Solomon’s Love Expressed

[a]How beautiful (A)you are, my darling,
[b]How beautiful you are!
Your (B)eyes are like doves (C)behind your veil;
Your (D)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (E)Gilead.
Your (F)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep
Which have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
Your lips are like a (G)scarlet thread,
And your (H)mouth is beautiful.
Your (I)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
Your (J)neck is like the tower of David,
Built with layers of stones
On which are (K)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (L)shields of the warriors.
Your (M)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
That (N)graze among the lilies.
(O)Until [c]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee,
I will go my way to the mountain of (P)myrrh
And to the hill of (Q)frankincense.

(R)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish on you.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  2. Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
  3. Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit the day blows

The Lover

Look at you! You are beautiful, my darling.
Look at you! You are so beautiful.
Your eyes behind your veil are doves,
    your hair is like a flock of goats
        coming down from Mt. Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep about to be sheared,[a]
    who are coming up from being washed.[b]
All of them are twins,
    not one has lost[c] her young.
Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
    and your mouth is lovely.
Behind your veil,
    your temple is like a slice of pomegranate.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
    built with rows of stones.
A thousand shields are hung upon it,
    all the shields of the warriors.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
Until the day breaks[d] and the shadows flee,
    I’ll go to the mountain of myrrh[e]
        and to the hill of frankincense.[f]
My darling, you are altogether beautiful
    and there is no blemish in you.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 4:2 Or like sheared sheep
  2. Song of Solomon 4:2 Lit. from washing
  3. Song of Solomon 4:2 Lit. been bereaved of; i.e. her teeth match
  4. Song of Solomon 4:6 Or until the cool of the day; lit. until the day breathes;
  5. Song of Solomon 4:6 Myrrh was a fragrant spice used as a perfume.
  6. Song of Solomon 4:6 Frankincense was a fragrant spice used to make incense and perfume.