Song of Songs 3
Christian Standard Bible
3 In my bed at night[a]
I sought the one I love;(A)
I sought him, but did not find him.[b](B)
2 I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and the plazas.(C)
I will seek the one I love.
I sought him, but did not find him.
3 The guards who go about the city found me.(D)
I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”
4 I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house(E)—
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
5 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.[c](F)
Narrator
6 Who is this(G) coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
scented with myrrh and frankincense(H)
from every fragrant powder of the merchant?
7 Look! Solomon’s bed
surrounded by sixty warriors
from the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them are skilled with swords
and trained in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side(I)
to guard against the terror of the night.(J)
9 King Solomon made a carriage for himself
with wood from Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back[d] of gold,
and its seat of purple.
Its interior is inlaid with love[e]
by the young women of Jerusalem.(K)
11 Go out, young women of Zion,(L)
and gaze at King Solomon,
wearing the crown his mother placed on him
on the day of his wedding(M)—
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.
Song of Solomon 3
Lexham English Bible
Maiden’s Dream (?): Seeking and Finding
3 On my bed in the night,
I sought[a] him whom my heart[b] loves.
I sought him, but I did not find him.
2 Now I will arise, and I will go about in the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my heart[c] loves.
I sought him, but I did not find him.
3 The sentinels who go about in the city found me.
“Have you seen the one whom my heart[d] loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed[e] by them
when I found him whom my heart[f] loves.
I held him and I would not let him go
until I brought him to the house of my mother,
into the bedroom chamber of she who conceived me.
Adjuration Refrain
5 I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem,[g]
by the gazelles or by the does of the field,
do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases![h]
Royal Wedding Procession
6 What is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense
from all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s portable couch![i]
Sixty mighty men surround it,[j]
the mighty men of Israel.
8 All of them wield swords;[k]
they are trained in warfare,[l]
each with his sword at his thigh
to guard against terror[m] in the night.
9 King Solomon[n] made for himself a sedan chair
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its column of silver, its back[o] of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior is inlaid with leather[p] by the maidens of Jerusalem.[q]
11 Come out and look, O maidens of Zion,[r] at King Solomon,[s]
at the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the joy of his heart!
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 3:1 Or “I seek”
- Song of Solomon 3:1 Literally “soul”
- Song of Solomon 3:2 Literally “soul”
- Song of Solomon 3:3 Literally “soul”
- Song of Solomon 3:4 Literally “As little that I passed”
- Song of Solomon 3:4 Literally “soul”
- Song of Solomon 3:5 Literally “O daughters of Jerusalem”
- Song of Solomon 3:5 Or “Do not stir up or awaken the love until it is willing,” or “Do not disturb or interrupt our love-making until it is satisfied”
- Song of Solomon 3:7 Literally “couch” or “portable sedan chair”
- Song of Solomon 3:7 Literally “her”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “holders of sword”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “learnt of war”
- Song of Solomon 3:8 Literally “because of the fear”
- Song of Solomon 3:9 Literally “The king, Solomon”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or “its support,” “its base,” “its headrest,” “its litter,” “its cover”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Or “love.” The Hebrew term here translated “leather” is spelled the same as the term for “love.” Most likely this is an example of a word play that puns on the intentional ambiguity: “Its interior was inlaid with leather//love by the maidens of Jerusalem”
- Song of Solomon 3:10 Literally “by the daughters of Jerusalem”
- Song of Solomon 3:11 Literally “O daughters of Zion”
- Song of Solomon 3:11 Literally “the king, Solomon”
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