1 ¶ O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; and I should not be despised.

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, that thou 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 charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye not awake nor stir up love until he pleases.

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

5 ¶ Who is she that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I woke thee up under the apple tree; there thy mother had birth pains; there she had pains that brought thee into the light.

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 thine heart as a sign upon thine arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is hard as Sheol; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame.

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 T he many waters cannot quench love, neither can the rivers drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for this love, it would certainly be despised.

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 ¶ We have a little sister, and she still has 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 is a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver; and if she is 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 towers since I was in his eyes as the 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 Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; for its fruit each one 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; the thousand pieces shall be thine, O Solomon, and two hundred for those that keep the fruit.

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 ¶ Thou, she that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to 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 R un, 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!