Song of Solomon 2

2I am the rose of Sharon,

And the lily of the valleys.

²Like a lily among thorns,

So is my love among the daughters.

³Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

So is my beloved among the sons.

I sat down in his shade with great delight,

And ^ahis fruit was sweet to my taste.

⁴He brought me to the ¹banqueting house,

And his banner over me was love.

⁵Sustain me with cakes of raisins,

Refresh me with apples,

For I am lovesick.

^6bHis left hand is under my head,

And his right hand embraces me.

^7cI ²charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles or by the does of the field,

Do not stir up nor awaken love

Until it pleases.

The Beloved’s Request

⁸The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes

Leaping upon the mountains,

Skipping upon the hills.

^9dMy beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Behold, he stands behind our wall;

He is looking through the windows,

Gazing through the lattice.

¹⁰My beloved spoke, and said to me:

“Rise up, my love, my fair one,

And come away.

¹¹For lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

¹²The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

And the voice of the turtledove

Is heard in our land.

¹³The fig tree puts forth her green figs,

And the vines with the tender grapes

Give a good smell.

Rise up, my love, my fair one,

And come away!

¹⁴“O my ^edove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of the cliff,

Let me see your ³face,

^fLet me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely.”

¹⁵Catch us ^gthe foxes,

The little foxes that spoil the vines,

For our vines have tender grapes.

^16hMy beloved is mine, and I am his.

He feeds his flock among the lilies.

¹⁷ⁱUntil the day breaks

And the shadows flee away,

Turn, my beloved,

And be ^jlike a gazelle

Or a young stag

Upon the mountains of ⁴Bether.