Song of Solomon 1
1 The Song of Songs, that [is] Solomon's.
This is [King] Solomon’s most beautiful song.
2 Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better [are] thy loves than wine.
Kiss me [on my lips], because your love [for me] is more delightful than wine.
3 For fragrance [are] thy perfumes good. Perfume emptied out — thy name, Therefore have virgins loved thee!
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.
4 Draw me: after thee we run, The king hath brought me into his inner chambers, We do joy and rejoice in thee, We mention thy loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved thee!
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.
5 Dark [am] I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.
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.
6 Fear me not, because I [am] very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard — my own — I have not kept.
[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].
7 Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?
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.
8 If thou knowest not, O fair among women, Get thee forth by the traces of the flock, And feed thy kids by the shepherds' dwellings!
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.
9 To my joyous one in chariots of Pharaoh, I have compared thee, my friend,
You [are beautiful], my darling, like the young female horse that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
10 Comely have been thy cheeks with garlands, Thy neck with chains.
Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry, and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
11 Garlands of gold we do make for thee, With studs of silver!
We will make for you [some] gold earrings that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
12 While the king [is] in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.
While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread [around the room].
13 A bundle of myrrh [is] my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.
The man who loves me is [as delightful as [MET]] a (sachet/small cloth bag) of myrrh between my breasts.
14 A cluster of cypress [is] my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!
He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
15 Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, Lo, thou [art] fair, thine eyes [are] doves!
You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are [as delightful/charming as] doves.
16 Lo, thou [art] fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch [is] green,
You who love me, you are very delightful/handsome, you are wonderful! This green grass will be [like] a couch [where we lie down].
17 The beams of our houses [are] cedars, Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!
[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].
