1 W ho 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,

Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! Should I find thee without, I would kiss thee; And they would not despise me.

2 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,

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

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

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

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

I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, … Why should ye stir up, why awake love, till he please?

5 W ho 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.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I awoke thee under the apple-tree: There thy mother brought thee forth; There she brought thee forth bore thee.

6 S et 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!

Set 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, Flames of Jah.

7 M any 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.

Many waters cannot quench love, Neither do the floods drown it: Even if a man gave all the substance of his house for love, It would utterly be contemned.

8 W e 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?

We 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?—

9 I f 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.

If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver; And if she be a door, We will enclose her with boards of cedar.

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

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; Then was I in his eyes as one that findeth peace.

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

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

12 M y 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!

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: The thousand be to thee, Solomon; And to the keepers of its fruit, two hundred.

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

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken to thy voice: Let me hear.

14 O r to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!

Haste, my beloved, And be thou like a gazelle or a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.