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”:
While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
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;
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.
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.

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.
(F)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(G)And the spirit will return to God (H)who gave it.

“Vanity(I) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

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

The (N)song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

The Banquet

The [f]Shulamite

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
(O)For [g]your love is better than wine.
Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,
Your name is ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.
(P)Draw me away!

The Daughters of Jerusalem

(Q)We will run after [h]you.

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.

I am dark, but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
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)

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

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.
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

15 (X)Behold, you are fair, [o]my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes.

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

I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys.

The Beloved

Like a lily among thorns,
So is my love among the daughters.

The Shulamite

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

He brought me to the [q]banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with cakes of raisins,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick.

(AA)His left hand is under my head,
And his right hand embraces me.
(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

The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
(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

By (AJ)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.
(AK)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 (AL)house of my mother,
And into the [u]chamber of her who conceived me.

(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

(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?
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 [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

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.
(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.
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.
(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.
(AU)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.

(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.

(AW)You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
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.

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

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
  3. Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
  4. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
  5. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies
  6. 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.
  7. Song of Solomon 1:2 Masc. sing.: the Beloved
  8. Song of Solomon 1:4 Masc. sing.: the Beloved
  9. Song of Solomon 1:4 Fem. sing.: the Shulamite
  10. Song of Solomon 1:6 Lit. looked upon me
  11. Song of Solomon 1:7 LXX, Syr., Vg. wanders
  12. Song of Solomon 1:8 Lit. Go out
  13. Song of Solomon 1:11 Fem. sing.: the Shulamite
  14. Song of Solomon 1:12 perfume
  15. Song of Solomon 1:15 my companion, friend
  16. Song of Solomon 1:16 couch
  17. Song of Solomon 2:4 Lit. house of wine
  18. Song of Solomon 2:7 adjure
  19. Song of Solomon 2:14 Lit. appearance
  20. Song of Solomon 2:17 Lit. Separation
  21. Song of Solomon 3:4 room
  22. Song of Solomon 3:5 adjure
  23. Song of Solomon 3:9 A portable enclosed chair
  24. Song of Solomon 4:2 bereaved
  25. Song of Solomon 4:4 Small shields
  26. Song of Solomon 4:10 fragrance
  27. Song of Solomon 4:12 locked or barred

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