Song of Solomon 8
1 How I wish you were like a brother to me, one who nursed at my mother's breasts! Then if I met you on the street I could kiss you and no one would tell me off.
I would that thou, O my kinsman, wert he that sucked the breasts of my mother; when I found thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, they should not despise me.
2 Then I could take you home to my mother's house, where she used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate.
I would take thee, I would bring thee into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me; I would make thee to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranates.
3 He supports my head with his left hand, and holds me close with his right.
His left hand [should be] under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
4 Women of Jerusalem, swear to me that you won't disturb our love until the right time.
I have charged you, ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the virtues of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, until he please.
5 Who is this coming in from the wilderness holding her love close to her? Woman: I woke you up under the apple tree where your mother conceived you, and where she gave birth to you.
Who is this that comes up all white, leaning on her kinsman? I raised thee up under an apple-tree; there thy mother brought thee forth; there she that bore thee brought thee forth.
6 Stamp my name as a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is strong as death, passion as unyielding as the grave—its arrows flash like fire, a blazing flame of the Lord. (Sheol h7585)
Set 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, her shafts are shafts of fire, [even] the flames thereof. (Sheol h7585)
7 Floods of water cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot submerge it. If a man offered everything he owned in order to buy love he would be completely rejected.
Much water will not be able to quench love, and rivers shall not drown it; if a man would give all his substance for love, [men] would utterly despise it.
8 We have a younger sister whose breasts are still small. What shall we do for our sister when someone asks to marry her?
Our sister is little, and has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister, in the day wherein she shall be spoken for?
9 If she is a wall, we will build a silver tower on it. But if she is a door, we will bar the way with cedar planks.
If she is a wall, let us build upon her silver bulwarks; and if she is a door, let us carve for her cedar panels.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So when he looks at me he's happy!
I am a wall, and my breasts are as towers; I was in their eyes as one that found peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon which he leased to tenant farmers. Each of them paid him one thousand silver coins for the fruit it produced.
Solomon had a vineyard in Beelamon; he let his vineyard to keepers; every one was to bring for its fruit a thousand [pieces] of silver.
12 But I own my vineyard, it is mine alone. One thousand silver coins are for you, Solomon, and two hundred for those who look after it.
My vineyard, even mine, is before me; Solomon [shall have] a thousand, and they that keep its fruit two hundred.
13 My darling, sitting there in the gardens with companions listening to you—please talk to me!
Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: make me hear [it].
14 Come quickly, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountains of spices.
Away, my kinsman, and be like a doe or a fawn on the mountains of spices.
