6 Tell us this, most beautiful of all women.
Where has your lover gone?
Which way did he go?
Tell us, so that we can look for him with you.
2 My lover has gone down to his garden.
He has gone to his garden of spice trees.
He has gone there to walk in the gardens
and to pick lilies.
3 My lover belongs to me,
and I belong to him.
He moves among the lilies with his sheep.
4 My dear friend, you are as beautiful as Tirzah.
You are as lovely as Jerusalem. [ a ]
You are as wonderful as an army that is waving its flags. [ b ]
5 Turn your eyes away from me.
They give me pleasure that is too strong for me!
Your hair is like a group of goats
that are coming down from Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are very white
like a group of clean sheep that is coming from the pool of water.
Each tooth is one of a pair.
Not one of them is alone.
7 The sides of your face are beautiful,
like the halves of a pomegranate.
I see them through your veil.
8 A king may have 60 queens.
He may have 80 slave wives.
He may have many other young women too.
There may be too many for him to count! [ c ]
9 But there is only one woman that I want.
Nobody is like her in any way.
She is my perfect one, as lovely as a dove.
She is the special daughter of her mother.
Her mother loves her best among all her children.
The young women saw her and they praised her.
The queens and the slave wives also praised her.
10 They said, ‘She is like the light that appears at dawn.
She is as beautiful as the moon.
She is as bright as the sun.
She is as wonderful as the stars that shine brightly in their places.’
11 I went down to the garden of walnut trees. [ d ]
I wanted to see the new plants that were growing in the valley;
to see if the vines had new leaves now;
to see if the pomegranate trees had flowers.
12 I became so happy
that I did not understand what was happening.
I knew that I wanted to be with her.
I felt that I was riding with the king's men in their chariots.
13 Come back, come back, young woman from Shulam! [ e ]
Yes, come back,
so that we can look at you again.
Why do you want to look at the young woman from Shulam?
Do not look at her as if she is dancing the dance of Mahanaim. [ f ]
6 Beautiful woman,
where has your lover gone?
Which way did your lover go?
Tell us so that we can help you look for him.
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
where sweet-smelling spices grow.
There, like a sheep, he will eat the grass,
and he will enjoy the lilies.
3 I belong to my lover, and my lover belongs to me.
He is the one feeding among the lilies.
4 My darling, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, [ a ]
as pleasant as Jerusalem,
as awesome as the stars in the sky. [ b ]
5 Don’t look at me!
Your eyes excite me too much!
And your hair is long and flowing,
like little goats dancing down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are white like ewes [ c ]
just coming from their bath.
They all give birth to twins.
Not one of them has lost a baby.
7 Your cheeks under your veil
are like slices of pomegranate.
8 There might be 60 queens
and 80 slave women,
and young women too many to count,
9 but there is only one woman for me,
my dove, my perfect one.
She is the favorite of her mother,
her mother’s favorite child.
The young women see her and praise her.
Even the queens and slave women praise her.
10 Who is that young woman?
She shines out like the dawn.
She is as pretty as the moon.
She is as bright as the sun.
She is as awesome
as the stars in the sky.
11 I went down to the grove of walnut trees,
to see the fruit of the valley,
to see if the vines were in bloom,
to see if the pomegranates had budded.
12 I was so excited
when she put me in the royal chariot. [ d ]
13 Come back, come back, Shulamith [ e ] !
Come back, come back, so we may look at you.
Why are you staring at Shulamith,
as she dances the Mahanaim dance [ f ] ?
6 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.
12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
6 “ ( A ) Where has your beloved gone,
O ( B ) most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
2 “My beloved has gone down to his ( C ) garden,
To the ( D ) beds of balsam,
To ( E ) pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather ( F ) lilies.
3 ( G ) I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He who ( H ) pastures his flock among the lilies.”
4 “ ( I ) You are as beautiful as ( J ) Tirzah, my darling,
As ( K ) lovely as ( L ) Jerusalem,
As ( M ) awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
( N ) Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
6 ( O ) Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from their watering place,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
7 ( P ) Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 There are sixty ( Q ) queens and eighty concubines,
And [ a ] ( R ) young women without number;
9 But ( S ) my dove, my perfect one, is [ b ] unique:
She is her mother’s [ c ] only daughter ;
She is the pure child of the one who gave birth to her.
The [ d ] ( T ) young women saw her and called her [ e ] blessed,
The ( U ) queens and the concubines also , and they praised her, saying ,
10 ‘Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full ( V ) moon,
As pure ( W ) as the sun,
As ( X ) awesome as an army with banners?’
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
To see the plants of the valley,
To see whether ( Y ) the vine had grown
Or the ( Z ) pomegranates had bloomed.
12 [ f ] Before I was aware, my soul set me
Over the chariots of [ g ] my noble people.”
13 “ [ h ] Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
Come back, come back, so that we may look at you!”
6 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?
2 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.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; ( F )
he browses among the lilies. ( G )
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, ( H ) my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem, ( I )
as majestic as troops with banners. ( J )
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead. ( K )
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing. ( L )
7 Your temples behind your veil ( M )
are like the halves of a pomegranate. ( N )
8 Sixty queens ( O ) there may be,
and eighty concubines, ( P )
and virgins beyond number;
9 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.
10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?
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 ]
13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!
