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Young Woman

12 The king is lying on his couch,
    enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume.
13 My lover is like a sachet of myrrh
    lying between my breasts.
14 He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms
    from the vineyards of En-gedi.

Young Man

15 How beautiful you are, my darling,
    how beautiful!
    Your eyes are like doves.

Young Woman

16 You are so handsome, my love,
    pleasing beyond words!
The soft grass is our bed;
17     fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house,
    and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.

Young Woman

I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain,[a]
    the lily of the valley.

Young Man

Like a lily among thistles
    is my darling among young women.

Young Woman

Like the finest apple tree in the orchard
    is my lover among other young men.
I sit in his delightful shade
    and taste his delicious fruit.
He escorts me to the banquet hall;
    it’s obvious how much he loves me.
Strengthen me with raisin cakes,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am weak with love.
His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.

Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles and wild deer,
    not to awaken love until the time is right.[b]

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Traditionally rendered I am the rose of Sharon. Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Palestine.
  2. 2:7 Or not to awaken love until it is ready.

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