The Lovers Speak

1
“Oh that you were like a brother to me
Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
{If} I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
No one would despise me, either.2
“I would lead you {and} bring you
Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.3
“Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.

4
“I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not arouse or awaken {my} love
Until she pleases.

5
“Who is this coming up from the wilderness
Leaning on her beloved?

 “Beneath the apple tree I awakened you;
There your mother was in labor with you,
There she was in labor {and} gave you birth.6
“Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The {very} flame of the LORD.7
“Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it;
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.

8
“We have a little sister,
And she has no breasts;
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?9
“If she is a wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
But if she is a door,
We will barricade her with planks of cedar.

10
“I was a wall, and my breasts were like towers;
Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.11
“Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers.
Each one was to bring a thousand {shekels} of silver for its fruit.12
“My very own vineyard is at my disposal;
The thousand {shekels} are for you, Solomon,
And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.

13
“O you who sit in the gardens,
{My} companions are listening for your voice–
Let me hear it!

14
“Hurry, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle or a young stag
On the mountains of spices.

Admiration by the Bridegroom

1
“How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter!
The curves of your hips are like jewels,
The work of the hands of an artist.2
“Your navel is {like} a round goblet
Which never lacks mixed wine;
Your belly is like a heap of wheat
Fenced about with lilies.3
“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.4
“Your neck is like a tower of ivory,
Your eyes {like} the pools in Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces toward Damascus.5
“Your head crowns you like Carmel,
And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;
{The} king is captivated by {your} tresses.6
“How beautiful and how delightful you are,
{My} love, with {all} your charms!7
“Your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are {like its} clusters.8
“I said, `I will climb the palm tree,
I will take hold of its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your breath like apples,9
And your mouth like the best wine!

 “It goes {down} smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently {through} the lips of those who fall asleep.

The Union of Love

10
“I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is for me.11
“Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country,
Let us spend the night in the villages.12
“Let us rise early {and go} to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine has budded
{And its} blossoms have opened,
{And whether} the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.13
“The mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all choice {fruits,}
Both new and old,
Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.

Mutual Delight in Each Other

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

2
“My beloved has gone down to his garden,
To the beds of balsam,
To pasture {his flock} in the gardens
And gather lilies.3
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who pastures {his flock} among the lilies.

4
“You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
As lovely as Jerusalem,
As 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.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.7
“Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.8
“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
And maidens without number;9
{But} 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,}

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?’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.12
“Before I was aware, my soul set me
{Over} the chariots of my noble people.

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?

The Torment of Separation

1
“I have come into my garden, my sister, {my} bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Eat, friends;
Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.

2
“I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
`Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the damp of the night.’3
“I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on {again?}
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them {again?}4
“My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my feelings were aroused for him.5
“I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.6
“I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away {and} had gone!
My heart went out {to him} as he spoke.
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me.7
“The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me {and} wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.8
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For I am lovesick.

9
“What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That thus you adjure us?

Admiration by the Bride

10
“My beloved is dazzling and ruddy,
Outstanding among ten thousand.11
“His head is {like} gold, pure gold;
His locks are {like} clusters of dates
{And} black as a raven.12
“His eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
{And} reposed in {their} setting.13
“His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,
Banks of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are lilies
Dripping with liquid myrrh.14
“His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl;
His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.15
“His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon
Choice as the cedars.16
“His mouth is {full of} sweetness.
And he is wholly desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

Solomon’s Love Expressed

1
“How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are {like} doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.2
“Your teeth are like a flock of {newly} shorn ewes
Which have come up from {their} washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.3
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.4
“Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men.5
“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.6
“Until the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

7
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.8
“{Come} with me from Lebanon, {my} bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the summit of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.9
“You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, {my} bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single {glance} of your eyes,
With a single strand of your necklace.10
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, {my} bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
And the fragrance of your oils
Than all {kinds} of spices!11
“Your lips, {my} bride, drip honey;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.12
“A garden locked is my sister, {my} bride,
A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.13
“Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,14
Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all the trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.15
“{You are} a garden spring,
A well of fresh water,
And streams {flowing} from Lebanon.

16
“Awake, O north {wind,}
And come, {wind of} the south;
Make my garden breathe out {fragrance,}
Let its spices be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!

The Bride’s Troubled Dream

1
“On my bed night after night I sought him
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.2
`I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.3
“The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
{And I said,} `Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’4
“Scarcely had I left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I held on to him and would not let him go
Until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
And into the room of her who conceived me.

5
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you will not arouse or awaken {my} love
Until she pleases.

Solomon’s Wedding Day

6
“What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like columns of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all scented powders of the merchant?7
“Behold, it is the {traveling} couch of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.8
“All of them are wielders of the sword,
Expert in war;
Each man has his sword at his side,
{Guarding} against the terrors of the night.9
“King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.10
“He made its posts of silver,
Its back of gold
{And} its seat of purple fabric,
{With} its interior lovingly fitted out
By the daughters of Jerusalem.11
“Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And gaze on King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
And on the day of his gladness of heart.

The Bride’s Admiration

1
“I am the rose of Sharon,
The lily of the valleys.

2
“Like a lily among the thorns,
So is my darling among the maidens.

3
“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.4
“He has brought me to {his} banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love.5
“Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with apples,
Because I am lovesick.6
“Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.

7
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you do not arouse or awaken {my} love
Until she pleases.

8
“Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Climbing on the mountains,
Leaping on the hills!9
“My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering through the lattice.

10
“My beloved responded and said to me,
`Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.11
`For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over {and} gone.12
`The flowers have {already} appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning {the vines,}
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.13
`The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth {their} fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’

14
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your form,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your form is lovely.

15
“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our vineyards are in blossom.

16
“My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He pastures {his flock} among the lilies.17
“Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.

The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

2
“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.3
“Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is {like} purified oil;
Therefore the maidens love you.4
“Draw me after you {and} let us run {together!}
The king has brought me into his chambers.

 “We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.

5
“I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.6
“Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
{But} I have not taken care of my own vineyard.7
“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture {your flock,}
Where do you make {it} lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who veils herself
Beside the flocks of your companions?

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

8
“If you yourself do not know,
Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.

9
“To me, my darling, you are like
My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.10
“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of beads.

11
“We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.

12
“While the king was at his table,
My perfume gave forth its fragrance.13
“My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.14
“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
In the vineyards of Engedi.

15
“How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are {like} doves.

16
“How handsome you are, my beloved,
{And} so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!17
“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters, cypresses.

Remember God in Your Youth

1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them; 2 before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. 5 Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. 6 {Remember Him} before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, “all is vanity!

Purpose of the Preacher

 9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

 11 The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of {these} collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion {to books} is wearying to the body.  13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, {is:} fear God and keep His commandments, because this {applies to} every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. 4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones {are formed} in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

 6 Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

 7 The light is pleasant, and {it is} good for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come {will be} futility.

 9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.