Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. The opening exchange — a woman apologizing for sun-darkened skin, and a lover who calls her a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots and means it as praise.
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.”— Song of Solomon 1:2 (WEB)
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth...
Song of Solomon 1:2 (NLT)Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine.
Sweeter than the wine from the north or the south
Song of Solomon 1:2 (NLT)...for your love is sweeter than wine.
Your name is like oil poured out on the skin
Song of Solomon 1:3 (NLT)How fragrant your cologne; your name is like an outpour of perfume...
Let the fragrance of your spirit draw me in
Song of Solomon 1:3 (NLT)...No wonder all the young women love you!
Take me away, let us run to the light
Song of Solomon 1:4 (NLT)Take me with you; come, let us run!
Into the chambers of the king tonight
Song of Solomon 1:4 (NLT)The king has brought me into his bedroom...
I am dark but lovely, daughters of the sun
Song of Solomon 1:5 (NLT)I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem...
Like the tents of Kedar when the day is done
Song of Solomon 1:5 (NLT)...dark as the tents of Kedar, beautiful as the curtains of Solomon’s tent.
Don’t look at the scars where the burning rays fell
Song of Solomon 1:6 (NLT)Don’t stare at me because I am dark; the sun has darkened my skin.
I’ve a beauty in my soul that the heart can tell
Song of Solomon 1:6 (NLT)My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards...
Oh, my love, you’re the one I’m dreaming of
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today?
Tell me, oh you, whom my soul loves so deep
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)...where will you rest your sheep at noon?
Where do you lead all your wandering sheep?
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)...where will you rest your sheep at noon?
Where do they rest in the heat of the noon?
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)...where will you rest your sheep at noon?
Find me, my darling, and find me real soon
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)For why should I wander like a prostitute among your friends and their flocks?
Why should I wait like a ghost in the street?
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)For why should I wander like a prostitute...
When I can feel the earth move beneath my feet
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)...among your friends and their flocks?
"If you do not know, oh fairest of all
Song of Solomon 1:8 (NLT)If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman...
Follow the tracks where the young lambs call
Song of Solomon 1:8 (NLT)...follow the trail of my flock, and pasture your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.
To my eyes, you’re a jewel, you’re a queen on a throne
Song of Solomon 1:9 (NLT)You are as exciting, my darling, as a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions.
With your cheeks decked in gold, and your heart as my own."
Song of Solomon 1:10 (NLT)How lovely are your cheeks; your earrings set them afire!
I am dark but lovely, daughters of the sun
Song of Solomon 1:5 (NLT)I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem...
Like the tents of Kedar when the day is done
Song of Solomon 1:5 (NLT)...dark as the tents of Kedar, beautiful as the curtains of Solomon’s tent.
Don’t look at the scars where the burning rays fell
Song of Solomon 1:6 (NLT)Don’t stare at me because I am dark; the sun has darkened my skin.
I’ve a beauty in my soul that the heart can tell
Song of Solomon 1:6 (NLT)My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards...
Oh, my love, you’re the one I’m dreaming of
Song of Solomon 1:7 (NLT)Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today?
While the king is at his table...
Song of Solomon 1:12 (NLT)The king is lying on his couch...
My spikenard sends its perfume...
Song of Solomon 1:12 (NLT)...spelled by the fragrance of my perfume.
A bundle of myrrh resting on my breast...
Song of Solomon 1:13 (NLT)My lover is like a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.
(In your arms, I find my rest)
Song of Solomon 2:6 (NLT)His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 1:1-17 WEB
- 1The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
- 2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.
- 3Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is oil poured out, therefore the virgins love you.
- 4Take me away with you. Let us hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. Friends We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! Beloved They are right to love you.
- 5I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar’s tents, like Solomon’s curtains.
- 6Don’t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven’t kept my own vineyard.
- 7Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; For why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?
- 8If you don’t know, most beautiful among women, follow the tracks of the sheep. Graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.
- 9I have compared you, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.
- 10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.
- 11We will make you earrings of gold, with studs of silver.
- 12While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.
- 13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.
- 14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.
- 15Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves.
- 16Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, yes, pleasant; and our couch is verdant.
- 17The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs.
The rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. Springtime arriving as an argument: the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, arise and come away.
“For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.”— Song of Solomon 2:11 (WEB)
I’m a rose in the field where the wild winds blow
Song of Solomon 2:1 (NLT)I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley.
A lily in the valley where the quiet waters flow
Song of Solomon 2:1 (NLT)I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley.
Like a bloom among the thorns, standing all alone
Song of Solomon 2:2 (NLT)Like a lily among thistles is my darling among the young women.
Is my darling to me, the truest love I’ve known
Song of Solomon 2:2 (NLT)Like a lily among thistles is my darling among the young women.
Like an apple tree rising in the forest so deep
Song of Solomon 2:3 (NLT)Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men.
Is my love among the others, a promise I will keep
Song of Solomon 2:3 (NLT)Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men.
I sit beneath your shadow with a heart full of grace
Song of Solomon 2:3 (NLT)I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.
Finding sweet, sweet fruit in our hiding place
Song of Solomon 2:3 (NLT)...and taste his delicious fruit.
His left hand is resting underneath my head
Song of Solomon 2:6 (NLT)His left hand is under my head...
By his right hand of mercy, I am gently led
Song of Solomon 2:6 (NLT)...and his right hand embraces me.
Oh, don’t wake the spirit, don’t stir up the fire
Song of Solomon 2:7 (NLT)Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.
Until the soul is ready for its heart's desire
Song of Solomon 2:7 (NLT)...not to awaken love until the time is right.
I’m leaping o’er the mountains, I’m climbing every hill
Song of Solomon 2:8 (NLT)Ah, I hear my lover! See, he comes leaping at the mountains, bounding over the hills.
To get to where you’re waiting, standing very still
Song of Solomon 2:9 (NLT)...Look, there he stands behind the wall, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice.
The winter is over and the rain has passed away
Song of Solomon 2:11 (NLT)See, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.
The flowers are blooming in the light of the day
Song of Solomon 2:12 (NLT)The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come...
I hear my beloved, he’s calling out my name
Song of Solomon 2:10 (NLT)My lover said to me, Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my beautiful one!
He’s looking through the lattice, like a flickering flame
Song of Solomon 2:9 (NLT)...gazing through the window, peering through the lattice.
He says, "Rise up my darling, my beautiful one
Song of Solomon 2:10 (NLT)...Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my beautiful one!
Come out from the shadows and walk in the sun"
Song of Solomon 2:10 (NLT)...Come away with me, my beautiful one!
The vines are in blossom, they’re filling up the air
Song of Solomon 2:13 (NLT)The fig trees are budding, and the grapevines are in blossom, filling the air with fragrance...
The turtles are singing, there is peace everywhere
Song of Solomon 2:12 (NLT)...the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.
Hide in the secret of the cleft in the rock
Song of Solomon 2:14 (NLT)My dove is hiding behind the rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff.
Let me hear your voice while the world tries to mock
Song of Solomon 2:14 (NLT)Let me see your face; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and your face is lovely.
His left hand is resting underneath my head
Song of Solomon 2:6 (NLT)His left hand is under my head...
By his right hand of mercy, I am gently led
Song of Solomon 2:6 (NLT)...and his right hand embraces me.
Oh, don’t wake the spirit, don’t stir up the fire
Song of Solomon 2:7 (NLT)Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.
Until the soul is ready for its heart's desire
Song of Solomon 2:7 (NLT)...not to awaken love until the time is right.
My beloved is mine...
Song of Solomon 2:16 (NLT)My lover is mine, and I am his...
And I am hers...
Song of Solomon 2:16 (NLT)My lover is mine, and I am his...
Until the day breaks...
Song of Solomon 2:17 (NLT)Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee...
And the shadows flee...
Song of Solomon 2:17 (NLT)...and the night shadows flee...
We are one, we are free.
Song of Solomon 2:17 (NLT)...turn to me, my lover, like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged mountains.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 2:1-17 WEB
- 1I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
- 2As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
- 3As 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, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
- 4He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner over me is love.
- 5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am faint with love.
- 6His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me.
- 7I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.
- 8The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.
- 9My beloved is like a roe or a young deer. Behold, he stands behind our wall! He looks in at the windows. He glances through the lattice.
- 10My beloved spoke, and said to me, “Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
- 11For, behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.
- 12The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
- 13The fig tree ripens her green figs. The vines are in blossom. They give out their fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
- 14My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding places of the mountainside, Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
- 15Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom.
- 16My beloved is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.
- 17Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a roe or a young deer on the mountains of Bether.
Searching the city at night for the one her soul loves, and the watchmen who find her first. Then Solomon’s carriage coming up out of the wilderness like columns of smoke.
“I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.”— Song of Solomon 3:4 (WEB)
Upon my bed at night, I sought the one I love
Song of Solomon 3:1 (NLT)One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover.
Underneath the silent stars watching from above
Song of Solomon 3:1 (NLT)I yearned for him, but he did not come.
I looked for him in shadows, but he was never there
Song of Solomon 3:1 (NLT)I yearned for him, but he did not come.
I whispered to the darkness, I breathed it in the air
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)So I said to myself, I will get up and roam the city...
I said, "I will arise now and go into the street"
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)So I said to myself, I will get up and roam the city...
And find the heart that makes my own skip a heavy beat
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...searching in all its streets and squares.
Oh, have you seen my darling? Have you seen my king?
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)Have you seen the one I love so much? I asked.
My soul is heavy laden for the joy that he can bring
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)Scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly...
I’m wandering the city while the world is fast asleep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...searching in all its streets and squares.
Looking for a promise that I know is mine to keep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...I will search for the one I love.
The watchmen found me weary, patrolling on their round
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds.
Walking through the silence where no lovers can be found
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds.
"Have you seen my soul's desire?" I asked them as they passed
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)Have you seen the one I love so much? I asked.
But I found him just a moment later, found my home at last
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)Scarcely had I left them when I found my love!
I held him in the moonlight and I would not let him go
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)I caught and held him tightly...
Until I brought him to the place where secret grasses grow
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)...then I brought him to my mother’s house, into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.
Oh, have you seen my darling? Have you seen my king?
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)Have you seen the one I love so much? I asked.
My soul is heavy laden for the joy that he can bring
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)Scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly...
I’m wandering the city while the world is fast asleep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...searching in all its streets and squares.
Looking for a promise that I know is mine to keep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...I will search for the one I love.
Look there in the distance, past the desert sand
Song of Solomon 3:6 (NLT)Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke?
Who is this like pillars of smoke across the land?
Song of Solomon 3:6 (NLT)Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke?
Perfumed with the incense, with frankincense and myrrh
Song of Solomon 3:6 (NLT)Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice?
The coming of the King for the one who waited for her
Song of Solomon 3:7 (NLT)Look, it is Solomon’s carriage...
Sixty valiant men with their swords held at their side
Song of Solomon 3:7 (NLT)...surrounded by sixty expert swordsmen of Israel.
Watching through the night for the coming of the bride
Song of Solomon 3:8 (NLT)They are all highly skilled swordsmen, experienced in battle. Each wears a sword on his thigh, ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.
Oh, have you seen my darling? Have you seen my king?
Song of Solomon 3:3 (NLT)Have you seen the one I love so much? I asked.
My soul is heavy laden for the joy that he can bring
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)Scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly...
I’m wandering the city while the world is fast asleep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...searching in all its streets and squares.
Looking for a promise that I know is mine to keep
Song of Solomon 3:2 (NLT)...I will search for the one I love.
Go forth, O daughters, see the crown upon his head
Song of Solomon 3:11 (NLT)Go out to look at King Solomon, O young women of Jerusalem. See the crown his mother put on his head...
On the day he's glad of heart, just like the words he said
Song of Solomon 3:11 (NLT)...on his wedding day, the day his heart was glad.
(I won't let go...)
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)I caught and held him tightly...
(No, I won't let go...)
Song of Solomon 3:4 (NLT)I caught and held him tightly...
Full passage — Song of Solomon 3:1-11 WEB
- 1By night on my bed, I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.
- 2I will get up now, and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I didn’t find him.
- 3The watchmen who go about the city found me; “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
- 4I had scarcely passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.
- 5I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.
- 6Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the merchant?
- 7Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage! Sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel.
- 8They all handle the sword, and are expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh, because of fear in the night.
- 9King Solomon made himself a carriage of the wood of Lebanon.
- 10He made its pillars of silver, its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, the middle of it being paved with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.
- 11Go out, you daughters of Zion, and see king Solomon, with the crown with which his mother has crowned him, in the day of his weddings, in the day of the gladness of his heart.
The first full praise song — hair like a flock of goats, teeth like shorn ewes, a neck like the tower of David. A garden locked up, a spring shut, a fountain sealed.
“You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you.”— Song of Solomon 4:7 (WEB)
Behold, you are fair, my love, behold you are fair
Song of Solomon 4:1 (NLT)You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words.
With the eyes of a dove behind the veil that you wear
Song of Solomon 4:1 (NLT)Your eyes are like doves behind your veil.
Your hair falls down like a flock from the height
Song of Solomon 4:1 (NLT)Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
Of the mountains of Gilead in the morning light
Song of Solomon 4:1 (NLT)...winding down the slopes of Gilead.
Your teeth are like sheep, all washed and so white
Song of Solomon 4:2 (NLT)Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed.
Not one is missing, you’re a beautiful sight
Song of Solomon 4:2 (NLT)Not one is missing its mate; no one has lost its young.
You are all beautiful, my love, there is no spot in you
Song of Solomon 4:7 (NLT)You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.
Your lips are like scarlet, and your heart is so true
Song of Solomon 4:3 (NLT)Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting.
Like a slice of pomegranate is the temple of your head
Song of Solomon 4:3 (NLT)Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil.
I’m captured by the grace of every word that you’ve said
Song of Solomon 4:11 (NLT)Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride...
Your neck is like the tower where the mighty shields hang
Song of Solomon 4:4 (NLT)Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
Where the songs of the heroes and the warriors sang
Song of Solomon 4:4 (NLT)...jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
Your breasts are like fawns, like twins of a roe
Song of Solomon 4:5 (NLT)Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle...
Feeding in the lilies where the soft waters flow
Song of Solomon 4:5 (NLT)...grazing among the lilies.
Until the day breaks and the shadows take flight
Song of Solomon 4:6 (NLT)Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee...
I’ll stay on the mountain of incense tonight
Song of Solomon 4:6 (NLT)...I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.
Come with me from Lebanon, my beautiful bride
Song of Solomon 4:8 (NLT)Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon.
Look from the peaks where the lions reside
Song of Solomon 4:8 (NLT)Come down from the peaks of Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, where the lions have their dens...
You’ve ravished my heart with just one of your eyes
Song of Solomon 4:9 (NLT)You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes...
With one chain of your neck, where my soul's treasure lies
Song of Solomon 4:9 (NLT)...with a single jewel of your necklace.
You are all beautiful, my love, there is no spot in you
Song of Solomon 4:7 (NLT)You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.
Your lips are like scarlet, and your heart is so true
Song of Solomon 4:3 (NLT)Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting.
Like a slice of pomegranate is the temple of your head
Song of Solomon 4:3 (NLT)Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil.
I’m captured by the grace of every word that you’ve said
Song of Solomon 4:11 (NLT)Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride...
How much better is your love than the finest of wine
Song of Solomon 4:10 (NLT)Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine...
The scent of your perfume is better than pine
Song of Solomon 4:10 (NLT)...your perfume more fragrant than spices.
Your lips drop like honey, it’s under your tongue
Song of Solomon 4:11 (NLT)Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue.
The smell of your garments is a song yet unsung
Song of Solomon 4:11 (NLT)Your clothes are scented like the cedars of Lebanon.
You’re a garden enclosed, a spring shut so tight
Song of Solomon 4:12 (NLT)You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride...
A fountain sealed up in the middle of the night
Song of Solomon 4:12 (NLT)...a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.
Awake, O north wind...
Song of Solomon 4:16 (NLT)Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind!
And come, thou south...
Song of Solomon 4:16 (NLT)...Rise up, south wind!
Blow upon my garden...
Song of Solomon 4:16 (NLT)Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around.
Let my beloved come and eat his pleasant fruits.
Song of Solomon 4:16 (NLT)Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 4:1-16 WEB
- 1Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats, that descend from Mount Gilead.
- 2Your teeth are like a newly shorn flock, which have come up from the washing, where every one of them has twins. None is bereaved among them.
- 3Your lips are like scarlet thread. Your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
- 4Your neck is like David’s tower built for an armory, whereon a thousand shields hang, all the shields of the mighty men.
- 5Your two breasts are like two fawns that are twins of a roe, which feed among the lilies.
- 6Until the day is cool, and the shadows flee away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense.
- 7You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you.
- 8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
- 9You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride. You have ravished my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck.
- 10How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine! The fragrance of your perfumes than all kinds of spices!
- 11Your lips, my bride, drip like the honeycomb. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The smell of your garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
- 12A locked up garden is my sister, my bride; a locked up spring, a sealed fountain.
- 13Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits: henna with spikenard plants,
- 14spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices,
- 15a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, flowing streams from Lebanon.
- 16Awake, north wind; and come, you south! Blow on my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and taste his precious fruits.
I slept, but my heart was awake. The knock that comes a moment too late, the search that ends in blows from the watchmen, and a description of the beloved given to strangers in the street.
“His mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.”— Song of Solomon 5:16 (WEB)
I was sleeping in the night, but my heart was awake
Song of Solomon 5:2 (NLT)I slept, but my heart was awake...
I heard a knock at the door for my own spirit's sake
Song of Solomon 5:2 (NLT)...when I heard my lover knocking and calling...
It was the voice of my beloved, saying "Open to me"
Song of Solomon 5:2 (NLT)...Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one.
"My sister, my love, my dove, let me be"
Song of Solomon 5:2 (NLT)...Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one.
But I had put off my coat, and I’d washed my feet
Song of Solomon 5:3 (NLT)But I responded, I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Must I get them dirty?
I hesitated there, while the moment was sweet
Song of Solomon 5:3 (NLT)...Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Must I get them dirty?
He put his hand to the latch, and my heart began to move
Song of Solomon 5:4 (NLT)My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me.
I rose up to open, for the one I had to prove
Song of Solomon 5:5 (NLT)I jumped up to open the door for my love...
My hands dropped with myrrh, on the handle of the lock
Song of Solomon 5:5 (NLT)...and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the handles.
But when I opened up the door, I felt the sudden shock
Song of Solomon 5:6 (NLT)I opened to my lover, but he was gone!
My beloved had turned, he was gone from the sight
Song of Solomon 5:6 (NLT)...he was gone!
My soul failed within me in the middle of the night
Song of Solomon 5:6 (NLT)My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere.
Oh, I’m lovesick, daughters, can’t you see?
Song of Solomon 5:8 (NLT)Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
If you find my beloved, won’t you tell him for me?
Song of Solomon 5:8 (NLT)...if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
I sought him in the city, but he couldn’t be found
Song of Solomon 5:7 (NLT)I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.
The watchmen they wounded me and held me to the ground
Song of Solomon 5:7 (NLT)The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me...
I’m looking for the one who is the shadow and the light
Song of Solomon 5:6 (NLT)I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere.
You ask why I love him, why he’s more than the rest?
Song of Solomon 5:9 (NLT)Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty?
He’s radiant and ruddy, he’s the bravest and the best
Song of Solomon 5:10 (NLT)My lover is dark and dazzling, better than ten thousand others!
His head is like gold, and his hair dark as crows
Song of Solomon 5:11 (NLT)His head is finest gold, his wavy hair is black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves where the water-stream flows
Song of Solomon 5:12 (NLT)His eyes are like doves beside brooks of water...
His cheeks are like balsam, his lips sweet as wine
Song of Solomon 5:13 (NLT)His cheeks are like gardens of spices giving off fragrance. His lips are like lilies, perfumed with myrrh.
He is altogether lovely, and I’m glad that he is mine!
Song of Solomon 5:16 (NLT)His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.
Yes, I’m lovesick, daughters, can’t you see?
Song of Solomon 5:8 (NLT)Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
If you find my beloved, won’t you tell him for me?
Song of Solomon 5:8 (NLT)...if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
I sought him in the city, but he couldn’t be found
Song of Solomon 5:7 (NLT)I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.
The watchmen they wounded me and held me to the ground
Song of Solomon 5:7 (NLT)The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me...
I’m looking for the one who is the shadow and the light
Song of Solomon 5:6 (NLT)I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere.
Daughters of Jerusalem...
Song of Solomon 5:16 (NLT)...Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.
Tell him I am waiting...
Song of Solomon 5:8 (NLT)Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 5:1-16 WEB
- 1I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Friends Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved.
- 2I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night.”
- 3I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on? I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?
- 4My beloved thrust his hand in through the latch opening. My heart pounded for him.
- 5I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock.
- 6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved left; and had gone away. My heart went out when he spoke. I looked for him, but I didn’t find him. I called him, but he didn’t answer.
- 7The watchmen who go about the city found me. They beat me. They bruised me. The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.
- 8I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am faint with love.
- 9How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us?
- 10My beloved is white and ruddy. The best among ten thousand.
- 11His head is like the purest gold. His hair is bushy, black as a raven.
- 12His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, washed with milk, mounted like jewels.
- 13His cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes. His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.
- 14His hands are like rings of gold set with beryl. His body is like ivory work overlaid with sapphires.
- 15His legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
- 16His mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.
Where has your beloved gone? She knows exactly where. The reunion in the garden of nuts, and a beauty compared to Tirzah, to Jerusalem, to an army with banners.
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,”— Song of Solomon 6:3 (WEB)
Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women?
Song of Solomon 6:1 (NLT)Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty?
Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
Song of Solomon 6:1 (NLT)Which way did he turn so we can help you find him?
My beloved has gone down to his garden of spice
Song of Solomon 6:2 (NLT)My lover has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds...
To browse in the gardens, where the air is so nice
Song of Solomon 6:2 (NLT)...to browse in the gardens and gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.
He feeds among the lilies where the sun starts to shine
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)He browses among the lilies!
Oh, we found each other in the morning light
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
Past the weary watchmen and the shadows of the night
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
Everything is beautiful beneath the rising sun
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
You are beautiful, my love, as the city of Tirzah
Song of Solomon 6:4 (NLT)You are beautiful, my darling, like the lovely city of Tirzah.
Lovely as Jerusalem, more than any could deserve-a
Song of Solomon 6:4 (NLT)Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem, as majestic as an army with banners.
Turn your eyes away, for they’ve overcome my soul
Song of Solomon 6:5 (NLT)Turn your eyes away, for they overpower me.
Your beauty is a fire that I cannot control
Song of Solomon 6:5 (NLT)Turn your eyes away, for they overpower me.
You are the only one, the choice one of your mother
Song of Solomon 6:9 (NLT)But my dove, my perfect one, is the only one... the favorite of her mother.
The daughters saw your face and they said there is no other
Song of Solomon 6:9 (NLT)The young women see her and praise her; even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:
Who is she that looks forth as the morning?
Song of Solomon 6:10 (NLT)Who is this, arising like the dawn...
Clear as the sun and with beauty adorning?
Song of Solomon 6:10 (NLT)...as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun...
Awesome as an army with banners in the sky
Song of Solomon 6:10 (NLT)...as majestic as an army with banners?
I saw her in the garden as I was passing by
Song of Solomon 6:11 (NLT)I went down to the grove of walnut trees and out to the valley to see the new spring growth...
Oh, we found each other in the morning light
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
Past the weary watchmen and the shadows of the night
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
Everything is beautiful beneath the rising sun
Song of Solomon 6:3 (NLT)I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies!
Return, return, O Shulammite...
Song of Solomon 6:13 (NLT)Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam.
I am coming home tonight...
Song of Solomon 6:13 (NLT)Come back, come back, that we may see you again.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 6:1-13 WEB
- 1Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
- 2My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
- 3I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
- 4You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
- 5Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
- 6Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; no one is bereaved among them.
- 7Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
- 8There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
- 9My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
- 10Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
- 11I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
- 12Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
- 13Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
The most physical chapter in the book, sung without apology or allegory — and closing with the line the whole record has been building toward: his desire is toward me.
“I am my beloved’s. His desire is toward me.”— Song of Solomon 7:10 (WEB)
How beautiful your feet are in those sandals, princess bride
Song of Solomon 7:1 (NLT)How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O queenly maiden.
The curves of your thighs are like jewels you used to hide
Song of Solomon 7:1 (NLT)Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master craftsman.
The work of a master, polished and so fine
Song of Solomon 7:1 (NLT)Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master craftsman.
Your grace is like a melody, your spirit is like wine
Song of Solomon 7:2 (NLT)Your navel is perfectly formed like a goblet filled with mixed wine.
Your waist is like a heap of wheat, where the lilies grow
Song of Solomon 7:2 (NLT)Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies.
Your beauty is a river with a deep and steady flow
Song of Solomon 7:2 (NLT)Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies.
Your neck is like an ivory tower, standing tall and fair
Song of Solomon 7:4 (NLT)Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
The pools of Heshbon shining in the shadow of your hair
Song of Solomon 7:4 (NLT)Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your head is like Mount Carmel, with a purple royal sheen
Song of Solomon 7:5 (NLT)Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel, and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty.
The King is held a captive in your tresses, my queen
Song of Solomon 7:5 (NLT)The king is held captive by its tresses.
How fair and how pleasant you are for my delight
Song of Solomon 7:6 (NLT)Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
A love that grows more beautiful in the middle of the night
Song of Solomon 7:6 (NLT)Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
I said I will climb up the palm tree today
Song of Solomon 7:8 (NLT)I said, "I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit."
And take hold of the branches in a soulful way
Song of Solomon 7:8 (NLT)I said, "I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit."
(I am my beloved’s)
Song of Solomon 7:10 (NLT)I am my lover’s...
(And her desire is for me)
Song of Solomon 7:10 (NLT)...and he claims me as his own.
Flowing down so sweetly, like the salt within the sea
Song of Solomon 7:9 (NLT)May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine, flowing gently over lips and teeth.
Come, my beloved, let us go into the field
Song of Solomon 7:11 (NLT)Come, my love, let us go out into the fields...
Let us spend the night where the secret henna's yielded
Song of Solomon 7:11 (NLT)...and spend the night among the wildflowers.
Let us get up early to the vineyards in the dew
Song of Solomon 7:12 (NLT)Let us get up early and go to the vineyards...
To see if the vine buds and the blossoms are new
Song of Solomon 7:12 (NLT)...to see if the grapevines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I’ll give my love to you, beneath the morning sun
Song of Solomon 7:12 (NLT)There I will give you my love.
Where the ancient promises have only just begun
Song of Solomon 7:12 (NLT)There I will give you my love.
The mandrakes give a fragrance at our very door
Song of Solomon 7:13 (NLT)There the mandrakes give forth their fragrance, and the rarest fruits are at our doors...
New and old treasures, I have kept them in store
Song of Solomon 7:13 (NLT)...the new as well as old, for I have stored them up for you, my lover.
Everything I am is yours.
Song of Solomon 7:13 (NLT)...for I have stored them up for you, my lover.
I said I will climb up the palm tree today
Song of Solomon 7:8 (NLT)I said, "I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit."
And take hold of the branches in a soulful way
Song of Solomon 7:8 (NLT)I said, "I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit."
(I am my beloved’s)
Song of Solomon 7:10 (NLT)I am my lover’s...
(And her desire is for me)
Song of Solomon 7:10 (NLT)...and he claims me as his own.
Flowing down so sweetly, like the salt within the sea
Song of Solomon 7:9 (NLT)May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine, flowing gently over lips and teeth.
So beautiful...
Song of Solomon 7:6 (NLT)Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
I am yours...
Song of Solomon 7:10 (NLT)I am my lover’s... and he claims me as his own.
So unusual...
Song of Solomon 7:6 (NLT)Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!
Only love.
Song of Solomon 7:13 (NLT)...for I have stored them up for you, my lover.
Full passage — Song of Solomon 7:1-13 WEB
- 1How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince’s daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.
- 2Your body is like a round goblet, no mixed wine is wanting. Your waist is like a heap of wheat, set about with lilies.
- 3Your two breasts are like two fawns, that are twins of a roe.
- 4Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.
- 5Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.
- 6How beautiful and how pleasant you are, love, for delights!
- 7This, your stature, is like a palm tree, your breasts like its fruit.
- 8I said, “I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit.” Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the smell of your breath like apples,
- 9Your mouth like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
- 10I am my beloved’s. His desire is toward me.
- 11Come, my beloved, let us go out into the field. Let us lodge in the villages.
- 12Let’s go early up to the vineyards. Let’s see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.
- 13The mandrakes produce fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.
Set me as a seal on your heart. Love strong as death, jealousy as cruel as Sheol, and waters that cannot quench it — the closing statement of the album and of the book.
“Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.”— Song of Solomon 8:7 (WEB)
Oh, that you were like a brother, nursed at my mother’s breast
Song of Solomon 8:1 (NLT)Oh, I wish you were my brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
If I found you in the street, I’d give my heart a rest
Song of Solomon 8:1 (NLT)Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would criticize me.
I’d kiss you in the open, and no one would despise
Song of Solomon 8:1 (NLT)Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would criticize me.
I’d lead you to the house where the ancient wisdom lies
Song of Solomon 8:2 (NLT)I would bring you to my childhood home...
I’d give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate
Song of Solomon 8:2 (NLT)...and I would give you spiced wine to drink, my sweet pomegranate wine.
A love so deep and heavy, no soul could ever span it
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Set me as a seal upon your heart tonight
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)Place me like a seal over your heart...
Set me as a seal upon your arm so tight
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)...like a seal on your arm.
For love is strong as death, and jealousy is cruel
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
The flashes of its fire are the soul's only fuel
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
If a man gave all the wealth of his house for this flame
Song of Solomon 8:7 (NLT)If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth...
He’d be utterly despised, he’d be nothing but a name
Song of Solomon 8:7 (NLT)...his offer would be utterly scorned.
We have a little sister, what shall we do for her?
Song of Solomon 8:8 (NLT)We have a little sister too young to have breasts. What will we do for our sister if someone asks to marry her?
If she be a wall, we’ll build towers of silver and myrrh
Song of Solomon 8:9 (NLT)If she is a virgin, like a wall, we will protect her with a silver tower. But if she is promiscuous, like a swinging door, we will block her door with a cedar bar.
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers
Song of Solomon 8:10 (NLT)I was a virgin, like a wall; now my breasts are like towers.
I found favor in his eyes through the long and lonely hours
Song of Solomon 8:10 (NLT)When my lover looks at me, he is delighted with what he sees.
My beloved has a vineyard, a place called Baal-hamon
Song of Solomon 8:11 (NLT)Solomon has a vineyard at Baal-hamon, which he leases out to tenant farmers. Each pays a thousand pieces of silver for its fruit.
But my own vineyard is mine, until the day is gone
Song of Solomon 8:12 (NLT)But my vineyard is mine to give, and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver. But I will give two hundred pieces to those who care for its vines.
Set me as a seal upon your heart tonight
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)Place me like a seal over your heart...
Set me as a seal upon your arm so tight
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)...like a seal on your arm.
For love is strong as death, and jealousy is cruel
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
The flashes of its fire are the soul's only fuel
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
You who dwell in the gardens, your companions lend an ear
Song of Solomon 8:13 (NLT)O my darling, lingering in the gardens, your companions are listening for your voice...
Let me hear your voice, let me feel you near
Song of Solomon 8:13 (NLT)...Let me hear it, too.
Make haste, my beloved, be like a gazelle on the rise
Song of Solomon 8:14 (NLT)Come away, my lover! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
On the mountains of spices, under the midnight skies
Song of Solomon 8:14 (NLT)...on the mountains of spices.
Make haste, my love...
Song of Solomon 8:14 (NLT)Come away, my lover!
Come away with me...
Song of Solomon 8:14 (NLT)Come away, my lover!
(Love is as strong... as death...)
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NLT)For love is as strong as death...
Full passage — Song of Solomon 8:1-14 WEB
- 1Oh that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me.
- 2I would lead you, bringing you into my mother’s house, who would instruct me. I would have you drink spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.
- 3His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.
- 4I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.
- 5Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I aroused you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.
- 6Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yahweh.
- 7Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
- 8We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?
- 9If she is a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver. if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
- 10I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I was in his eyes like one who found peace.
- 11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He leased out the vineyard to keepers. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
- 12My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon; two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
- 13You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!
- 14Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!