< Song of Solomon 8 >
1 Who makes you as a brother to me, Suckling the breasts of my mother? I find you outside, I kiss you, Indeed, they do not despise me,
Oh that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, and none would despise me.
2 I lead you, I bring you into my mother’s house, She teaches me, I cause you to drink of the spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate,
I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, that thou mightest instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.
3 His left hand [is] under my head, And his right embraces me.
His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
4 I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, How you stir up, And how you wake the love until she pleases!
'I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem: Why should ye awaken, or stir up love, until it please?'
5 Who [is] this coming from the wilderness, Hastening herself for her beloved? Under the citron-tree I have awoken you, There your mother pledged you, There she [who] bore you gave a pledge.
Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee; there thy mother was in travail with thee; there was she in travail and brought thee forth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm, For strong as death is love, Sharp as Sheol is jealousy, Its burnings [are] burnings of fire, a flame of YAH! (Sheol )
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; the flashes thereof are flashes of fire, a very flame of the LORD. (Sheol )
7 Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one gives all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down—they tread on it.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, he would utterly be contemned.
8 We have a little sister, and she does not have breasts, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?
We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
9 If she is a wall, we build by her a palace of silver. And if she is a door, We fashion by her board-work of cedar.
If she be a wall, we will build upon her a turret of silver; and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
10 I [am] a wall, and my breasts as towers, Then I have been in his eyes as one finding peace.
I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof; then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.
11 Solomon has a vineyard in Ba‘al-Hamon, He has given the vineyard to keepers, Each brings for its fruit one thousand pieces of silver;
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he gave over the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof brought in a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard—my own—is before me, The one thousand [is] for you, O Solomon. And the two hundred for those keeping its fruit. O dweller in gardens!
My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
13 The companions are attending to your voice, Cause me to hear. Flee, my beloved, and be like to a roe,
Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken for thy voice: 'Cause me to hear it.'
14 Or to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!
Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a gazelle or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.