Bible (Jewish Publication Society 1917)/Song of Songs
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שיר השירים
THE SONG OF SONGS
1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
- 2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
- For thy love is better than wine.
- 3Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance;
- Thy name is as ointment poured forth;
- Therefore do the maidens love thee.
- 4Draw me, we will run after thee;
- The king hath brought me into his chambers;
- We will be glad and rejoice in thee,
- We will find thy love more fragrant than wine!
- Sincerely do they love thee.
- 5'I am black, but comely,
- O ye daughters of Jerusalem,
- As the tents of Kedar,
- As the curtains of Solomon.
- 6Look not upon me, that I am swarthy,
- That the sun hath tanned me;
- My mother's sons were incensed against me,
- They made me keeper of the vineyards;
- But mine own vineyard have I not kept.'
- 7Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,
- Where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon;
- For why should I be as one that veileth herself
- Beside the flocks of thy companions?
- 8If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,
- Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock
- And feed thy kids, beside the shepherds' tents.
- 9I have compared thee, O my love,
- To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.
- 10Thy cheeks are comely with circlets,
- Thy neck with beads.
- 11We will make thee circlets of gold
- With studs of silver.
- 12While the king sat at his table,
- My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
- 13My beloved is unto me as a bag of myrrh,
- That lieth betwixt my breasts.
- 14My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna
- In the vineyards of En-gedi.
- 15Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
- Thine eyes are as doves.
- 16Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant;
- Also our couch is leafy.
- 17The beams of our houses are cedars,
- And our panels are cypresses.
- 2 I am a rose of Sharon,
- A lily of the valleys.
- 2As a lily among thorns,
- So is my love among the daughters.
- 3As an apple-tree among the trees of the wood,
- So is my beloved among the sons.
- Under its shadow I delighted to sit,
- And its fruit was sweet to my taste.
- 4He hath brought me to the banqueting-house,
- And his banner over me is love.
- 5'Stay ye me with dainties, refresh me with apples;
- For I am love-sick.'
- 6Let his left hand be under my head,
- And his right hand embrace me.
- 7'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
- By the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field,
- That ye awaken not, nor stir up love, until it please.'
- 8Hark! my beloved! behold, he cometh,
- Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
- 9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart;
- Behold, he standeth behind our wall,
- He looketh in through the windows,
- He peereth through the lattice.
- 10My beloved spoke, and said unto me:
- 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
- 11For, lo, the winter is past,
- The rain is over and gone;
- 12The flowers appear on the earth;
- The time of singing is come,
- And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
- 13The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs,
- And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance.
- Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
- 14O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff,
- Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;
- For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.'
- 15'Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards;
- For our vineyards are in blossom.'
- 16My beloved is mine, and I am his,
- That feedeth among the lilies.
- 17Until the day breathe, and the shadows flee away,
- Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a gazelle or a young hart
- Upon the mountains of spices.
- 3 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth;
- I sought him, but I found him not.
- 2'I will rise now, and go about the city,
- In the streets and in the broad ways,
- I will seek him whom my soul loveth.'
- I sought him, but I found him not.
- 3The watchmen that go about the city found me:
- 'Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?'
- 4Scarce had I passed from them,
- When I found him whom my soul loveth:
- I held him, and would not let him go,
- Until I had brought him into my mother's house,
- And into the chamber of her that conceived me.
- 5'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
- By the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field,
- That ye awaken not, nor stir up love,
- Until it please.'
- 6Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness
- Like pillars of smoke,
- Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
- With all powders of the merchant?
- 7Behold, it is the litter of Solomon;
- Threescore mighty men are about it,
- Of the mighty men of Israel.
- 8They all handle the sword,
- And are expert in war;
- Every man hath his sword upon his thigh,
- Because of dread in the night.
- 9King Solomon made himself a palanquin
- Of the wood of Lebanon.
- 10He made the pillars thereof of silver,
- The top thereof of gold,
- The seat of it of purple,
- The inside thereof being inlaid with love,
- From the daughters of Jerusalem.
- 11Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,
- And gaze upon king Solomon,
- Even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals,
- And in the day of the gladness of his heart.
- 4 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
- Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil;
- Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that trail down from mount Gilead.
- 2Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes all shaped alike,
- Which are come up from the washing;
- Whereof all are paired, and none faileth among them.
- 3Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet,
- And thy mouth is comely;
- Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open
- Behind thy veil.
- 4Thy neck is like the tower of David
- Builded with turrets,
- Whereon there hang a thousand shields,
- All the armour of the mighty men.
- 5Thy two breasts are like two fawns
- That are twins of a gazelle,
- Which feed among the lilies.
- 6Until the day breathe,
- And the shadows flee away,
- I will get me to the mountain of myrrh,
- And to the hill of frankincense.
- 7Thou art all fair, my love;
- And there is no spot in thee.
- 8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
- With me from Lebanon;
- Look from the top of Amana,
- From the top of Senir and Hermon,
- From the lions' dens,
- From the mountains of the leopards.
- 9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;
- Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes,
- With one bead of thy necklace.
- 10How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride!
- How much better is thy love than wine!
- And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
- 11Thy lips, O my bride, drop honey—
- Honey and milk are under thy tongue;
- And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
- 12A garden shut up is my sister, my bride;
- A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
- 13Thy shoots are a park of pomegranates,
- With precious fruits;
- Henna with spikenard plants,
- 14Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
- With all trees of frankincense;
- Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
- 15Thou art a fountain of gardens,
- A well of living waters,
- And flowing streams from Lebanon.
- 16Awake, O north wind;
- And come, thou south;
- Blow upon my garden,
- That the spices thereof may flow out.
- Let my beloved come into his garden,
- And eat his precious fruits.
- 5 I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
- I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
- I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
- I have drunk my wine with my milk.
- Eat, O friends;
- Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
- 2I sleep, but my heart waketh;
- Hark! my beloved knocketh:
- 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled;
- For my head is filled with dew,
- My locks with the drops of the night.'
- 3I have put off my coat;
- How shall I put it on?
- I have washed my feet;
- How shall I defile them?
- 4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
- And my heart was moved for him.
- 5I rose up to open to my beloved;
- And my hands dropped with myrrh,
- And my fingers with flowing myrrh,
- Upon the handles of the bar.
- 6I opened to my beloved;
- But my beloved had turned away, and was gone.
- My soul failed me when he spoke.
- I sought him, but I could not find him;
- I called him, but he gave me no answer.
- 7The watchmen that go about the city found me,
- They smote me, they wounded me;
- The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.
- 8'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
- If ye find my beloved, what will ye tell him?
- That I am love-sick.'
- 9'What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
- O thou fairest among women?
- What is thy beloved more than another beloved,
- That thou dost so adjure us?'
- 10'My beloved is white and ruddy,
- Pre-eminent above ten thousand.
- 11His head is as the most fine gold,
- His locks are curled,
- And black as a raven.
- 12His eyes are like doves
- Beside the water-brooks;
- Washed with milk,
- And fitly set.
- 13His cheeks are as a bed of spices,
- As banks of sweet herbs;
- His lips are as lilies,
- Dropping with flowing myrrh.
- 14His hands are as rods of gold
- Set with beryl;
- His body is as polished ivory
- Overlaid with sapphires.
- 15His legs are as pillars of marble,
- Set upon sockets of fine gold;
- His aspect is like Lebanon,
- Excellent as the cedars.
- 16His mouth is most sweet;
- Yea, he is altogether lovely.
- This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
- O daughters of Jerusalem.'
- 6 'Whither is thy beloved gone,
- O thou fairest among women?
- Whither hath thy beloved turned him,
- That we may seek him with thee?'
- 2'My beloved is gone down into his garden,
- To the beds of spices,
- To feed in the gardens,
- And to gather lilies.
- 3I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine,
- That feedeth among the lilies.'
- 4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah,
- Comely as Jerusalem,
- Terrible as an army with banners.
- 5Turn away thine eyes from me,
- For they have overcome me.
- Thy hair is as a flock of goats,
- That trail down from Gilead.
- 6Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes,
- Which are come up from the washing;
- Whereof all are paired,
- And none faileth among them.
- 7Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open
- Behind thy veil.
- 8There are threescore queens,
- And fourscore concubines,
- And maidens without number.
- 9My dove, my undefiled, is but one;
- She is the only one of her mother;
- She is the choice one of her that bore her.
- The daughters saw her, and called her happy;
- Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
- 10Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn,
- Fair as the moon,
- Clear as the sun,
- Terrible as an army with banners?
- 11I went down into the garden of nuts,
- To look at the green plants of the valley,
- To see whether the vine budded,
- And the pomegranates were in flower.
- 12Before I was aware, my soul set me
- Upon the chariots of my princely people.
- 7 Return, return, O Shulammite;
- Return, return, that we may look upon thee.
- What will ye see in the Shulammite?
- As it were a dance of two companies.
- 2How beautiful are thy steps in sandals,
- O prince's daughter!
- The roundings of thy thighs are like the links of a chain,
- The work of the hands of a skilled workman.
- 3Thy navel is like a round goblet,
- Wherein no mingled wine is wanting;
- Thy belly is like a heap of wheat
- Set about with lilies.
- 4Thy two breasts are like two fawns
- That are twins of a gazelle.
- 5Thy neck is as a tower of ivory;
- Thine eyes as the pools in Heshbon,
- By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
- Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon
- Which looketh toward Damascus.
- 6Thy head upon thee is like Carmel,
- And the hair of thy head like purple;
- The king is held captive in the tresses thereof.
- 7How fair and how pleasant art thou,
- O love, for delights!
- 8This thy stature is like to a palm-tree,
- And thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
- 9I said: 'I will climb up into the palm-tree,
- I will take hold of the branches thereof;
- And let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine,
- And the smell of thy countenance like apples;
- 10And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine,
- That glideth down smoothly for my beloved,
- Moving gently the lips of those that are asleep.'
- 11I am my beloved's,
- And his desire is toward me.:
- 12Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field;
- Let us lodge in the villages.
- 13Let us get up early to the vineyards;
- Let us see whether the vine hath budded,
- Whether the vine-blossom be opened,
- And the pomegranates be in flower;
- There will I give thee my love.
- 14The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
- And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits,
- New and old,
- Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
- 8 Oh that thou wert as my brother,
- That sucked the breasts of my mother!
- When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;
- Yea, and none would despise me.
- 2I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house,
- That thou mightest instruct me;
- I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine,
- Of the juice of my pomegranate.
- 3His left hand should be under my head,
- And his right hand should embrace me.
- 4'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem:
- Why should ye awaken, or stir up love,
- Until it please?'
- 5Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness,
- Leaning upon her beloved?
- Under the apple-tree I awakened thee;
- There thy mother was in travail with thee;
- There was she in travail and brought thee forth.
- 6Set me as a seal upon thy heart,
- As a seal upon thine arm;
- For love is strong as death,
- Jealousy is cruel as the grave;
- The flashes thereof are flashes of fire,
- A very flame of the Lord.
- 7Many waters cannot quench love,
- Neither can the floods drown it;
- If a man would give all the substance of his house for love,
- He would utterly be contemned.
- 8We 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?
- 9If 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.
- 10I am a wall,
- And my breasts like the towers thereof;
- Then was I in his eyes
- As one that found peace.
- 11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
- He gave over the vineyard unto keepers;
- Every one for the fruit thereof
- Brought in a thousand pieces of silver.
- 12My vineyard, which is mine, is before me;
- Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand,
- And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
- 13Thou that dwellest in the gardens,
- The companions hearken for thy voice:
- 'Cause me to hear it.'
- 14Make haste, my beloved,
- And be thou like to a gazelle or to a young hart
- Upon the mountains of spices.