Song of Solomon 6
Revised Standard Version
6 Whither has your beloved gone,
O fairest among women?
Whither has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
The Bride’s Matchless Beauty
4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they disturb me—
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
moving down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,
that have come up from the washing,
all of them bear twins,
not one among them is bereaved.
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and maidens without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one, is only one,
the darling of her mother,
flawless to her that bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her happy;
the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.
10 “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
terrible as an army with banners?”
11 I went down to the nut orchard,
to look at the blossoms of the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I was aware, my fancy set me
in a chariot beside my prince.[a]
13 [b] Return, return, O Shu′lammite,
return, return, that we may look upon you.
Why should you look upon the Shu′lammite,
as upon a dance before two armies?[c]
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 6:12 Cn: The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Ch 7.1 in Heb
- Song of Solomon 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim
Song of Solomon 6
International Children’s Bible
The Friends Speak to the Woman
6 Where has your lover gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your lover turn?
We will look for him with you.
The Woman Answers the Friends
2 My lover has gone down to his garden.
He has gone to the garden beds of spices
to feed in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I belong to my lover.
And my lover belongs to me.
He feeds among the lilies.
The Man Speaks to the Woman
4 My darling, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah.
You are as lovely as the city of Jerusalem.
You are as wonderful as an army flying flags.
5 Turn your eyes from me.
They excite me too much!
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are white like sheep
just coming from their bath.
Each one has a twin.
None of them is alone.
7 Your cheeks behind your veil
are like slices of a pomegranate.
8 There may be 60 queens and 80 slave women
and so many girls you cannot count them.
9 But there is only one like my dove, my perfect one.
She is her mother’s only daughter,
the brightest of the one who gave her birth.
The young women saw her and called her happy.
The queens and the slave women also praised her.
The Young Women Praise the Woman
10 Who is that young woman?
She shines out like the dawn.
She’s as pretty as the moon.
She’s as bright as the sun.
And she’s as wonderful
as an army flying flags.
The Man Speaks
11 I went down into the orchard of nut trees.
I went to see the blossoms of the valley.
I went to look for buds on the vines,
to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.
12 My desire for you makes me feel
like a prince in a chariot.
The Friends Call to the Woman
13 Come back, come back, woman of Shulam.
Come back, come back,
so we may look at you!
The Woman Answers the Friends
Why do you want to look at the woman of Shulam
as you would at the dance of two groups?
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
