Title
1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Anticipation—Take Me Away
The Woman
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
Experiencing your love is better than wine.
3 Your perfumes are fragrant.
Your name is perfume poured out.[a]
That is why the virgins love you!
4 Carry me away with you—let us run.
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
Best Wishes to the Man
The Friends
We rejoice and are happy because of you.
We celebrate your expressions of love
more than we celebrate wine.
How right the virgins[b] are to love you!
My Own Vineyard
The Woman
5 Dark am I, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark
because the sun gazed at me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me.
They made me take care of the vineyards.
I could not take care of my own vineyard.
Escape to the Country
The Woman
7 You whom my soul loves, tell me
where you pasture your flock,
where you rest your sheep at noon.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
A Reply to the Woman
8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
go out and follow the tracks of the flock
and graze your young goats
by the dwellings of the shepherds.
Most Beautiful of Women
The Man
9 My darling, I compare you
to a mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 Your cheeks are adorned with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make for you gold earrings decorated with silver.
The Woman
12 While the king was at his couch,
my nard[c] gave off its fragrance.
13 My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh,
spending the night between my breasts.
14 My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
Our House
The Man
15 How beautiful you are, my darling!
How beautiful! Your eyes are doves.
The Woman
16 How beautiful you are, my lover.
How delightful!
Yes, our bed is fresh.
17 The beams of our house are cedar.
Our rafters are fir.
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew term oil of Turuq is uncertain. The ancient versions support the meaning oil which is poured out.
- Song of Songs 1:4 The noun virgins is supplied from verse 3 to make it clear that the man is being addressed.
- Song of Songs 1:12 Nard, myrrh, and henna are expensive fragrances and cosmetics.