Song Of Solomon 4

Song Of Solomon 4

NASB — New American Standard Bible (NASB)
MSG — The Message Bible (MSG)
Verse 1
[a][b]How beautiful you are, my darling,
[c]How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead.
1-5 You’re so beautiful, my darling,
    so beautiful, and your dove eyes are veiled
By your hair as it flows and shimmers,
    like a flock of goats in the distance
    streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.
Your smile is generous and full—
    expressive and strong and clean.
Your lips are jewel red,
    your mouth elegant and inviting,
    your veiled cheeks soft and radiant.
The smooth, lithe lines of your neck
    command notice—all heads turn in awe and admiration!
Your breasts are like fawns,
    twins of a gazelle, grazing among the first spring flowers.

Verse 2
“Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has [d]lost her young.
— not in MSG
Verse 3
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
— not in MSG
Verse 4
“Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built [e]with rows of stones
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men.
— not in MSG
Verse 5
“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.
— not in MSG
Verse 6
“Until [f]the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

The sweet, fragrant curves of your body,
    the soft, spiced contours of your flesh
Invite me, and I come. I stay
    until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.
You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love,
    beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.

Verse 7
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.
— not in MSG
Verse 8
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
[g]Journey down from the summit of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.
    Leave Lebanon behind, and come.
Leave your high mountain hideaway.
    Abandon your wilderness seclusion,
Where you keep company with lions
    and panthers guard your safety.
You’ve captured my heart, dear friend.
    You looked at me, and I fell in love.
    One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!
How beautiful your love, dear, dear friend—
    far more pleasing than a fine, rare wine,
    your fragrance more exotic than select spices.
The kisses of your lips are honey, my love,
    every syllable you speak a delicacy to savor.
Your clothes smell like the wild outdoors,
    the ozone scent of high mountains.
Dear lover and friend, you’re a secret garden,
    a private and pure fountain.
Body and soul, you are paradise,
    a whole orchard of succulent fruits—
Ripe apricots and peaches,
    oranges and pears;
Nut trees and cinnamon,
    and all scented woods;
Mint and lavender,
    and all herbs aromatic;
A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing,
    fed by spring waters from the Lebanon mountains.

The Woman

Verse 9
“You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
With a single strand of your necklace.
— not in MSG
Verse 10
“How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine,
And the fragrance of your oils
Than all kinds of [h]spices!
— not in MSG
Verse 11
“Your lips, my bride, drip honey;
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
— not in MSG
Verse 12
“A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
A [i]rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.
— not in MSG
Verse 13
“Your shoots are an [j]orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,
— not in MSG
Verse 14
Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
With all the trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest [k]spices.
— not in MSG
Verse 15
You are a garden spring,
A well of [l]fresh water,
And streams flowing from Lebanon.”

— not in MSG
Verse 16
[m]Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its [n]spices [o]be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!”

Wake up, North Wind,
    get moving, South Wind!
Breathe on my garden,
    fill the air with spice fragrance.

Oh, let my lover enter his garden!
    Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits.