Song of Solomon 2

Modern

Literal

The Bride’s Admiration

The Bride

¹I am a rose of Sharon,^a

a lily of the valley.

¹I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

The Bridegroom

²Like a lily among the thorns

is my darling among the maidens.

²Like a lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

The Bride

³Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest

is my beloved among the young men.

I delight to sit in his shade,

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

³Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons; in his shade I have delighted and sat down, and his fruit is sweet to my palate.

⁴He has brought me to the house of wine,^a

and his banner over me is love.

⁴He has brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me was love.

⁵Sustain me with raisins;

refresh me with apples,

for I am faint with love.

⁵Sustain me with raisin-cakes, refresh me with apples—for I am sick with love.

⁶His left hand is under my head,

and his right arm embraces me.

⁶His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.

⁷O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you

by the gazelles and does of the field:

Do not arouse or awaken love

until the time is right.

⁷I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field—do not arouse or awaken love, until it pleases.

⁸Listen! My beloved approaches.

Look! Here he comes,

leaping across the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

⁸The voice of my beloved! Behold, this one is coming, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.

⁹My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Look, he stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattice.

⁹My beloved is being like to a gazelle, or to a young stag of the deer. Behold, this one is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.

¹⁰My beloved calls to me,

“Arise, my darling.

Come away with me, my beautiful one.

¹⁰My beloved answered and said to me, “Rise up, my my darling, my beautiful one, come away yourself!

¹¹For now the winter is past;

the rain is over and gone.

¹¹For, behold, the winter has passed by; the rain has passed; it has gone itself.

¹²The flowers have appeared in the countryside;

the season of singing^a has come,

and the cooing of turtledoves

is heard in our land.

¹²The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land;

¹³The fig tree ripens its figs;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come away, my darling;

come away with me, my beautiful one.”

¹³the fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth the fragrance. Arise, come my darling, my beautiful one, and come away yourself!”

The Bridegroom

¹⁴O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the crevices of the cliff,

let me see your face,

let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet,

and your countenance is lovely.

¹⁴O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your appearance is lovely.

The Friends

¹⁵Catch for us the foxes—

the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—

for our vineyards are in bloom.

¹⁵Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes ruining the vineyards, and our vineyards are in blossom.

The Bride

¹⁶My beloved is mine and I am his;

he pastures his flock among the lilies.

¹⁶My beloved is unto me and I unto him; he is grazing among the lilies.

¹⁷Before the day breaks and shadows flee,

turn, my beloved,

and be like a gazelle

or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.^a

¹⁷Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, may you turn and be likened yourself, my beloved, to a gazelle or to a young stag of the deer, upon the mountains of Bether.