Song of Solomon 1

¹The Song of Songs, which is by Solomon.

²[M.] O that he would kiss me with one of the kisses of his mouth! For thy love is better than wine.

³Because of the savor of thy precious perfumes, (Thy name is like fragrant oil poured forth,) Therefore do the virgins love thee.

⁴Draw me after thee; let us run! The king hath led me to his chambers! We will be glad and rejoice in thee; We will praise thy love more than wine. Justly do they love thee!

⁵I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

⁶Gaze not upon me because I am black, Because the sun hath looked upon me! My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me keeper of the vineyards; My vineyard, my own, have I not kept.

⁷Tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest thy flock, Where thou leadest it to rest at noon; For why should I be like a veiled one by the flocks of thy companions?

⁸[Lad.] If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Trace thou thy way by the tracks of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents!

⁹[Lov.] To the horses in the chariots of Pharaoh Do I compare thee, my love!

¹⁰Comely are thy cheeks with rows of jewels, Thy neck with strings of pearls.

¹¹Golden chains will we make for thee, With studs of silver.

¹²[M.] While the king reclineth at his table, My spikenard sendeth forth its fragrance.

¹³A bunch of myrrh is my beloved to me; He shall abide between my breasts.

¹⁴My beloved is to me a cluster of henna-flowers From the gardens of Engedi.

¹⁵[Lov.] Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair! Thine eyes are doves.

¹⁶[M.] Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, lovely; And green is our bed.

¹⁷The cedars are the beams of our house, And its roof the cypresses.

Song of Solomon 1

¹The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

²Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

³Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

⁴Draw 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.

⁵I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

⁶Look 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.

⁷Tell 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?

⁸If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

⁹I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.

¹⁰Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

¹¹We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

¹²While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

¹³A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

¹⁴My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En–gedi.

¹⁵Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

¹⁶Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

¹⁷The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.