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The Young Woman’s Brothers

We have a little sister
    too young to have breasts.
What will we do for our sister
    if someone asks to marry her?
If she is a virgin, like a wall,
    we will protect her with a silver tower.
But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door,
    we will block her door with a cedar bar.

Young Woman

10 I was a virgin, like a wall;
    now my breasts are like towers.
When my lover looks at me,
    he is delighted with what he sees.

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Brothers

Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(A)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
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.(B)

Woman

10 I am[a] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So to him I have become
like one who finds[b] peace.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 8:10 Or was
  2. 8:10 Or brings
  3. 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.