1 O h that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me.

Who doth make thee as a brother to me, Sucking the breasts of my mother? I find thee without, I kiss thee, Yea, they do not despise me,

2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

I lead thee, I bring thee in unto my mother's house, She doth teach me, I cause thee to drink of the perfumed wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate,

3 H is left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.

His left hand under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please.

I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, How ye stir up, And how ye wake the love till she please!

5 W ho is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail that brought thee forth.

Who this coming from the wilderness, Hasting herself for her beloved? Under the citron-tree I have waked thee, There did thy mother pledge thee, There she gave a pledge bare thee.

6 S et me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah.

Set me as a seal on thy heart, as a seal on thine arm, For strong as death is love, Sharp as Sheol is jealousy, Its burnings burnings of fire, a flame of Jah!

7 M any waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be contemned.

Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one give all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down -- they tread upon it.

8 W e have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for?

We have a little sister, and breasts she hath not, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?

9 I f she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar.

If she is a wall, we build by her a palace of silver. And if she is a door, We fashion by her board-work of cedar.

10 I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.

I a wall, and my breasts as towers, Then I have been in his eyes as one finding peace.

11 S olomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

Solomon hath a vineyard in Baal-Hamon, He hath given the vineyard to keepers, Each bringeth for its fruit a thousand silverlings;

12 M y vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

My vineyard -- my own -- is before me, The thousand for thee, O Solomon. And the two hundred for those keeping its fruit. O dweller in gardens!

13 T hou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken for thy voice: Cause me to hear it.

The companions are attending to thy voice, Cause me to hear. Flee, my beloved, and be like to a roe,

14 M ake haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.

Or to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!