A Troubled Night

The Shulamite

By (A)night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
“I will rise now,” I said,
“And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I did not find him.
(B)The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”

Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him to the (C)house of my mother,
And into the [a]chamber of her who conceived me.

(D)I [b]charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

The Coming of Solomon

The Shulamite

(E)Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.

Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a [c]palanquin:
10 He made its pillars of silver,
Its support of gold,
Its seat of purple,
Its interior paved with love
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 3:4 room
  2. Song of Solomon 3:5 adjure
  3. Song of Solomon 3:9 A portable enclosed chair

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Om nätterna spanade jag efter min älskade på min bädd.
    Jag spanade efter honom,
    men jag kunde inte hitta honom.
”Nu stiger jag upp
    och går omkring i staden,
på gatorna och torgen.
    Jag vill söka efter min älskade.”
Jag sökte honom,
    men jag hittade honom inte.
Vakterna fann mig,
    när de gick omkring i staden.
    ”Har ni sett min älskade någonstans?”
Knappt hade jag gått ifrån dem,
    så fann jag min älskade.
Jag höll honom fast
    och släppte honom inte,
förrän jag hade fört honom till min mors hus,
    till hennes kammare som fött mig.
Jag besvär er, Jerusalems döttrar,
    vid gasellerna och hindarna på fälten:
oroa inte kärleken, väck den inte
    förrän den själv vill.

Vem är det som kommer från öknen
    som en rökpelare
och doftar av myrra
    och rökelse och av kryddhandlarens alla dofter?
Se, det är Salomos bärstol,
    omgiven av sextio krigare,
utvalda bland Israels män.
    Alla bär de svärd,
alla är skickliga i strid,
    var och en har sitt svärd vid sidan
som skydd för nattens fasor.
    Kung Salomo har låtit tillverka en bärstol åt sig
av trä från Libanon.
10     Dess stolpar är av silver,
dess ryggstöd av guld,
    dess säte är klätt med purpurrött tyg,
och invändigt är den smyckad i kärlek
    av Jerusalems döttrar.[a]
11 Gå ut och se, Sions döttrar,
    på kung Salomo
och kronan som hans mor har krönt honom med
    på hans bröllopsdag,
hans glädjedag!

Footnotes

  1. 3:10 Betydelsen av det hebreiska ordet som här översätts ryggstöd är osäker, likaså sista satsen i versen. Det är möjligt att Jerusalems döttrar hör ihop med nästa vers.

All night long on my bed
    I looked(A) for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.(B)
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,(C)
    to the room of the one who conceived me.(D)
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(E)
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.(F)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(G)
    like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(H) and incense
    made from all the spices(I) of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
    escorted by sixty warriors,(J)
    the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
    all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
    prepared for the terrors of the night.(K)
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
    he made it of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver,
    its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
    its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, 11 come out,
    and look, you daughters of Zion.(L)
Look[a] on King Solomon wearing a crown,
    the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
    the day his heart rejoiced.(M)

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look

The Bride's Dream

On my bed (A)by night
I sought (B)him whom my soul loves;
    (C)I sought him, but found him not.
I will rise now and go about the city,
    in (D)the streets and in the squares;
I will seek (E)him whom my soul loves.
    I sought him, but found him not.
(F)The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found (G)him whom my soul loves.
I (H)held him, and would not let him go
    until I had (I)brought him into my mother's house,
    and into the chamber of (J)her who conceived me.
(K)I adjure you, (L)O daughters of Jerusalem,
    (M)by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
    until it pleases.

Solomon Arrives for the Wedding

(N)What is that coming up from the wilderness
    like (O)columns of smoke,
perfumed with (P)myrrh and frankincense,
    with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
Behold, it is the litter[a] of Solomon!
Around it are (Q)sixty (R)mighty men,
    some of the mighty men of Israel,
all of them wearing swords
    and expert in war,
each with his (S)sword at his thigh,
    against (T)terror by night.
King Solomon made himself a carriage[b]
    from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
    its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
    by (U)the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O (V)daughters of Zion,
    and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
    on (W)the day of his wedding,
    on the day of the gladness of his heart.

Footnotes

  1. Song of Solomon 3:7 That is, the couch on which servants carry a king
  2. Song of Solomon 3:9 Or sedan chair