Song of Solomon 5–6

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?”