M)
    My heart sank at his departure.[a]
I looked(N) for him but did not find him.
    I called him but he did not answer.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(O)
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(P)
    if you find my beloved,(Q)
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 5:6 Or heart had gone out to him when he spoke