< Song of Songs 6 >
1 Whither is your kinsman gone, you beautiful among women? whither has your kinsman turned aside? [tell us], and we will seek him with you.
Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
2 My kinsman is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to feed [his flock] in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my kinsman's, and my kinsman is mine, who feeds among the lilies.
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
4 You are fair, my companion, as Pleasure, beautiful as Jerusalem, terrible as [armies] set in array.
You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from before me, for they have ravished me: your hair is as flocks of goats which have appeared from Galaad.
Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are as flocks of shorn [sheep], that have gone up from the washing, all of them bearing twins, and there is none barren among them: your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; none is bereaved among them.
7 Your cheek is like the rind of a pomegranate, [being seen] without your veil.
Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.
There are sixty queens, eighty secondary wives, and virgins without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one is one; she is the [only] one of her mother; she is the choice of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and the queens will pronounce her blessed, yes, and the concubines, and they will praise her.
My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother's only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the secondary wives, and they praised her.
10 Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as [armies] set in array?
Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
11 I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine flowered, [if] the pomegranates blossomed.
I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 There I will give you my breasts: my soul knew [it] not: it made me as the chariots of Aminadab.
Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people's chariots.
13 Return, return, O Sunamite; return, return, and we will look at you. What will you see in the Sunamite? She comes as bands of armies.
Return, return, Shulammite. Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?