1 The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters TheSome theologians believe the Song of Solomon to be a collection of songs, but it is more generally understood to be a sort of drama or lyric poem celebrating the wholesomeness of a growing love that leads to maturity in marriage. The ancient rabbis understood it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel, and viewed the details as symbolic.Song of Songs [the best of songs], which is Solomon’s.
2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” [Solomon arrives, she turns to him, saying,]“For your love is better than wine.
3 The aroma of your oils is fragrantandpleasing;Your name is perfume poured out;Therefore the maidens love you.
4 Draw me away with youandlet us runtogether!Let the king bring me into his chambers.”“e will rejoice and be glad in you;We will rememberandextol your love more [sweet and fragrant] than wine.Rightly do they love you.”
5 “I am deeply tanned but lovely,O daughters of Jerusalem,[I am dark] like the tents of [the Bedouins of] Kedar,Like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I am deeply tanned,[I have worked in] the sun; it has left its mark on me.My mother’s sons were angry with me;They made me keeper of the vineyards,But my own vineyard (my complexion) I have not kept.”
7 “Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,Where do you pastureyour flock,Where do you make it lie down at noon?For why should I be like one who is veiledBeside the flocks of your companions?”
8 Solomon, the Lover, Speaks “If you do not know [where your lover is],O you fairest among women,Run along, follow the tracks of the flock,And pasture your young goatsBy the tents of the shepherds.
9 “To me, my love, you are likeMy [favorite] mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,Your neck with strings of jewels.”
11 “We will make for you chainsandornaments of gold,[Studded] with beads of silver.”
12 “While the king was at his table,My perfume (Solomon) sent forth [his] fragrance [surrounding me].
13 My beloved is to me like a pouch of myrrhWhich lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna flowersIn the [fragrant] vineyards ofAn oasis on the western side of the Dead Sea.Engedi.”
15 “Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling,Behold, how beautiful you are!Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”
16 “Behold, how fairandhandsome you are, my beloved;Andso delightful!Our arbor is greenandluxuriant.
17 The beams of our houses are cedars,Our raftersandpanels are cypresses.