Song of Solomon 8

1 I wish that you were my brother who (nursed at/drank milk from) my mother’s breasts [when you were a baby], [because, if you were my brother], if I saw you when you were outside [the house], I could kiss you, and no one would say that my doing that was wrong.

τίς δῴη σε ἀδελφιδόν μου θηλάζοντα μαστοὺς μητρός μου εὑροῦσά σε ἔξω φιλήσω σε καί γε οὐκ ἐξουδενώσουσίν μοι

2 [No one would object if] I led you to my mother’s house, to where my mother, who taught me [many things], lives. I would like to take you to my mother’s house because I would [like to make love to you] [EUP], [and that would be as delightful as] [MET] juice [squeezed] from pomegranates.

παραλήμψομαί σε εἰσάξω σε εἰς οἶκον μητρός μου καὶ εἰς ταμίειον τῆς συλλαβούσης με ποτιῶ σε ἀπὸ οἴνου τοῦ μυρεψικοῦ ἀπὸ νάματος ῥοῶν μου

3 You would put your left arm under my head and with your right arm hold me close.

εὐώνυμος αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὴν κεφαλήν μου καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ περιλήμψεταί με

4 [I would say to] you women of Jerusalem, “Solemnly promise me that you will not disturb us while we are making love until we are ready to quit.”

ὥρκισα ὑμᾶς θυγατέρες Ιερουσαλημ ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσιν τοῦ ἀγροῦ τί ἐγείρητε καὶ τί ἐξεγείρητε τὴν ἀγάπην ἕως ἂν θελήσῃ

5 Who is that [woman] who is coming up from the desert, (leaning on/clinging close to) the man who loves her? I woke you up [when you were] under the apple tree at the place where your mother conceived you, which is the same place where she gave birth to you.

τίς αὕτη ἡ ἀναβαίνουσα λελευκανθισμένη ἐπιστηριζομένη ἐπὶ τὸν ἀδελφιδὸν αὐτῆς ὑπὸ μῆλον ἐξήγειρά σε ἐκεῖ ὠδίνησέν σε ἡ μήτηρ σου ἐκεῖ ὠδίνησέν σε ἡ τεκοῦσά σου

6 Keep me [close to you], like [SIM] a seal on your heart, [or] like [SIM] a bracelet on your arm. Our love [for each other] is as powerful as death, it is as enduring as the grave. [It is as though] our love [for each other] bursts into flames and burns like a hot fire. (Sheol h7585)

θές με ὡς σφραγῖδα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ὡς σφραγῖδα ἐπὶ τὸν βραχίονά σου ὅτι κραταιὰ ὡς θάνατος ἀγάπη σκληρὸς ὡς ᾅδης ζῆλος περίπτερα αὐτῆς περίπτερα πυρός φλόγες αὐτῆς (Sheol h7585)

7 Nothing can extinguish our love [for each other], not [even] a flood. If a man tried to cause a woman to love him by saying he would give her everything that is in his house, she would refuse.

ὕδωρ πολὺ οὐ δυνήσεται σβέσαι τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ ποταμοὶ οὐ συγκλύσουσιν αὐτήν ἐὰν δῷ ἀνὴρ τὸν πάντα βίον αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐξουδενώσει ἐξουδενώσουσιν αὐτόν

8 We have a younger sister, and her breasts are still small. So this is [RHQ] what we should do for her on the day that we promise [some young man] that he can marry her:

ἀδελφὴ ἡμῖν μικρὰ καὶ μαστοὺς οὐκ ἔχει τί ποιήσωμεν τῇ ἀδελφῇ ἡμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐὰν λαληθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ

9 If [her chest is flat like] [MET] a wall, we will [decorate it by] putting silver [jewels that are like] [MET] towers on it. Or, if she is [flat like] [MET] a door, we will decorate her with bits/pieces of cedar wood.

εἰ τεῖχός ἐστιν οἰκοδομήσωμεν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ἐπάλξεις ἀργυρᾶς καὶ εἰ θύρα ἐστίν διαγράψωμεν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν σανίδα κεδρίνην

10 My [chest was previously flat like] [MET] a wall, [but now] my breasts are [big] like [SIM] towers. So the one who loves me is delighted with me.

ἐγὼ τεῖχος καὶ μαστοί μου ὡς πύργοι ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ὡς εὑρίσκουσα εἰρήνην

11 [King] Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon, and he rented it to people for them to take care of it. He required each one to pay him 1,000 pieces of silver [each year] for the grapes [that they harvested].

ἀμπελὼν ἐγενήθη τῷ Σαλωμων ἐν Βεελαμων ἔδωκεν τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ τοῖς τηροῦσιν ἀνὴρ οἴσει ἐν καρπῷ αὐτοῦ χιλίους ἀργυρίου

12 [But my body is like] [MET] my own vineyard, and Solomon, I am giving it to you. [You do not need to pay me] 1,000 pieces of silver [to enjoy my body], but I will give 200 pieces of silver to those who take care of me [MET].

ἀμπελών μου ἐμὸς ἐνώπιόν μου οἱ χίλιοι σοί Σαλωμων καὶ οἱ διακόσιοι τοῖς τηροῦσι τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ

13 You are staying in the gardens and my friends are listening to your voice; [so] allow me to hear it, [too.]

ὁ καθήμενος ἐν κήποις ἑταῖροι προσέχοντες τῇ φωνῇ σου ἀκούτισόν με

14 You who love me, come [to me] quickly; [run to me] [MET, EUP] as fast as [SIM] a gazelle or young deer runs across [MET] hills of spices.

φύγε ἀδελφιδέ μου καὶ ὁμοιώθητι τῇ δορκάδι ἢ τῷ νεβρῷ τῶν ἐλάφων ἐπὶ ὄρη ἀρωμάτων