שיר השירים 8

1 מי יתנך כאח לי יונק שדי אמי אמצאך בחוץ אשקך גם לא יבוזו לי׃

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.

2 אנהגך אביאך אל בית אמי תלמדני אשקך מיין הרקח מעסיס רמני׃

[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.

3 שמאלו תחת ראשי וימינו תחבקני׃

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

4 השבעתי אתכם בנות ירושלם מה תעירו ומה תעררו את האהבה עד שתחפץ׃

[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.”

5 מי זאת עלה מן המדבר מתרפקת על דודה תחת התפוח עוררתיך שמה חבלתך אמך שמה חבלה ילדתך׃

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.

6 שימני כחותם על לבך כחותם על זרועך כי עזה כמות אהבה קשה כשאול קנאה רשפיה רשפי אש שלהבתיה׃ (Sheol h7585)

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)

7 מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות את האהבה ונהרות לא ישטפוה אם יתן איש את כל הון ביתו באהבה בוז יבוזו לו׃

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.

8 אחות לנו קטנה ושדים אין לה מה נעשה לאחתנו ביום שידבר בה׃

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:

9 אם חומה היא נבנה עליה טירת כסף ואם דלת היא נצור עליה לוח ארז׃

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.

10 אני חומה ושדי כמגדלות אז הייתי בעיניו כמוצאת שלום׃

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.

11 כרם היה לשלמה בבעל המון נתן את הכרם לנטרים איש יבא בפריו אלף כסף׃

[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].

12 כרמי שלי לפני האלף לך שלמה ומאתים לנטרים את פריו׃

[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].

13 היושבת בגנים חברים מקשיבים לקולך השמיעיני׃

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

14 ברח דודי ודמה לך לצבי או לעפר האילים על הרי בשמים׃

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.