1 “ Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?”

Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you? Beloved

2 “ My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To pasture his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 “ I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,

4 “ You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As awesome as an army with banners.

You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.

5 “ Turn your eyes away from me, For they have confused me; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Gilead.

Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.

6 “ Your teeth are like a flock of ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; no one is bereaved among them.

7 “ Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.

Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

8 “ There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, And maidens without number;

There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

9 B ut my dove, my perfect one, is unique: She is her mother’s only daughter; She is the pure child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed, The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 ‘ Who is this that grows like the dawn, As beautiful as the full moon, As pure as the sun, As awesome as an army with banners?’

Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?

11 “ I went down to the orchard of nut trees To see the blossoms of the valley, To see whether the vine had budded Or the pomegranates had bloomed.

I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.

12 “ Before I was aware, my soul set me Over the chariots of my noble people.”

Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots. Friends

13 “ Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may gaze at you!” “ Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, As at the dance of the two companies?

Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?