< Song of Solomon 8 >
1 Bride to Groom: Who will give you to me as my brother, feeding from the breasts of my mother, so that I may discover you outside, and may kiss you, and so that now no one may despise me?
Oh that some one would make thee as my brother that hath sucked my mother's breasts! should I then find thee without, I would kiss thee; and yet, people would not despise me.
2 I will take hold of you and lead you into my mother’s house. There you will teach me, and I will give you a cup of spiced wine, and of new wine from my pomegranates.
I would lead thee, I would bring thee into my mother's house, thou shouldst teach me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the sweet juice of my pomegranate.
3 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right hand might embrace me.
4 Groom to Chorus: I bind you by oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, not to disturb or awaken the beloved, until she wills.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, why will ye awaken, and why will ye excite my love, until it please [to come of itself]?—
5 Chorus to Groom: Who is she, who ascends from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved? Groom to Bride: Under the apple tree, I awakened you. There your mother was corrupted. There she who bore you was violated.
Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her friend?—Under the apple-tree have I waked thee up; there thy mother brought thee forth; there brought thee forth she that bore thee.
6 Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm. For love is strong, like death, and envy is enduring, like hell: their lamps are made of fire and flames. (Sheol )
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm; for strong as death is love; violent like the nether world is jealousy; its heat is the heat of fire, a flame of God. (Sheol )
7 A multitude of waters cannot extinguish love, nor can a river overwhelm it. If a man were to give all the substance of his house in exchange for love, he would despise it as nothing.
Many waters are not able to quench love, nor can the rivers flood it away: if a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, men would utterly despise him.—
8 Chorus: Our sister is little and has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is called upon?
We have a little sister, and she hath yet no breasts: what shall we do for our sister on the day when she shall be spoken for?
9 If she is a wall, let us build a rampart of silver upon it. If she is a door, let us join it together with boards of cedar.
If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.—
10 Bride to Chorus: I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers, since, in his presence, I have become like one who has discovered peace.
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.
11 The peaceful one had a vineyard, in that which held the peoples. He handed it on to the caretakers; a man brought, in exchange for its fruit, a thousand pieces of silver.
Solomon had a vineyard at Ba'al-hamon; he had given up the vineyard unto the keepers; every one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
12 Groom: My vineyard is before me. The thousand is for your peacefulness, and two hundred is for those who care for its fruit.
My vineyard, which was mine, was before me: thine, O Solomon, be the thousand, and let two hundred be for those that keep its fruit.—
13 Bride to Groom: Your friends are attentive to those who have been dwelling in the gardens. Cause me to heed your voice.
“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions listen for thy voice: oh let me hear it.”
14 Flee away, my beloved, and become like the doe and the young stag upon the mountains of aromatic plants.
Flee away, my friend, and be thou like the roebuck, or the fawn of the hinds, upon the mountain of spices.