1Solomon’s Song of Songs.
SheThe 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.
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
3Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
4Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
Friends
We rejoice and delight in you1:4 The Hebrew is masculine singular.;
we will praise your love more than wine.
She
How right they are to adore you!
5Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.1:5 Or Salma
6Do 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;
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
7Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Friends
8If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
He
9I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
He
15How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
She
16How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
He
17The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.
1This is the greatest song Solomon ever wrote.
A Shulammite woman says to King Solomon
2“I long for your lips to kiss me!
Your love makes me happier than wine does.
3The lotion you have on pleases me.
Your name is like perfume that is poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
4Take me away with you. Let us hurry!
King Solomon, bring me into your palace.”
The other women say
“King Solomon, you fill us with joy. You make us happy.
We praise your love more than we praise wine.”
The woman says to the king
“It is right for them to love you!
5“Women of Jerusalem,
my skin is dark but lovely.
It is dark like the tents in Kedar.
It’s like the curtains of Solomon’s tent.
6Don’t stare at me because I’m dark.
The sun has made my skin look like this.
My brothers were angry with me.
They made me take care of the vineyards.
I haven’t even taken care of my own vineyard.
7“King Solomon, I love you.
So tell me where you take care of your flock.
Tell me where you rest your sheep at noon.
Why should I have to act like a prostitute
near the flocks of your friends?”
The other women say
8“You are the most beautiful woman of all.
Don’t you know where to find the king?
Follow the tracks the sheep make.
Take care of your young goats
near the tents of the shepherds.”
King Solomon says to the Shulammite woman
9“You are my love.
You are like a mare among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
10Your earrings make your cheeks even more beautiful.
Your strings of jewels make your neck even more lovely.
11We will make gold earrings for you.
We’ll decorate them with silver.”
The woman says
12“The king was at his table.
My perfume gave off a sweet smell.
13The one who loves me is like a small bag of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
14He is like henna flowers
from the vineyards of En Gedi.”
The king says
15“You are so beautiful, my love!
So beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.”
The woman says
16“You are so handsome, my love!
So charming!
The green field is our bed.”
The king says
17“Cedar trees above us are the beams of our house.
Fir trees overhead are its rafters.”
