Song of Solomon 3-5

English Standard Version

3 On my bed ^(A)by night
I sought ^(B)him whom my soul loves;
    ^(C)I sought him, but found him not.
² 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.
^3 (F)The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
⁴ 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.
^5 (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.

^6 (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?
⁷ Behold, it is the litter^[a] of Solomon!
Around it are ^(Q)sixty ^(R)mighty men,
    some of the mighty men of Israel,
⁸ all of them wearing swords
    and expert in war,
each with his ^(S)sword at his thigh,
    against ^(T)terror by night.
⁹ 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.

4 Behold, ^(X)you are beautiful, my love,
    behold, you are beautiful!
^(Y)Your eyes are doves
    ^(Z)behind your veil.
^(AA)Your hair is like a flock of goats
    leaping down ^(AB)the slopes of Gilead.
² Your ^(AC)teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
    that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
    and not one among them has lost its young.
³ Your lips are like ^(AD)a scarlet thread,
    and your mouth is ^(AE)lovely.
Your ^(AF)cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
    ^(AG)behind your veil.
⁴ Your ^(AH)neck is like the tower of David,
    built in ^(AI)rows of stone;^[c]
on it ^(AJ)hang a thousand shields,
    all of ^(AK)them shields of warriors.
⁵ Your ^(AL)two breasts are like two ^(AM)fawns,
    twins of a gazelle,
    that ^(AN)graze among the lilies.
^6 (AO)Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of ^(AP)myrrh
    and the hill of ^(AQ)frankincense.
^7 (AR)You are altogether beautiful, my love;
    there is no ^(AS)flaw in you.
^8 (AT)Come with me from ^(AU)Lebanon, my ^(AV)bride;
    come with me from ^(AW)Lebanon.
Depart^[d] from the peak of Amana,
    from the peak of ^(AX)Senir and ^(AY)Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
    from the mountains of leopards.

^(BY)Let my beloved come to his ^(BZ)garden,
    and eat its ^(CA)choicest fruits.

5 I ^(CB)came to my garden, my ^(CC)sister, my bride,
    I gathered my ^(CD)myrrh with my spice,
    I ate my ^(CE)honeycomb with my honey,
    I ^(CF)drank my wine with my milk.

Eat, ^(CG)friends, drink,
    and be drunk with love!

² I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is ^(CH)knocking.
“Open to me, my ^(CI)sister, my ^(CJ)love,
    my ^(CK)dove, my ^(CL)perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
    my ^(CM)locks with the drops of the night.”
^3 (CN)I had put off my garment;
    how could I put it on?
I had ^(CO)bathed my feet;
    how could I soil them?
⁴ My beloved put his hand to the latch,
    and my heart was thrilled within me.
⁵ I arose to open to my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with ^(CP)liquid myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
⁶ I opened to my beloved,
    but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he ^(CQ)spoke.
^(CR)I sought him, but found him not;
    ^(CS)I called him, but he gave no answer.
^7 (CT)The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
    they took away my veil,
    those watchmen of the walls.
⁸ I ^(CU)adjure you, O ^(CV)daughters of Jerusalem,
    if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
    ^(CW)I am sick with love.

⁹ What is your beloved more than another beloved,
    O ^(CX)most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
    that you thus ^(CY)adjure us?

¹⁰ My beloved is radiant and ^(CZ)ruddy,
    ^(DA)distinguished among ten thousand.
¹¹ His head is the finest gold;
    ^(DB)his locks are wavy,
    black as a raven.
¹² His ^(DC)eyes are like doves
    beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
    sitting beside a full pool.^[e]
13 His ^(DD)cheeks are like ^(DE)beds of spices,
    mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are ^(DF)lilies,
    dripping ^(DG)liquid myrrh.
¹⁴ His arms are rods of gold,
    set with ^(DH)jewels.
His body is polished ivory,^[f]
    bedecked with ^(DI)sapphires.^[g]
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
    set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like ^(DJ)Lebanon,
    choice as the cedars.
¹⁶ His ^(DK)mouth^[h] is most sweet,
    and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
    O ^(DL)daughters of Jerusalem.