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Friends

Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women?
    Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

Beloved

My beloved has gone down to his garden,
    to the beds of spices,
    to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
    He browses among the lilies.

Lover

You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah,
    lovely as Jerusalem,
    awesome as an army with banners.
Turn away your eyes from me,
    for they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
    that lie along the side of Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,
    which have come up from the washing,
    of which every one has twins;
    not one is bereaved among them.
Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

There are sixty queens, eighty concubines,
    and virgins without number.
My dove, my perfect one, is unique.
    She is her mother’s only daughter.
    She is the favorite one of her who bore her.
The daughters saw her, and called her blessed.
    The queens and the concubines saw her, and they praised her.

10 Who is she who looks out as the morning,
    beautiful as the moon,
    clear as the sun,
    and awesome as an army with banners?

11 I went down into the nut tree grove,
    to see the green plants of the valley,
    to see whether the vine budded,
    and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Without realizing it,
    my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.

Friends

13 Return, return, Shulammite!
    Return, return, that we may gaze at you.

Lover

Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite,
    as at the dance of Mahanaim?

Friends

Where has your beloved(A) gone,
    most beautiful of women?(B)
Which way did your beloved turn,
    that we may look for him with you?

She

My beloved has gone(C) down to his garden,(D)
    to the beds of spices,(E)
to browse in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;(F)
    he browses among the lilies.(G)

He

You are as beautiful as Tirzah,(H) my darling,
    as lovely as Jerusalem,(I)
    as majestic as troops with banners.(J)
Turn your eyes from me;
    they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    descending from Gilead.(K)
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
    coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
    not one of them is missing.(L)
Your temples behind your veil(M)
    are like the halves of a pomegranate.(N)
Sixty queens(O) there may be,
    and eighty concubines,(P)
    and virgins beyond number;
but my dove,(Q) my perfect one,(R) is unique,
    the only daughter of her mother,
    the favorite of the one who bore her.(S)
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines praised her.

Friends

10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
    fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
    majestic as the stars in procession?

He

11 I went down to the grove of nut trees
    to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
    or the pomegranates were in bloom.(T)
12 Before I realized it,
    my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[a]

Friends

13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
    come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!

He

Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
    as on the dance(U) of Mahanaim?[b]

Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
  2. Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.