Song of Solomon 1
King James Version
1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6 Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
12 While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
13 A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.
16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
Song of Solomon 1
Easy-to-Read Version
1 Solomon’s Most Wonderful Song.
The Woman to the Man She Loves
2 Cover me with kisses,
for your love is better than wine.
3 Your perfume smells wonderful,
but your name[a] is sweeter than the best perfume.
That is why the young women love you.
4 Take me with you.
Let’s run away.
The king took me into his room.
The Women of Jerusalem to the Man
We will rejoice and be happy for you.
Remember, your love is better than wine.
With good reason, the young women love you.
She Speaks to the Women
5 Daughters of Jerusalem,
I am dark and beautiful,
as black as the tents of Kedar and Salma.[b]
6 Don’t look at how dark I am,
at how dark the sun has made me.
My brothers were angry with me.
They forced me to take care of their vineyards,
so I could not take care of myself.[c]
She Speaks to Him
7 I love you with all my soul!
Tell me, where do you feed your sheep?
Where do you lay them down at noon?
I should come to be with you
or I will be like a hired woman[d] caring for the sheep of your friends.
He Speaks to Her
8 You are such a beautiful woman.
Surely you know what to do.
Go, follow the sheep.
Feed your young goats near the shepherds’ tents.
9 My darling, you are more exciting to me
than any mare among the stallions[e] pulling Pharaoh’s chariots.[f]
10 Your cheeks are so beautiful
with those ornaments hanging beside them.
Your neck is so lovely
under that beautiful string of jewels.
11 Let’s make you some more gold jewelry
and decorate it with silver.
She Speaks
12 The smell of my perfume reaches out
to the king lying on his couch.
13 My lover is like the small bag of myrrh around my neck,
lying all night between my breasts.
14 My lover is like a bunch of henna flowers
near the vineyards of En Gedi.
He Speaks
15 My darling, you are so beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
She Speaks
16 You are so handsome, my lover!
Yes, and so charming!
Our bed is so fresh and pleasant.[g]
17 The beams of our house are cedar.
The rafters are fir.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:3 name In Hebrew this word sounds like the word “perfume.”
- Song of Solomon 1:5 Kedar and Salma Arabian tribes. For “Salma” the standard Hebrew text has “Solomon,” but compare “Salma, Salmon” in Ruth 4:20-21.
- Song of Solomon 1:6 myself Literally, “my own vineyard.”
- Song of Solomon 1:7 hired woman Or “a woman wearing a veil.” This might mean a prostitute.
- Song of Solomon 1:9 mare … stallions Female and male horses. Only male horses were used to pull chariots.
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Literally, “To a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots I compare you, my darling.”
- Song of Solomon 1:16 fresh and pleasant Or “lush and green” like a fresh field of grass.
Song of Solomon 1
Good News Translation
1 (A)The most beautiful of songs, by Solomon.[a]
The First Song
The Woman
2 Your lips cover me with kisses;
your love is better than wine.
3 There is a fragrance about you;
the sound of your name recalls it.
No woman could keep from loving you.
4 Take me with you, and we'll run away;
be my king and take me to your room.
We will be happy together,
drink deep, and lose ourselves in love.
No wonder all women love you!
5 Women of Jerusalem, I am dark but[b] beautiful,
dark as the desert tents of Kedar,
but beautiful as the draperies in Solomon's palace.
6 Don't look down on me because of my color,
because the sun has tanned me.
My brothers were angry with me
and made me work in the vineyard.
I had no time to care for myself.
7 Tell me, my love,
Where will you lead your flock to graze?
Where will they rest from the noonday sun?
Why should I need to look for you
among the flocks of the other shepherds?[c]
The Man
8 Don't you know the place, loveliest of women?
Go and follow the flock;
find pasture for your goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
9 You, my love, excite men
as a mare excites the stallions of Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Your hair is beautiful upon your cheeks
and falls along your neck like jewels.
11 But we will make for you a chain of gold
with ornaments of silver.
The Woman
12 My king was lying on his couch,
and my perfume filled the air with fragrance.
13 My lover has the scent of myrrh
as he lies upon my breasts.
14 My lover is like the wild flowers
that bloom in the vineyards at Engedi.
The Man
15 How beautiful you are, my love;
how your eyes shine with love!
The Woman
16 How handsome you are, my dearest;
how you delight me!
The green grass will be our bed;
17 the cedars will be the beams of our house,
and the cypress trees the ceiling.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:1 by Solomon; or dedicated to Solomon, or about Solomon.
- Song of Solomon 1:5 but; or and.
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Probable text Why should I … shepherds; Hebrew unclear.
Song of Solomon 1
New Century Version
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs.
The Woman Speaks to the Man She Loves
2 Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,
because your love is better than wine.
3 The smell of your perfume is pleasant,
and your name is pleasant like expensive perfume.
That’s why the young women love you.
4 Take me with you; let’s run together.
The king takes me into his rooms.
Friends Speak to the Man
We will rejoice and be happy with you;
we praise your love more than wine.
With good reason, the young women love you.
The Woman Speaks
5 I’m dark but lovely,
women of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Don’t look at how dark I am,
at how dark the sun has made me.
My brothers were angry with me
and made me tend the vineyards,
so I haven’t tended my own vineyard!
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where do you feed your sheep?
Where do you let them rest at noon?
Why should I look for you near your friend’s sheep,
like a woman who wears a veil?[a]
The Man Speaks to the Woman
8 You are the most beautiful of women.
Surely you know to follow the sheep
and feed your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.
9 My darling, you are like a mare
among the king’s stallions.
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
and your neck with jewels.
11 We will make for you gold earrings
with silver hooks.
The Woman Speaks
12 The smell of my perfume spreads out
to the king on his couch.
13 My lover is like a bag of myrrh
that lies all night between my breasts.
14 My lover is like a bunch of flowers
from the vineyards at En Gedi.
The Man Speaks
15 My darling, you are beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful,
and your eyes are like doves.
The Woman Answers the Man
16 You are so handsome, my lover,
and so pleasant!
Our bed is the grass.
17 Cedar trees form our roof;
our ceiling is made of juniper wood.
Footnotes
- 1:7 veil This was the way a prostitute usually dressed.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
