Song of Solomon 6

1 You who are the most beautiful of all the women, where has the one who loves you gone? [If you tell us] which [RHQ] direction he went, we will go with you to search for him.

'Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, that we may seek him with thee?'

2 The one who loves me has now come [to me, who am like] [MET, EUP] his garden, He has come to [enjoy my (charms/physical attractions) which are like] [MET, EUP] spices, to enjoy cuddling up to me [EUP, MET], and [kissing my lips, which are like] [MET] lilies.

'My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 I belong to the one who loves me, and the one who loves me belongs to me; he [enjoys kissing] my lips like [MET] [a shepherd enjoys] taking care of [his sheep].

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that feedeth among the lilies.'

4 My darling, you are beautiful, like [SIM] Tirzah [the capital city of Israel] and Jerusalem [the capital city of Judah are beautiful]; you are as exciting [MET] as a [group/battalion of] troops holding up their banners.

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

5 Quit looking at me like that, because your eyes excite me very much. Your [long black] hair [moves from side to side] like [SIM] a flock of [black] goats [moving down the slopes] of Gilead [Mountain].

Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that trail down from Gilead.

6 Your teeth are [very white] like [SIM] a flock of sheep [whose wool] has just been shorn and that have come up from being washed [in a stream]. You have all of your teeth; none of them is missing.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, which are come up from the washing; whereof all are paired, and none faileth among them.

7 Beneath your veil, your cheeks are like [SIM] the halves of a pomegranate.

Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open behind thy veil.

8 Even if a king had 60 queens and 80 (concubines/slave wives) and more young women than anyone can count,

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and maidens without number.

9 [none of them would be like] my dove, who is perfect, you who are your mother’s only daughter, whom your mother considers to be very precious. [Other] young women who see you say that you are fortunate, and the queens and concubines recognize that you [are very beautiful].

My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one of her mother; she is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her happy; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 Who is [RHQ] this woman who is [as delightful] as [SIM] the dawn, as fair/delightful [to look at] as [the light of] the moon, as exciting as a [group/battalion of] troops holding up their banners?

Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?

11 I went down to some walnut trees to look at the new plants that were growing in the valley. I wanted to see if the grapevines had budded or if the pomegranate trees were blooming.

I went down into the garden of nuts, to look at the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.

12 [But] before I realized it, my desire [to make love caused me to be as excited as] a prince riding in a chariot.

Before I was aware, my soul set me upon the chariots of my princely people.

13 You who are the perfect one, come back [to us], in order that we may see you! Why do you want to look at this woman who is perfect, like [SIM] you like to watch two rows/lines of people dancing?

Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulammite? As it were a dance of two companies.