Song Of Solomon 1

“^[b]May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

“Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like ^[c]purified oil;
Therefore the ^[d]maidens love you.

Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

“Draw me after you and let us run together!
The king has brought me into his chambers.”

Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

“^[g]I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

“Do not stare at me because I am ^[h]swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who ^[i]veils herself
Beside the flocks of your companions?”

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

“^[j]If you yourself do not know,
Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

“^[k]To me, my darling, you are like
My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of beads.”

Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

“^[l]We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”

We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

“^[m]While the king was at his ^[n]table,
My ^[o]perfume gave forth its fragrance.

While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

“My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.

A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
In the vineyards of Engedi.”

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

“^[p][q]How beautiful you are, my darling,
^[r]How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.”

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

“^[s][t]How handsome you are, my beloved,
And so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters, ^[u]cypresses.