Song of Solomon 1
This is [King] Solomon’s most beautiful song.
2 Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine,
Kiss me [on my lips], because your love [for me] is more delightful than wine.
3 Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee.
The fragrance of the cologne on your [skin] is [very] sweet/pleasing [CHI]. And your reputation is [very] good and spreads, [like] [SIM] the fragrance of the special oil spread on your skin. That is why the [other] young women are attracted to you.
4 Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee.
Take me quickly; take me to your home. [It is as though] you are my king; take me into your room. We are very happy [DOU] about you; we say that your love [for each other] is better than wine. It is not surprising that the other young women adore you.
5 I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
You women of Jerusalem, I am dark but beautiful; my dark skin is like [SIM] the tents in Kedar, [or] like the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace.
6 Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept.
[But] do not stare at me because of the sun having caused my skin to become dark; my brothers were angry with me, [so] they forced me to work [out in the sunshine] in the vineyards, so I was not able to take good care of my body/skin [CHI, MET].
7 Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions.
You whom I [SYN] love, where will you take your flock of sheep today? Where will you allow them to rest at noontime? I want to know because it is not right [RHQ] for me to wander around like a prostitute looking for you among the flocks that belong to your friends.
8 If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds.
You who are the most beautiful of all the women, if you [search for me and] do not know [where I will take my sheep], follow the tracks/footprints of the sheep. [Then] allow your young goats to (graze/eat grass) near the shepherds’ tents.
9 To my company of horsemen, in Pharao’s chariots, have I likened thee, O my love.
You [are beautiful], my darling, like the young female horse that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
10 Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove’s, thy neck as jewels.
Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry, and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
11 We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver.
We will make for you [some] gold earrings that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
12 While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof.
While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread [around the room].
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts.
The man who loves me is [as delightful as [MET]] a (sachet/small cloth bag) of myrrh between my breasts.
14 A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi.
He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
15 Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves.
You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are [as delightful/charming as] doves.
16 Behold thou art fair, my beloved, and comely. Our bed is flourishing.
You who love me, you are very delightful/handsome, you are wonderful! This green grass will be [like] a couch [where we lie down].
17 The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress trees.
[Branches of] cedar [trees] will shade us; [it is as though branches of] juniper/pine [trees] will be like [MET] a roof [over our heads].
