Song of Solomon 3-4
King James Version
3 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.
8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.
9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
4 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, 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 living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
Song of Solomon 3-4
New King James Version
A Troubled Night
The Shulamite
3 By (A)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 (B)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 (C)house of my mother,
And into the [a]chamber of her who conceived me.
5 (D)I [b]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 (E)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 [c]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, (F)you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a (G)flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
2 (H)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 [d]barren among them.
3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
(I)Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4 (J)Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built (K)for an armory,
On which hang a thousand [e]bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
5 (L)Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.
6 (M)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 (N)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 (O)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!
(P)How much better than wine is your love,
And the [f]scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
11 Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
(Q)Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is (R)like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden [g]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 (S)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.
(T)Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant (U)fruits.
Footnotes
- 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
Song of Solomon 3-4
English Standard Version
The Bride's Dream
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.
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
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.
Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty
He
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.
9 You have captivated my heart, my (AZ)sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one (BA)jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my (BB)sister, my bride!
How much (BC)better is your love than wine,
and (BD)the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your (BE)lips drip nectar, my bride;
(BF)honey and milk are under your tongue;
the fragrance of your garments is (BG)like the fragrance of (BH)Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my (BI)sister, my bride,
a spring locked, (BJ)a fountain (BK)sealed.
13 Your shoots are (BL)an orchard of pomegranates
with all (BM)choicest fruits,
(BN)henna with (BO)nard,
14 nard and saffron, (BP)calamus and (BQ)cinnamon,
with all trees of (BR)frankincense,
(BS)myrrh and (BT)aloes,
with all (BU)choice spices—
15 a garden fountain, a well of (BV)living water,
and flowing streams from (BW)Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my (BX)garden,
let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 3:7 That is, the couch on which servants carry a king
- Song of Solomon 3:9 Or sedan chair
- Song of Solomon 4:4 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Song of Solomon 4:8 Or Look
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

