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Thou fairest of women, whither went [away] thy darling? whither bowed [down] thy darling? and we shall seek him with thee. (O most beautiful of women, where did thy darling go? where did thy darling lie down? yea, we shall seek him with thee.)

My darling went down into his orchard, to the garden of sweet smelling spices, that he be fed there in [the] orchards, and gather lilies.

I to my darling; and my darling, that is fed among the lilies, be to me. (I am for my darling; and my darling, he who is fed among the lilies, is for me.)

My love, thou art fair, sweet and shapely as Jerusalem, thou art fearedful as the battle array of hosts set in good order. (My love, thou art as beautiful as Tirzah, and as lovely as Jerusalem, and thou art as awesome as the battle array of armies set in good order.)

Turn away thine eyes from me, for they made me to flee away; thine hairs be as the flocks of goats, that appeared from Gilead (thy hair is like the flocks of goats, that appeared from Gilead).

Thy teeth be as a flock of sheep, that went up from [the] washing; all be with double lambs, either twins, and no barren there is among them. (Thy teeth be like a flock of sheep, that went up from the washing; all of them be with double lambs, or with twins, and there is no barren among them.)

As the rind of a pomegranate, so be thy cheeks, without thy privates. (Like the rind of a pomegranate, so be thy cheeks, behind thy veil.)

Sixty be queens, and eighty be secondary wives; and of young damsels is none number. (There be sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and of young women, or of maidens, there is no number.)

One is my culver, my perfect spousess, one is to her mother, and is the chosen of her mother; the daughters of Zion saw her, and preached her most blessed; queens, and secondary wives, praised her. (But only one is my dove, my perfect spousess, the only daughter of her mother, yea, the chosen of her mother; the daughters of Zion saw her, and proclaimed her most blessed; queens, and concubines, praised her.)

10 Who is this, that goeth forth, as the morrowtide rising, fair as the moon, chosen as the sun, fearedful as the battle array of hosts set in good order? (Who is this, who goeth forth, like daybreak, beautiful as the moon, chosen as the sun, as awesome as the battle array of armies set in good order?)

11 I came down into mine orchard, to see the apples of (the) great valleys, and to behold, if vineries had flowered (and to see, if the vines had flowered), and if the pomegranate trees had burgeoned.

12 I knew not; my soul troubled me, for the chariots of Amminadib. (But I knew not anything for sure; and my soul troubled me, like the chariots of Amminadib.)

13 Turn again, turn again, thou Shulamite; turn again, turn again, that we behold thee. What shalt thou see in the Shulamite, but companies of hosts? (Return, yea, return, O Shulamite; return, yea, return, so that we can see thee. How all of thee love to behold the Shulamite, as she danceth before thee!)

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.