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Ecclesiastes 12 - Song of Solomon 4
New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 12 - Song of Solomon 4
New King James Version
Seek God in Early Life
12 Remember(A) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [a]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (B)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all (C)the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to (D)his eternal home,
And (E)the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [b]loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 (F)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(G)And the spirit will return to God (H)who gave it.
8 “Vanity(I) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”
The Whole Duty of Man
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and (J)set[c] in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find [d]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [e]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and (K)much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
(L)Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For (M)God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
Solomon’s Love for a Shulamite Girl
1 The (N)song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
The Banquet
The [f]Shulamite
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
(O)For [g]your love is better than wine.
3 Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,
Your name is ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.
4 (P)Draw me away!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
The Shulamite
The king (R)has brought me into his chambers.
The Daughters of Jerusalem
We will be glad and rejoice in [i]you.
We will remember your love more than wine.
The Shulamite
Rightly do they love you.
5 I am dark, but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not look upon me, because I am dark,
Because the sun has [j]tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me the keeper of the vineyards,
But my own (S)vineyard I have not kept.
(To Her Beloved)
7 Tell me, O you whom I love,
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who [k]veils herself
By the flocks of your companions?
The Beloved
8 If you do not know, (T)O fairest among women,
[l]Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I have compared you, (U)my love,
(V)To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 (W)Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
The Daughters of Jerusalem
11 We will make [m]you ornaments of gold
With studs of silver.
The Shulamite
12 While the king is at his table,
My [n]spikenard sends forth its fragrance.
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
That lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms
In the vineyards of En Gedi.
The Beloved
The Shulamite
16 Behold, you are (Y)handsome, my beloved!
Yes, pleasant!
Also our [p]bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir.
A Country Girl in a Palace
2 I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys.
The Beloved
2 Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.
The Shulamite
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And (Z)his fruit was sweet to my taste.
The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem
4 He brought me to the [q]banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.
6 (AA)His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
7 (AB)I [r]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 Beloved’s Request
The Shulamite
8 The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
9 (AC)My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
11 For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
14 “O my (AD)dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your [s]face,
(AE)Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”
Her Brothers
15 Catch us (AF)the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.
The Shulamite
16 (AG)My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
(To Her Beloved)
17 (AH)Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be (AI)like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of [t]Bether.
A Troubled Night
The Shulamite
3 By (AJ)night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
2 “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.
3 (AK)The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”
4 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 (AL)house of my mother,
And into the [u]chamber of her who conceived me.
5 (AM)I [v]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
6 (AN)Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
7 Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
8 They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.
9 Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a [w]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.
The Bridegroom Praises the Bride
The Beloved
4 Behold, (AO)you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a (AP)flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
2 (AQ)Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is [x]barren among them.
3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
(AR)Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4 (AS)Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built (AT)for an armory,
On which hang a thousand [y]bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
5 (AU)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.
6 (AV)Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7 (AW)You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir (AX)and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
10 How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
(AY)How much better than wine is your love,
And the [z]scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
11 Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
(AZ)Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is (BA)like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden [aa]enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
15 A fountain of gardens,
A well of (BB)living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.
The Shulamite
16 Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
(BC)Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant (BD)fruits.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
- Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
- Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
- Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
- Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies
- Song of Solomon 1:2 A young woman from the town of Shulam or Shunem, Song 6:13. The speaker and audience are identified according to the number, gender, and person of the Hebrew words. Occasionally the identity is not certain.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 Masc. sing.: the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Masc. sing.: the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Fem. sing.: the Shulamite
- Song of Solomon 1:6 Lit. looked upon me
- Song of Solomon 1:7 LXX, Syr., Vg. wanders
- Song of Solomon 1:8 Lit. Go out
- Song of Solomon 1:11 Fem. sing.: the Shulamite
- Song of Solomon 1:12 perfume
- Song of Solomon 1:15 my companion, friend
- Song of Solomon 1:16 couch
- Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit. house of wine
- Song of Solomon 2:7 adjure
- Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit. appearance
- Song of Solomon 2:17 Lit. Separation
- Song of Solomon 3:4 room
- Song of Solomon 3:5 adjure
- Song of Solomon 3:9 A portable enclosed chair
- Song of Solomon 4:2 bereaved
- Song of Solomon 4:4 Small shields
- Song of Solomon 4:10 fragrance
- Song of Solomon 4:12 locked or barred
Ecclesiastes 12 - Song of Songs 4
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 12 - Song of Songs 4
New International Version
12 Remember(A) your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble(B) come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;(C)
5 when people are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags itself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home(D)
and mourners(E) go about the streets.
6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns(F) to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God(G) who gave it.(H)
The Conclusion of the Matter
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.(K) 10 The Teacher(L) searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.(M)
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails(N)—given by one shepherd.[b] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.(O)
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God(P) and keep his commandments,(Q)
for this is the duty of all mankind.(R)
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,(S)
including every hidden thing,(T)
whether it is good or evil.
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs.(U)
She[c]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love(V) is more delightful than wine.(W)
3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;(X)
your name(Y) is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women(Z) love you!
4 Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.(AA)
Friends
She
How right they are to adore you!
5 Dark am I, yet lovely,(AD)
daughters of Jerusalem,(AE)
dark like the tents of Kedar,(AF)
like the tent curtains of Solomon.[e]
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;(AG)
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep(AH) at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled(AI) woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Friends
8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women,(AJ)
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
He
9 I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.(AK)
10 Your cheeks(AL) are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.(AM)
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12 While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.(AN)
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh(AO)
resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved(AP) is to me a cluster of henna(AQ) blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.(AR)
He
She
16 How handsome you are, my beloved!(AU)
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
He
17 The beams of our house are cedars;(AV)
our rafters are firs.
She[f]
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple[h] tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved(AZ) among the young men.
I delight(BA) to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.(BB)
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,(BC)
and let his banner(BD) over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,(BE)
for I am faint with love.(BF)
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.(BG)
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(BH)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(BI)
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.(BJ)
9 My beloved is like a gazelle(BK) or a young stag.(BL)
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;(BM)
the blossoming(BN) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
He
14 My dove(BO) in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.(BP)
15 Catch for us the foxes,(BQ)
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,(BR)
our vineyards that are in bloom.(BS)
She
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;(BT)
he browses among the lilies.(BU)
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(BV)
turn, my beloved,(BW)
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag(BX)
on the rugged hills.[i](BY)
3 All night long on my bed
I looked(BZ) for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 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.
3 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.(CA)
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 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,(CB)
to the room of the one who conceived me.(CC)
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you(CD)
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.(CE)
6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness(CF)
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh(CG) and incense
made from all the spices(CH) of the merchant?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,(CI)
the noblest of Israel,
8 all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.(CJ)
9 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.(CK)
Look[j] 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.(CL)
He
4 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil(CM) are doves.(CN)
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from the hills of Gilead.(CO)
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.(CP)
3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth(CQ) is lovely.(CR)
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.(CS)
4 Your neck is like the tower(CT) of David,
built with courses of stone[k];
on it hang a thousand shields,(CU)
all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your breasts(CV) are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle(CW)
that browse among the lilies.(CX)
6 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,(CY)
I will go to the mountain of myrrh(CZ)
and to the hill of incense.
7 You are altogether beautiful,(DA) my darling;
there is no flaw(DB) in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,(DC)
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir,(DD) the summit of Hermon,(DE)
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;(DF)
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.(DG)
10 How delightful(DH) is your love(DI), my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,(DJ)
and the fragrance of your perfume(DK)
more than any spice!
11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
milk and honey are under your tongue.(DL)
The fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.(DM)
12 You are a garden(DN) locked up, my sister, my bride;(DO)
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.(DP)
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates(DQ)
with choice fruits,
with henna(DR) and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,(DS)
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh(DT) and aloes(DU)
and all the finest spices.(DV)
15 You are[l] a garden(DW) fountain,(DX)
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
She
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10
- Ecclesiastes 12:11 Or Shepherd
- Song of Songs 1:2 The main male and female speakers (identified primarily on the basis of the gender of the relevant Hebrew forms) are indicated by the captions He and She respectively. The words of others are marked Friends. In some instances the divisions and their captions are debatable.
- Song of Songs 1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.
- Song of Songs 1:5 Or Salma
- Song of Songs 2:1 Or He
- Song of Songs 2:1 Probably a member of the crocus family
- Song of Songs 2:3 Or possibly apricot; here and elsewhere in Song of Songs
- Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether
- Song of Songs 3:11 Or interior lovingly inlaid / by the daughters of Jerusalem. / 11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, / and look
- Song of Songs 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Song of Songs 4:15 Or I am (spoken by She)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.