Song of Solomon 3

Chapter 3

Young Woman

1 One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover.
I yearned for him, but he did not come.2 So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city,
searching in all its streets and squares.
I will search for the one I love.”
So I searched everywhere but did not find him.3 The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds,
and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”4 Then scarcely had I left them
when I found my love!
I caught and held him tightly,
then I brought him to my mother’s house,
into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.5 Promise me, O women of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and wild deer,
not to awaken love until the time is right.t

Young Women of Jerusalem

6 Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness
like a cloud of smoke?
Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense
and every kind of spice?7 Look, it is Solomon’s carriage,
surrounded by sixty heroic men,
the best of Israel’s soldiers.8 They are all skilled swordsmen,
experienced warriors.
Each wears a sword on his thigh,
ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.9 King Solomon’s carriage is built
of wood imported from Lebanon.10 Its posts are silver,
its canopy gold;
its cushions are purple.
It was decorated with love
by the young women of Jerusalem.

Young Woman

11 Come out to see King Solomon,
young women of Jerusalem.t
He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day,
his most joyous day.

Song of Solomon 4

Chapter 4

Young Man

1 You are beautiful, my darling,
beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.2 Your teeth are as white as sheep,
recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.t3 Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.4 Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.6 Before the dawn breezes blow
and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of frankincense.7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
beautiful in every way.8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Come downt from Mount Amana,
from the peaks of Senir and Hermon,
where the lions have their dens
and leopards live among the hills.9 You have captured my heart,
my treasure,t my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
with a single jewel of your necklace.10 Your love delights me,
my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
your perfume more fragrant than spices.11 Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
Your clothes are scented
like the cedars of Lebanon.12 You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride,
a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.13 Your thighs shelter a paradise of pomegranates
with rare spices—
henna with nard,14 nard and saffron,
fragrant calamus and cinnamon,
with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes,
and every other lovely spice.15 You are a garden fountain,
a well of fresh water
streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains.

Young Woman

16 Awake, north wind!
Rise up, south wind!
Blow on my garden
and spread its fragrance all around.
Come into your garden, my love;
taste its finest fruits.

Song of Solomon 5

Chapter 5

Young Man

1 I have entered my garden, my treasure,t my bride!
I gather myrrh with my spices
and eat honeycomb with my honey.
I drink wine with my milk.
Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink!
Yes, drink deeply of your love!

Young Women of Jerusalem

Young Woman

2 I slept, but my heart was awake,
when I heard my lover knocking and calling:
“Open to me, my treasure, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”3 But I responded,
“I have taken off my robe.
Should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Should I get them soiled?”4 My lover tried to unlatch the door,
and my heart thrilled within me.5 I jumped up to open the door for my love,
and my hands dripped with perfume.
My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh
as I pulled back the bolt.6 I opened to my lover,
but he was gone!
My heart sank.
I searched for him
but could not find him anywhere.
I called to him,
but there was no reply.7 The night watchmen found me
as they made their rounds.
They beat and bruised me
and stripped off my veil,
those watchmen on the walls.8 Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem—
If you find my lover,
tell him I am weak with love.

Young Women of Jerusalem

9 Why is your lover better than all others,
O woman of rare beauty?
What makes your lover so special
that we must promise this?

Young Woman

10 My lover is dark and dazzling,
better than ten thousand others!11 His head is finest gold,
his wavy hair is black as a raven.12 His eyes sparkle like doves
beside springs of water;
they are set like jewels
washed in milk.13 His cheeks are like gardens of spices
giving off fragrance.
His lips are like lilies,
perfumed with myrrh.14 His arms are like rounded bars of gold,
set with beryl.
His body is like bright ivory,
glowing with lapis lazuli.15 His legs are like marble pillars
set in sockets of finest gold.
His posture is stately,
like the noble cedars of Lebanon.16 His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is desirable in every way.
Such, O women of Jerusalem,
is my lover, my friend.