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,

¶ 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.

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 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.

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

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should 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, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye not awake nor stir up love until he pleases.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

The 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.

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 still has 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 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.

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 since I was in his eyes as the one that found 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 Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; for its fruit each one was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

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 pieces shall be thine, O Solomon, and two hundred for those that keep the fruit.

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

¶ Thou, she that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice; cause me to hear it.

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

Run, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.