1 T he song of songs which is Solomon’s.

¶The song of songs, which is of Solomon.

2 L et him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine!

¶ Oh! if he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! for thy love is better than wine.

3 T he odor of your ointments is fragrant; your name is like perfume poured out. Therefore do the maidens love you.

Because of the savour of thy good ointments (ointment poured forth is thy name), therefore have the virgins loved thee.

4 D raw me! We will run after you! The king brings me into his apartments! We will be glad and rejoice in you! We will recall your love, more fragrant than wine. The upright love you.

Draw me after thee, we will run. The king has brought me into his chambers; we will be glad and rejoice in thee; we will remember thy love more than the wine; the upright love thee.

5 I am so black; but lovely and pleasant. O you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon!

I am dark, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, more desirable as the booths of Kedar, as the tents of Solomon.

6 d o not look at me, I am swarthy. in the sun and it has left its mark upon me. My stepbrothers were angry with me, and they made me keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard I have not kept.

Do not look upon me because I am dark because the sun has looked upon me; my mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but I have not kept my own vineyard.

7 T ell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon. For why should I be as a veiled one straying beside the flocks of your companions?

¶ Tell me, O thou whom my soul loves, where thou dost feed, where thou dost make thy flock to rest at noon; for why did I have to be as a wanderer after the flocks of thy companions?

8 I f you do not know, O you fairest among women, run along, follow the tracks of the flock, and pasturing your kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go forth, following the footprints of the flock and feed thy little female goats beside the booths of the shepherds.

9 O my love, you remind me of my mare in the chariot spans of Pharaoh.

I have compared thee, O my love, to a mare of the chariots of Pharaoh.

10 Y our cheeks are comely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.

Thy cheeks are beautiful between the earrings, thy neck between the necklaces.

11 W e will make for you chains and ornaments of gold, studded with silver.

We will make thee earrings of gold with studs of silver.

12 W hile the king sits at his table, my spikenard sends forth fragrance.

¶ While the king was on his couch, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance.

13 M y beloved is to me like a bag of myrrh that lies in my bosom.

A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me that rests between my breasts.

14 M y beloved is to me a cluster of henna flowers in the vineyards of En-gedi.

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

15 B ehold, you are beautiful, my love! Behold, you are beautiful! You have doves’ eyes.

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

16 B ehold, you are beautiful, my beloved, yes, delightful! Our arbor and couch are green and leafy.

Behold, thou art fair, O my beloved, and pleasant; also our bed has flowers.

17 T he beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters and panels are cypresses or pines.

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