1 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
For your[b] 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 Draw me away!
We will remember your[e] love more than wine.
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 tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me the keeper of the vineyards,
But my own vineyard I have not kept.
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herself[g]
By the flocks of your companions?
Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I have compared you, my love,
To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
With studs of silver.
My 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.
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes.
Yes, pleasant!
Also our bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir.
THE Shulamite[a]
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—For your[b] 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 Draw me away!
The Daughters of Jerusalem
We will run after you [c].The Shulamite
The king has brought me into his chambers.The Daughters of Jerusalem
We will be glad and rejoice in you[d].We will remember your[e] love more than wine.
The Shulamite
Rightly do they love you.[f]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 tanned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me the keeper of the vineyards,
But my own 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 veils herself[g]
By the flocks of your companions?
THE Beloved
8 If you do not know, O fairest among women,Follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats
Beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I have compared you, my love,
To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with chains of gold.
THE Daughters of Jerusalem
11 We will make you[h] ornaments of goldWith studs of silver.
THE Shulamite
12 While the king is at his table,My 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 Behold, you are fair, my love!Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes.
THE Shulamite
16 Behold, you are handsome, my beloved!Yes, pleasant!
Also our bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir.
Footnotes:
- Song of Solomon 1:2 A Palestinian young woman (compare 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 Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Feminine singular, that is, the Shulamite
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved
- Song of Solomon 1:7 Feminine singular, that is, the Shulamite
- Song of Solomon 1:11 Masculine singular, that is, the Beloved
