2 I am a wild flower of Sharon.
I am a lily from the valleys. [ a ]
2 Among the other young women,
my dear friend is like a lily
that grows among thorn bushes. [ b ]
3 Among the other young men,
my lover is like an apple tree
that grows among the trees of the forest. [ d ]
I love to sit in his shade.
His fruit is sweet when I taste it.
4 He has taken me to the room for feasts.
Everyone can see that he loves me.
5 I am weak with love.
So give me raisins to make me strong.
Give me apples to me to keep me awake.
6 His left hand is under my head.
His right hand brings me near to him.
7 Promise this to me, young women of Jerusalem:
Do not cause our love to wake up.
Do not cause it to become too strong
until the time is right.
The gazelles and the wild deer will know about your promise.
8 Listen! I hear the voice of my lover!
Look! He is coming!
He moves quickly across the mountains.
He runs across the hills.
9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young male deer.
Look! There he is!
He is standing behind our wall.
He is looking through the window.
He wants to see into the room.
10 My lover said this to me:
‘My beautiful friend, I love you.
Get up now and come with me.
11 Look! The winter time has finished.
The heavy rains have stopped.
12 Flowers are appearing everywhere.
It is now the season to sing happy songs.
We can hear the voices of doves around us.
13 New fruit is growing on the fig trees.
There are flowers on the vines,
and their sweet smell is in the air.
I love you, my beautiful friend.
Please get up now and come with me!’
14 My dear friend, you are like a dove that is hiding among the rocks.
You hide from me in the mountains.
Show your face to me
because it is lovely.
Let me hear your voice
because it has a sweet sound.
15 Catch the foxes for us!
Our vines now have flowers
and they will soon give us fruit.
So catch the little foxes before they destroy our vineyards. [ e ]
16 My lover belongs to me,
and I belong to him.
He moves among the lilies with his sheep.
17 Turn back to me, my lover.
Stay until dawn comes and the shadows have gone,
Be like a gazelle or a young male deer
that plays among the mountains' rocks.
2 My darling, among other women,
you are like a lily among thorns!
3 My lover, among other men,
you are an apple tree among the wild trees in the forest!
I enjoy sitting in my lover’s shadow;
his fruit is so sweet to my taste.
4 My lover took me to the wine house;
his intent toward me was love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins [ c ] ;
refresh me with apples, because I am weak with love. [ d ]
6 My lover’s left arm is under my head,
and his right arm holds me.
7 Women of Jerusalem, promise me by the gazelles and wild deer,
don’t awaken love,
don’t arouse love, until I am ready. [ e ]
8 I hear my lover’s voice.
Here it comes, jumping over the mountains,
skipping over the hills.
9 My lover is like a gazelle
or a young deer.
Look at him standing behind our wall,
staring out the window,
looking through the lattice. [ f ]
10 My lover speaks to me,
“Get up, my darling, my beautiful one.
Let’s go away!
11 Look, winter is past,
the rains have come and gone.
12 The flowers are blooming in the fields.
It’s time to sing! [ g ]
Listen, the doves have returned.
13 Young figs are growing on the fig trees.
Smell the vines in bloom.
Get up, my darling, my beautiful one.
Let’s go away!”
14 My dove, hiding in the caves high on the cliff,
hidden here on the mountain,
let me see you,
let me hear your voice.
Your voice is so pleasant,
and you are so beautiful!
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyard.
Our vineyard is now in bloom.
16 My lover is mine,
and I am his!
My lover feeds among the lilies,
17 while the day breathes its last breath
and the shadows run away.
Turn, my lover,
be like a gazelle or a young deer on the cleft mountains! [ h ]
2 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
3 “Like an ( E ) apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the [ c ] young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his ( F ) fruit was sweet to my [ d ] taste.
4 He has ( G ) brought me to his [ e ] banquet hall,
And his ( H ) banner over me is love.
5 Refresh me with ( I ) raisin cakes,
Sustain me with ( J ) apples,
Because ( K ) I am lovesick.
6 ( L ) His left hand is under my head,
And ( M ) his right hand ( N ) embraces me.”
7 “ ( O ) Swear to me, you ( P ) daughters of Jerusalem,
By the ( Q ) gazelles or by the ( R ) does of the field,
( S ) That you will not disturb or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”
8 “Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Leaping ( T ) on the mountains,
Jumping on the hills!
9 My beloved is like a ( U ) gazelle or a ( V ) young [ f ] stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering ( W ) through the lattice.
10 “My beloved responded and said to me,
‘ ( X ) Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
11 For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
12 The blossoms have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for [ g ] pruning the vines ,
And the voice of the ( Y ) turtledove has been heard in our land.
13 The ( Z ) fig tree has ripened its fruit,
And the ( AA ) vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”
14 “ ( AB ) My dove, ( AC ) in the clefts of the [ h ] rock,
In the hiding place of the mountain pathway,
Let me see [ i ] how you look,
( AD ) Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is pleasant,
And [ j ] you look ( AE ) delightful.”
15 “ ( AF ) Catch the [ k ] foxes for us,
The [ l ] little [ m ] foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our ( AG ) vineyards are in blossom.”
16 “ ( AH ) My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He ( AI ) pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 ( AJ ) Until the cool of the day, when the shadows flee,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a ( AK ) gazelle
Or a young stag ( AL ) on the mountains of [ n ] Bether.”
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
3 Like an apple [ c ] tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved ( D ) among the young men.
I delight ( E ) to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste. ( F )
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall, ( G )
and let his banner ( H ) over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples, ( I )
for I am faint with love. ( J )
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me. ( K )
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you ( L )
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires. ( M )
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills. ( N )
9 My beloved is like a gazelle ( O ) or a young stag. ( P )
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; ( Q )
the blossoming ( R ) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
14 My dove ( S ) in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely. ( T )
15 Catch for us the foxes, ( U )
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards, ( V )
our vineyards that are in bloom. ( W )
