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 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 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, 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 embraces me.

Oh that his left hand might be under my head, and that his right hand might 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 will ye awaken, and why will ye excite my love, until it please [to come of itself]?—

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 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 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 h7585)

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 h7585)

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 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 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 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, 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 palace 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 are like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.

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 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 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 was mine, was before me: thine, O Solomon, be the thousand, and let two hundred be for those that keep its fruit.—

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 listen for thy voice: oh let me hear it.”

14 Or to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!

Flee away, my friend, and be thou like the roebuck, or the fawn of the hinds, upon the mountain of spices.