5 M I have come to my garden—my sister, my bride.

I gather a my myrrh with my spices.

I eat my honeycomb with my honey.

I drink my wine with my milk.

N Eat, friends!

Drink, be intoxicated with love! b c

W 2 I sleep, but my heart is awake.

A sound! My love is knocking! d

M Open to me, my sister, my darling,

my dove, my perfect one.

For my head is drenched with dew,

my hair with droplets of the night.

W 3 I have taken off my clothing. e

How can I put it back on?

I have washed my feet.

How can I get them dirty?

4 My love thrust his hand through the opening,

and my feelings were stirred for him.

5 I rose to open for my love.

My hands dripped with myrrh, f

my fingers with flowing myrrh

on the handles of the bolt.

6 I opened to my love,

but my love had turned and gone away.

I was crushed g that he had left. h

I sought him, but did not find him. i

I called him, but he did not answer.

7 The guards who go about the city found me. j

They beat and wounded me;

they took my cloak k from me—

the guardians of the walls. l

8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you: m

if you find my love,

tell him that I am lovesick. n

Y 9 What makes the one you love better than another,

most beautiful of women? o

What makes him better than another,

that you would give us this charge?

W 10 My love is fit and strong, p q

notable among ten thousand. r

11 His head is purest gold.

His hair is wavy s t

and black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves u

beside streams of water,

washed in milk

and set like jewels. v

13 His cheeks w are like beds of spice,

towers of x perfume.

His lips are lilies,

dripping with flowing myrrh. y

14 His arms z are rods of gold

set a with topaz. b c

His body d is an ivory panel

covered with sapphires. e

15 His legs are alabaster pillars

set on pedestals of pure gold.

His presence is like Lebanon, f

as majestic as the cedars. g

16 His mouth is sweetness.

He is absolutely desirable. h

This is my love, and this is my friend,

young women of Jerusalem.