Song of Solomon 4:1–6:13

The king says to the Shulammite woman,

“You are so beautiful, my love!

So beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are like doves.

Your hair flows like a flock of black goats

coming down from Mount Gilead.

²Your teeth are as clean as a flock of sheep.

Their wool has just been clipped.

They have just come up from being washed.

Each of your teeth has its twin.

Not one of them is alone.

³Your lips are like a bright red ribbon.

Your mouth is so lovely.

Your cheeks behind your veil

are like the halves of a pomegranate.

⁴Your neck is strong and beautiful like the tower of David.

That tower is built with beautiful stones.

A thousand shields are hanging on it.

All of them belong to mighty soldiers.

⁵Your two breasts are lovely.

They are like two young antelopes

that eat among the lilies.

⁶I will go to the mountain of myrrh.

I’ll go to the hill of incense.

I’ll stay there until the day begins

and the shadows fade away.

⁷Every part of you is so beautiful, my love.

There is no flaw in you.

⁸“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.

Come with me from Lebanon.

Come down from the top of Mount Amana.

Come down from the top of Senir.

Come to me from the peak of Mount Hermon.

Leave the dens where the lions live.

Leave the places in the mountains where the leopards stay.

⁹My bride, you have stolen my heart

with one glance of your eyes.

My sister, you have stolen my heart

with one jewel in your necklace.

¹⁰My bride, your love is so delightful.

My sister, your love makes me happier than wine does.

Your perfume smells better than any spice.

¹¹Your lips are as sweet as a honeycomb, my bride.

Milk and honey are under your tongue.

Your clothes smell like the cedar trees in Lebanon.

¹²My bride, you are like a garden that is locked up.

My sister, you are like a spring of water that has a fence around it.

You are like a fountain that is sealed up.

¹³You are like trees whose branches are loaded

with pomegranates, fine fruits, henna and nard,

¹⁴with saffron, cane and cinnamon.

You are like every kind of incense tree.

You have myrrh, aloes

and all of the finest spices.

¹⁵You are like a fountain in a garden.

You are like a well of flowing water

streaming down from Lebanon.”

The woman says,

¹⁶“Wake up, north wind!

Come, south wind!

Blow on my garden.

Then its sweet smell will spread everywhere.

Let my love come into his garden.

Let him taste its fine fruits.”

5The king says,

“My bride, I have come into my garden.

My sister, I’ve gathered my myrrh and my spice.

I’ve eaten my honeycomb and my honey.

I’ve drunk my wine and my milk.”

The other women say to the Shulammite woman and to Solomon,

“Friends, eat and drink.

Lovers, drink all you want.”

The woman says,

²“I slept, but my heart was awake.

Listen! The one who loves me is knocking.

He says, ‘My sister, I love you.

Open up so I can come in.

You are my dove.

You are perfect in every way.

My head is soaked with dew.

The night air has made my hair wet.’

³“But I’ve taken my robe off.

Must I put it on again?

I’ve washed my feet.

Must I get them dirty again?

⁴My love put his hand through the opening.

My heart began to pound for him.

⁵I got up to open the door for my love.

My hands dripped with myrrh.

It flowed from my fingers

onto the handles of the lock.

⁶I opened the door for my love.

But he had left. He was gone.

My heart sank because he had left.

I looked for him but didn’t find him.

I called out to him, but he didn’t answer.

⁷Those on guard duty found me

as they were walking around in the city.

They beat me. They hurt me.

Those on guard duty at the walls

took my coat away from me.

⁸Women of Jerusalem, take an oath and make me a promise.

If you find the one who loves me,

tell him our love has made me weak.”

The other women say,

⁹“You are the most beautiful woman of all.

How is the one you love better than others?

How is he better than anyone else?

Why do you ask us to make you a promise?”

The woman says,

¹⁰“The one who loves me is tanned and handsome.

He’s the finest man among 10,000.

¹¹His head is like the purest gold.

His hair is wavy and as black as a raven.

¹²His eyes are like doves

by streams of water.

They look as if they’ve been washed in milk.

They are set like jewels in his head.

¹³His cheeks are like beds of spice

that give off perfume.

His lips are like lilies

that drip with myrrh.

¹⁴His arms are like gold

that are set with chrysolite.

His body is like polished ivory

that is decorated with sapphires.

¹⁵His legs are like pillars of marble

that are set on bases of pure gold.

He looks like the finest cedar tree

in the mountains of Lebanon.

¹⁶His mouth is very sweet.

Everything about him is delightful.

That’s what the one who loves me is like.

That’s what my friend is like, women of Jerusalem.”

6The other women say,

“You are the most beautiful woman of all.

Where has the one who loves you gone?

Which way did he turn?

We’ll help you look for him.”

The woman says,

²“My love has gone down to his garden.

He’s gone to the beds of spices.

He’s eating in the gardens.

He’s gathering lilies.

³I belong to my love, and he belongs to me.

He’s eating among the lilies.”

The king says,

⁴“My love, you are as beautiful as the city of Tirzah.

You are as lovely as Jerusalem.

You are as majestic as troops carrying their banners.

⁵Turn your eyes away from me.

They overpower me.

Your hair flows like a flock of black goats

coming down from Mount Gilead.

⁶Your teeth are as clean as a flock of sheep

coming up from being washed.

Each of your teeth has its twin.

Not one of them is alone.

⁷Your cheeks behind your veil

are like the halves of a pomegranate.

⁸There might be 60 queens and 80 concubines.

There might be more virgins than anyone can count.

⁹But you are my perfect dove.

There isn’t anyone like you.

You are your mother’s favorite daughter.

The young women see you and call you blessed.

The queens and concubines praise you.”

The other women say,

¹⁰“Who is this woman?

She is like the sunrise in all of its glory.

She is as beautiful as the moon.

She is as bright as the sun.

She is as majestic as troops carrying their banners.”

The king says,

¹¹“I went down to a grove of nut trees.

I wanted to look at the new plants growing in the valley.

I wanted to find out whether the vines had budded.

I wanted to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed.

¹²Before I realized it,

I was among the royal chariots of my people.”

The other women say,

¹³“Come back to us.

Come back, Shulammite woman.

Come back to us.

Come back. Then we can look at you.”

The woman says,

“Why do you want to look at me

as you would watch a dancer at Mahanaim?”