Song of Solomon 4–5

Solomon Admires His Bride’s Beauty

He

4Behold, ^myou are beautiful, my love,

behold, you are beautiful!

ⁿYour eyes are doves

^obehind your veil.

^pYour hair is like a flock of goats

leaping down ^qthe slopes of Gilead.

²Your ^rteeth 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.

³Your lips are like ^sa scarlet thread,

and your mouth is ^tlovely.

Your ^ucheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

^obehind your veil.

⁴Your ^vneck is like the tower of David,

built in ^wrows of stone;¹

on it ^xhang a thousand shields,

all of ^ythem shields of warriors.

⁵Your ^ztwo breasts are like two ^afawns,

twins of a gazelle,

that ^bgraze among the lilies.

^6cUntil the day breathes

and the shadows flee,

I will go away to the mountain of ^dmyrrh

and the hill of ^dfrankincense.

^7eYou are altogether beautiful, my love;

there is no ^fflaw in you.

^8gCome with me from ^hLebanon, my ⁱbride;

come with me from ^hLebanon.

Depart² from the peak of Amana,

from the peak of ^jSenir and ^kHermon,

from the dens of lions,

from the mountains of leopards.

⁹You have captivated my heart, my ^lsister, my bride;

you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one ^mjewel of your necklace.

¹⁰How beautiful is your love, my ^lsister, my bride!

How much ⁿbetter is your love than wine,

and ^othe fragrance of your oils than any spice!

¹¹Your ^plips drip nectar, my bride;

^qhoney and milk are under your tongue;

the fragrance of your garments is ^rlike the fragrance of ^hLebanon.

¹²A garden locked is my ^lsister, my bride,

a spring locked, ^sa fountain ^tsealed.

¹³Your shoots are ^uan orchard of pomegranates

with all ^vchoicest fruits,

^whenna with ^xnard,

¹⁴nard and saffron, ^ycalamus and ^ycinnamon,

with all trees of ^zfrankincense,

^amyrrh and ^baloes,

with all ^ychoice spices—

¹⁵a garden fountain, a well of ^cliving water,

and flowing streams from ^hLebanon.

¹⁶Awake, O north wind,

and come, O south wind!

Blow upon my ^dgarden,

let its spices flow.

Together in the Garden of Love

She

^eLet my beloved come to his ^fgarden,

and eat its ^vchoicest fruits.

He

5I ^gcame to my garden, my ^hsister, my bride,

I gathered my ⁱmyrrh with my spice,

I ate my ^jhoneycomb with my honey,

I ^kdrank my wine with my milk.

Others

Eat, ^lfriends, drink,

and be drunk with love!

The Bride Searches for Her Beloved

She

²I slept, but my heart was awake.

A sound! My beloved is ^mknocking.

“Open to me, my ⁿsister, my ^olove,

my ^pdove, my ^qperfect one,

for my head is wet with dew,

my ^rlocks with the drops of the night.”

^3sI had put off my garment;

how could I put it on?

I had ^tbathed my feet;

how could I soil them?

⁴My beloved put his hand to the latch,

and my heart was thrilled within me.

⁵I arose to open to my beloved,

and my hands dripped with myrrh,

my fingers with ^uliquid myrrh,

on the handles of the bolt.

⁶I opened to my beloved,

but my beloved had turned and gone.

My soul failed me when he ^vspoke.

^wI sought him, but found him not;

^xI called him, but he gave no answer.

^7yThe watchmen found me

as they went about in the city;

they beat me, they bruised me,

they took away my veil,

those watchmen of the walls.

⁸I ^zadjure you, O ^adaughters of Jerusalem,

if you find my beloved,

that you tell him

^bI am sick with love.

Others

⁹What is your beloved more than another beloved,

O ^cmost beautiful among women?

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

that you thus ^zadjure us?

The Bride Praises Her Beloved

She

¹⁰My beloved is radiant and ^druddy,

^edistinguished among ten thousand.

¹¹His head is the finest gold;

^fhis locks are wavy,

black as a raven.

¹²His ^geyes are like doves

beside streams of water,

bathed in milk,

sitting beside a full pool.¹

¹³His ⁱcheeks are like ^jbeds of spices,

mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.

His lips are ^klilies,

dripping ^uliquid myrrh.

¹⁴His arms are rods of gold,

set with ^ljewels.

His body is polished ivory,²

bedecked with ^msapphires.³

¹⁵His legs are alabaster columns,

set on bases of gold.

His appearance is like ^oLebanon,

choice as the cedars.

¹⁶His ^pmouth⁴ is most sweet,

and he is altogether desirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O ^adaughters of Jerusalem.