Song of Solomon 1
1 This is [King] Solomon’s most beautiful song.
2 Kiss me [on my lips], because your love [for me] is more delightful than wine.
Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are 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.
Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved 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 to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous 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 beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, 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].
Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my 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.
Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after 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 thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds.
9 You [are beautiful], my darling, like the young female horse that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
To my company of horsemen, in Pharao’s chariots, have I likened thee, O my love.
10 Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry, and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove’s, thy neck as jewels.
11 We will make for you [some] gold earrings that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver.
12 While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread [around the room].
While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof.
13 The man who loves me is [as delightful as [MET]] a (sachet/small cloth bag) of myrrh between my breasts.
A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts.
14 He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi.
15 You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are [as delightful/charming as] doves.
Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of 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 art fair, my beloved, and comely. Our bed is flourishing.
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 houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress trees.
