Song of Solomon 5:1–6:1

The Torment of Separation

¹“¹I have ^acome into my garden, ^bmy sister, my bride;

I have gathered my ^cmyrrh along with my balsam.

I have eaten my honeycomb ²and my ^dhoney;

I have ^edrunk my wine and my milk.

Eat, ^ffriends;

Drink and ³imbibe deeply, O lovers.”

²“¹I was asleep but my heart was awake.

A voice! My beloved was knocking:

‘Open to me, ^amy sister, my darling,

^bMy dove, my perfect one!

For my head is ²drenched with dew,

My ^clocks with the ³damp of the night.’

³“I have ^ataken off my dress,

How can I put it on again?

I have ^bwashed my feet,

How can I dirty them again?

⁴“My beloved extended his hand through the opening,

And my ^1afeelings were aroused for him.

⁵“I arose to open to my beloved;

And my hands ^adripped with myrrh,

And my fingers with ¹liquid myrrh,

On the handles of the bolt.

⁶“I opened to my beloved,

But my beloved had ^aturned away and had gone!

My ¹heart went out to him as he ^bspoke.

I ^csearched for him but I did not find him;

I ^dcalled him but he did not answer me.

⁷“The ^awatchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,

They struck me and wounded me;

The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.

⁸“I ^aadjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

If you find my beloved,

As to what you will tell him:

For ^bI am lovesick.”

⁹“¹²What kind of beloved is your beloved,

O ^amost beautiful among women?

What kind of beloved is your beloved,

That thus you adjure us?”

Admiration by the Bride

¹⁰“¹My beloved is dazzling and ^aruddy,

^2bOutstanding among ten thousand.

¹¹“His head is like gold, pure gold;

His ^alocks are like clusters of dates

And black as a raven.

¹²“His ^aeyes are like doves

Beside streams of water,

Bathed in milk,

And ¹reposed in their ^bsetting.

¹³“His cheeks are like a ^abed of balsam,

Banks of sweet-scented herbs;

His lips are ^blilies

^cDripping with liquid myrrh.

¹⁴“His hands are rods of gold

Set with ^aberyl;

His abdomen is carved ivory

Inlaid with ^1bsapphires.

¹⁵“His legs are pillars of alabaster

Set on pedestals of pure gold;

His appearance is like ^aLebanon

Choice as the ^bcedars.

¹⁶“His ^1amouth is full of sweetness.

And he is wholly ^bdesirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Chapter 6

Mutual Delight in Each Other

¹“^1aWhere has your beloved gone,

O ^bmost beautiful among women?

Where has your beloved turned,

That we may seek him with you?”