Song of Solomon 1
1 This is [King] Solomon’s most beautiful song.
The Song of songs, which is Solomon's.
2 Kiss me [on my lips], because your love [for me] is more delightful than wine.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine.
3 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.
Thine oils have a good fragrance. Thy name is oil poured forth. Therefore the virgins love thee.
4 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.
Draw me, we will run after thee. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will make mention of thy love more than of wine. Rightly do they love thee.
5 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.
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6 [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].
Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, because the sun has scorched me. My mother's sons were incensed against me. They made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.
7 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.
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loves, where thou feed thy flock, where thou make it to rest at noon. For why should I be as she who is veiled beside the flocks of thy companions?
8 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.
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
9 You [are beautiful], my darling, like the young female horse that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
I have compared thee, O my love, to a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry, and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair, thy neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make for you [some] gold earrings that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
We will make thee plaits of gold with studs of silver.
12 While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread [around the room].
While the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
13 The man who loves me is [as delightful as [MET]] a (sachet/small cloth bag) of myrrh between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a bundle of myrrh that lies between my breasts.
14 He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna-flowers in the vineyards of En-gedi.
15 You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are [as delightful/charming as] doves.
Behold, thou are fair, my love, behold thou are fair. Thine eyes are doves.
16 You who love me, you are very delightful/handsome, you are wonderful! This green grass will be [like] a couch [where we lie down].
Behold, thou are fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant. Also our couch is green.
17 [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].
The beams of our house are cedars, our rafters are firs.
