This book contains songs that King Solomon sang with his beloved. We call this book
Song of Songs
1
1 This is King Solomon’s most beautiful song.
The young woman speaks to her lover
2 Kiss me on my lips,
because your love for me is more delightful than wine.
3 The fragrance of the cologne on your skin is very sweet/pleasing [CHI].
And your reputation is very good and spreads,
like [SIM] the fragrance of the special oil spread on your skin.
That is why the other young women are attracted to you.
4 Take me quickly;
take me to your home.
It is as though you are my king;
take me into your room.
Their friends speak to the man
We are very happy [DOU] about you;
we say that your love for each other is better than wine.
It is not surprising that the other young women adore you.
The woman speaks
5 You women of Jerusalem,
I am dark but beautiful;
my dark skin is like [SIM] the tents in Kedar,
or like the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace.
6 But do not stare at me because of the sun having caused my skin to become dark;
my brothers were angry with me,
so they forced me to work out in the sunshine in the vineyards,
so I was not able to take good care of my body/skin [CHI, MET].
7 You whom I [SYN] love, where will you take your flock of sheep today?
Where will you allow them to rest at noontime?
I want to know because it is not right [RHQ] for me to wander around like a prostitute
looking for you among the flocks that belong to your friends.
The man speaks
8 You who are the most beautiful of all the women,
if you search for me and do not know where I will take my sheep,
follow the tracks/footprints of the sheep.
Then allow your young goats to ◄graze/eat grass► near the shepherds’ tents.
9 You are beautiful, my darling, like the young female horse
that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
10 Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry,
and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
11 We will make for you some gold earrings
that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
The woman speaks
12 While the king was on his couch,
the smell of my perfume spread around the room.
13 The man who loves me is as delightful as [MET] a ◄sachet/small cloth bag► of myrrh between my breasts.
14 He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
The man speaks
15 You whom I love, you are beautiful;
you are very beautiful!
Your eyes are as delightful/charming as doves.
The woman replies
16 You who love me, you are very delightful/handsome,
you are wonderful!
This green grass will be like a couch where we lie down.
17 Branches of cedar trees will shade us;
it is as though branches of juniper/pine trees will be like [MET] a roof over our heads.