122000000THE SONG OF SOLOMON.
122001000CHAPTER 1 He sings of love and devotion.
122001001The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
122001002Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
122001003Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
122001004Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
122001005I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
122001006Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
122001007Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
122001008If thou know not, O thou fairst among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
122001009I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.
122001010Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
122001011We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
122001012While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
122001013A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
122001014My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi.
122001015Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.
122001016Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
122001017The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
122002000CHAPTER 2 Beloved ones are praised and described.
122002001I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
122002002As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
122002003As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
122002004He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
122002005Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
122002006His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
122002007I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
122002008The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
122002009My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
122002010My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
122002011For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
122002012The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
122002013The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
122002014O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
122002015Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
122002016My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
122002017Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
122003000CHAPTER 3 A love song concerning Solomon.
122003001By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
122003002I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
122003003The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
122003004It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
122003005I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
122003006Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
122003007Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.
122003008They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.
122003009King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.
122003010He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
122003011Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
122004000CHAPTER 4 A song describing the beauty of his beloved.
122004001Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
122004002Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
122004003Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
122004004Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
122004005Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
122004006Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
122004007Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
122004008Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
122004009Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
122004010How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
122004011Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
122004012A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
122004013Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
122004014Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
122004015A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
122004016Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
122005000CHAPTER 5 Their song of love and affection continues.
122005001I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
122005002I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
122005003I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
122005004My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
122005005I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
122005006I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
122005007The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
122005008I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
122005009What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
122005010My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
122005011His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
122005012His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
122005013His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
122005014His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
122005015His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
122005016His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
122006000CHAPTER 6 They still sing of love.
122006001Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
122006002My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
122006003I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
122006004Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
122006005Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
122006006Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
122006007As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
122006008There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
122006009My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
122006010Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
122006011I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
122006012Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
122006013Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
122007000CHAPTER 7 Their song of love continues.
122007001How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
122007002Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
122007003Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
122007004Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
122007005Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
122007006How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
122007007This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
122007008I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
122007009And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
122007010I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
122007011Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
122007012Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
122007013The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
122008000CHAPTER 8 They say: Many waters cannot quench love.
122008001O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.
122008002I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
122008003His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
122008004I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
122008005Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
122008006Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
122008007Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
122008008We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
122008009If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
122008010I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
122008011Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
122008012My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
122008013Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
122008014Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.