Song of Solomon 3:6–5:1

The Third Song

The Woman

6 What is this coming from the desert like a column of smoke,

fragrant with incense and myrrh,

the incense sold by the traders?

7 Solomon is coming, carried on his throne;

sixty soldiers form the bodyguard,

the finest soldiers in Israel.

8 All of them are skilful with the sword;

they are battle-hardened veterans.

Each of them is armed with a sword,

on guard against a night attack.

9 King Solomon is carried on a throne

made of the finest wood.

10 Its posts are covered with silver;

over it is cloth embroidered with gold.

Its cushions are covered with purple cloth,

lovingly woven by the women of Jerusalem.

11 Women of Zion, come and see King Solomon.

He is wearing the crown that his mother placed

on his head on his wedding day,

on the day of his gladness and joy.

The Man

4 How beautiful you are, my love!

How your eyes shine with love behind your veil.

Your hair dances, like a flock of goats

bounding down the hills of Gilead.

2 Your teeth are as white as sheep

that have just been shorn and washed.

Not one of them is missing;

they are all perfectly matched.

3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;

how lovely they are when you speak.

Your cheeks glow behind your veil.

4 Your neck is like the tower of David,

round and smooth,e

with a necklace like a thousand shields hung round it.

5 Your breasts are like gazelles,

twin deer feeding among lilies.

6 I will stay on

the hill of myrrh, the hill of incense,

until the morning breezes blow

and the darkness disappears.

7 How beautiful you are, my love;

how perfect you are!

8 Come with me from the Lebanon Mountains, my bride;

come with me from Lebanon.

Come down from the top of Mount Amana,

from Mount Senir and Mount Hermon,

where the lions and leopards live.

9 The look in your eyes, my sweetheart and bride,

and the necklace you are wearing

have stolen my heart.

10 Your love delights me,

my sweetheart and bride.

Your love is better than wine;

your perfume more fragrant than any spice.

11 The taste of honey is on your lips, my darling;

your tongue is milk and honey for me.

Your clothing has all the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 My sweetheart, my bride, is a secret garden,

a walled garden, a private spring;

13 there the plants flourish.

They grow like an orchard of pomegranate trees

and bear the finest fruits.

There is no lack of henna and nard,

14 of saffron, calamus, and cinnamon,

or incense of every kind.

Myrrh and aloes grow there

with all the most fragrant perfumes.

15 Fountains water the garden,

streams of flowing water,

brooks gushing down from the Lebanon Mountains.

The Woman

16 Wake up, North Wind.

South Wind, blow on my garden;

fill the air with fragrance.

Let my lover come to his garden

and eat the best of its fruits.

The Man

5 I have entered my garden,

my sweetheart, my bride.

I am gathering my spices and myrrh;

I am eating my honey and honeycomb;

I am drinking my wine and milk.

The Women

Eat, lovers, and drink

until you are drunk with love!

The Fourth Song

The Woman