Song of Solomon 1-4
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters
1 The [a]Song of (A)Songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 “[b]May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your (B)love is better than wine.
3 “Your (C)oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your (D)name is like [c]purified oil;
Therefore the [d](E)maidens love you.
4 “Draw me after you and let us run together!
The (F)king has brought me into his chambers.”
“[e]We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will [f]extol your (G)love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”
5 “[g]I am black but (H)lovely,
O (I)daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the (J)tents of (K)Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 “Do not stare at me because I am [h]swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My (L)mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me (M)caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.
7 “Tell me, O you (N)whom my soul loves,
Where do you (O)pasture your flock,
Where do you make it (P)lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who [i]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your (Q)companions?”
Solomon, the Lover, Speaks
8 “[j]If you yourself do not know,
(R)Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.
9 “[k]To me, (S)my darling, you are like
My (T)mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 “Your (U)cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of (V)beads.”
11 “[l]We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”
12 “[m]While the king was at his [n]table,
My [o](W)perfume gave forth its fragrance.
13 “My beloved is to me a pouch of (X)myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.
14 “My beloved is to me a cluster of (Y)henna blossoms
In the vineyards of (Z)Engedi.”
15 “[p][q](AA)How beautiful you are, my darling,
[r]How beautiful you are!
Your (AB)eyes are like doves.”
16 “[s][t]How handsome you are, (AC)my beloved,
And so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!
17 “The beams of our houses are (AD)cedars,
Our rafters, [u](AE)cypresses.
The Bride’s Admiration
3 “[z]Like an [aa](AJ)apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the [ab]young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his (AK)fruit was sweet to my [ac]taste.
4 “He has (AL)brought me to his [ad]banquet hall,
And his (AM)banner over me is love.
5 “Sustain me with (AN)raisin cakes,
Refresh me with [ae](AO)apples,
Because (AP)I am lovesick.
6 “Let (AQ)his left hand be under my head
And (AR)his right hand (AS)embrace me.”
7 “[af]I (AT)adjure you, O (AU)daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (AV)gazelles or by the (AW)hinds of the field,
(AX)That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [ag]she pleases.”
8 “[ah]Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Climbing (AY)on the mountains,
Leaping on the hills!
9 “My beloved is like a (AZ)gazelle or a (BA)young [ai]stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering (BB)through the lattice.
10 “My beloved responded and said to me,
‘(BC)Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
11 ‘For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12 ‘The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for [aj]pruning the vines,
And the voice of the (BD)turtledove has been heard in our land.
13 ‘The (BE)fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the (BF)vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”
14 “[ak]O (BG)my dove, (BH)in the clefts of the [al]rock,
In the secret place of the steep [am]pathway,
Let me see your [an]form,
(BI)Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your [ao]form is (BJ)lovely.”
15 “[ap](BK)Catch the foxes for us,
The [aq]little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our (BL)vineyards are in blossom.”
16 “[ar](BM)My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He (BN)pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 “(BO)Until [as]the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a (BP)gazelle
Or a young stag (BQ)on the mountains of [at]Bether.”
The Bride’s Troubled Dream
3 “[au]On my bed night after night I sought him
(BR)Whom my soul loves;
I (BS)sought him but did not find him.
2 ‘[av]I must arise now and [aw]go about the city;
In the (BT)streets and in the squares
[ax]I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
3 “(BU)The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
4 “(BV)Scarcely had I [ay]left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I (BW)held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had (BX)brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the room of her who conceived me.”
5 “[az]I (BY)adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the (BZ)gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you will not arouse or awaken my love
Until [ba]she pleases.”
Solomon’s Wedding Day
6 “[bb][bc](CA)What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like (CB)columns of smoke,
Perfumed with (CC)myrrh and (CD)frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?
7 “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.
8 “All of them are wielders of the sword,
(CE)Expert in war;
Each man has his (CF)sword at his side,
Guarding against the [bd](CG)terrors of the night.
9 “King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 “He made its posts of silver,
Its [be]back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior lovingly fitted out
By the (CH)daughters of Jerusalem.
11 “Go forth, O (CI)daughters of Zion,
And gaze on King Solomon with the [bf]crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the (CJ)day of his wedding,
And on the day of his gladness of heart.”
Solomon’s Love Expressed
4 “[bg][bh]How beautiful (CK)you are, my darling,
[bi]How beautiful you are!
Your (CL)eyes are like doves (CM)behind your veil;
Your (CN)hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount (CO)Gilead.
2 “Your (CP)teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has [bj]lost her young.
3 “Your lips are like a (CQ)scarlet thread,
And your (CR)mouth is lovely.
Your (CS)temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
4 “Your (CT)neck is like the tower of David,
Built [bk]with rows of stones
On which are (CU)hung a thousand shields,
All the round (CV)shields of the mighty men.
5 “Your (CW)two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which (CX)feed among the lilies.
6 “(CY)Until [bl]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of (CZ)myrrh
And to the hill of (DA)frankincense.
7 “(DB)You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
8 “Come with me from (DC)Lebanon, my (DD)bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
[bm]Journey down from the summit of (DE)Amana,
From the summit of (DF)Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
9 “You have made my heart beat faster, (DG)my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your (DH)necklace.
10 “(DI)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much (DJ)better is your love than wine,
And the (DK)fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of [bn]spices!
11 “Your lips, my bride, (DL)drip (DM)honey;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the (DN)fragrance of Lebanon.
12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A [bo]rock garden locked, a (DO)spring (DP)sealed up.
13 “Your shoots are an [bp](DQ)orchard of (DR)pomegranates
With (DS)choice fruits, (DT)henna with nard plants,
14 (DU)Nard and saffron, calamus and (DV)cinnamon,
With all the trees of (DW)frankincense,
(DX)Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest [bq]spices.
15 “You are a garden spring,
A well of [br](DY)fresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”
16 “[bs]Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my (DZ)garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its [bt]spices [bu]be wafted abroad.
May (EA)my beloved come into his garden
And eat its (EB)choice fruits!”
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 1:1 Or Best of the Songs
- Song of Solomon 1:2 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Lit oil which is emptied (from one vessel to another)
- Song of Solomon 1:3 Or virgins
- Song of Solomon 1:4 CHORUS
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Lit mention with praise
- Song of Solomon 1:5 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Or black
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Some versions read wanders
- Song of Solomon 1:8 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 1:9 Lit I have compared you to
- Song of Solomon 1:11 CHORUS
- Song of Solomon 1:12 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 1:12 Or couch
- Song of Solomon 1:12 Lit nard
- Song of Solomon 1:15 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 1:15 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 1:16 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 1:16 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 1:17 Or junipers
- Song of Solomon 2:1 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 2:1 Lit crocus
- Song of Solomon 2:2 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 2:2 Lit daughters
- Song of Solomon 2:3 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Or apricot
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit sons
- Song of Solomon 2:3 Lit palate
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:5 Or apricots
- Song of Solomon 2:7 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 2:7 Or it
- Song of Solomon 2:8 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 2:9 Lit of the stags
- Song of Solomon 2:12 Or singing
- Song of Solomon 2:14 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Or crag
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Or cliff
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit appearance
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit appearance
- Song of Solomon 2:15 CHORUS
- Song of Solomon 2:15 Or young
- Song of Solomon 2:16 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Lit the day blows
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Or cleavage or a kind of spice
- Song of Solomon 3:1 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me arise
- Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me arise
- Song of Solomon 3:2 Or Let me seek
- Song of Solomon 3:4 Lit passed
- Song of Solomon 3:5 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 3:5 Or it
- Song of Solomon 3:6 CHORUS
- Song of Solomon 3:6 Lit Who
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Lit terror in the nights
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or support
- Song of Solomon 3:11 Or wreath
- Song of Solomon 4:1 BRIDEGROOM
- Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 4:1 Lit Behold
- Song of Solomon 4:2 Or miscarried
- Song of Solomon 4:4 Or for an arsenal
- Song of Solomon 4:6 Lit the day blows
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Or Look
- Song of Solomon 4:10 Or balsam odors
- Song of Solomon 4:12 Lit stone heap
- Song of Solomon 4:13 Or park or paradise
- Song of Solomon 4:14 Or balsam odors
- Song of Solomon 4:15 Lit living
- Song of Solomon 4:16 BRIDE
- Song of Solomon 4:16 Or balsam odors
- Song of Solomon 4:16 Lit flow forth
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
