Song of Solomon 5:1–16

5I ^ahave come to my garden, my ^bsister, my spouse;

I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;

^cI have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;

I have drunk my wine with my milk.

Eat, O ^dfriends!

Drink, yes, drink deeply,

O beloved ones!

The Shulamite’s Troubled Evening

²I sleep, but my heart is awake;

It is the voice of my beloved!

^eHe knocks, saying,

“Open for me, my sister, ¹my love,

My dove, my perfect one;

For my head is covered with dew,

My ²locks with the drops of the night.”

³I have taken off my robe;

How can I put it on again?

I have washed my feet;

How can I ³defile them?

⁴My beloved put his hand

By the ⁴latch of the door,

And my heart yearned for him.

⁵I arose to open for my beloved,

And my hands dripped with myrrh,

My fingers with liquid myrrh,

On the handles of the lock.

⁶I opened for my beloved,

But my beloved had turned away and was gone.

My ⁵heart leaped up when he spoke.

^fI sought him, but I could not find him;

I called him, but he gave me no answer.

^7gThe watchmen who went about the city found me.

They struck me, they wounded me;

The keepers of the walls

Took my veil away from me.

⁸I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

If you find my beloved,

That you tell him I am lovesick!

⁹What is your beloved

More than another beloved,

^hO fairest among women?

What is your beloved

More than another beloved,

That you so ⁶charge us?

¹⁰My beloved is white and ruddy,

⁷Chief among ten thousand.

¹¹His head is like the finest gold;

His locks are wavy,

And black as a raven.

¹²ⁱHis eyes are like doves

By the rivers of waters,

Washed with milk,

And ⁸fitly set.

¹³His cheeks are like a bed of spices,

Banks of scented herbs.

His lips are lilies,

Dripping liquid myrrh.

¹⁴His hands are rods of gold

Set with beryl.

His body is carved ivory

Inlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵His legs are pillars of marble

Set on bases of fine gold.

His countenance is like Lebanon,

Excellent as the cedars.

¹⁶His mouth is most sweet,

Yes, he is altogether lovely.

This is my beloved,

And this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem!