1 T he Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

The Song of Songs, that Solomon's.

2 “ May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.

Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better thy loves than wine.

3 “ Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you.

For fragrance thy perfumes good. Perfume emptied out -- thy name, Therefore have virgins loved thee!

4 “ Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers.” “ We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.”

Draw me: after thee we run, The king hath brought me into his inner chambers, We do joy and rejoice in thee, We mention thy loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved thee!

5 “ I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.

Dark I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.

6 “ Do not stare at me because I am swarthy, For the sun has burned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

Fear me not, because I very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard -- my own -- I have not kept.

7 “ Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?” Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?

8 “ If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go forth on the trail of the flock And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds.

If thou knowest not, O fair among women, Get thee forth by the traces of the flock, And feed thy kids by the shepherds' dwellings!

9 “ To me, my darling, you are like My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

To my joyous one in chariots of Pharaoh, I have compared thee, my friend,

10 “ Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with strings of beads.”

Comely have been thy cheeks with garlands, Thy neck with chains.

11 “ We will make for you ornaments of gold With beads of silver.”

Garlands of gold we do make for thee, With studs of silver!

12 “ While the king was at his table, My perfume gave forth its fragrance.

While the king in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.

13 “ My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night between my breasts.

A bundle of myrrh my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.

14 “ My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms In the vineyards of Engedi.”

A cluster of cypress my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

15 “ How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves.”

Lo, thou fair, my friend, Lo, thou fair, thine eyes doves!

16 “ How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!

Lo, thou fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch green,

17 “ The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters, cypresses.

The beams of our houses cedars, Our rafters firs, I a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!