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The Song of Solomon (also called The Song of
Songs)
This book of the Bible is sometimes called two different names. Some
people call it the "Song of Songs." That means it is the greatest song
or poem that is part of a group of poems. Other people call it the
"Song of Solomon." That means it was written by King Solomon. Solomon
was the son of King David. You can read about him here:
King Solomon and his reign.
This book is a collection of poems
about two people who are in love and get married. Some scholars
say the two people are Solomon and one of his wives. Other
scholars say it is not Solomon, but a different man.
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The Bible Projects's summary of the Song of Songs.
The man speaks:
I have come to my garden, my wife. I have brought my myrrh and spice. I have eaten honey and drank wine with milk. Come and eat and drink, My love.
[1] I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
A Dream
The woman speaks:
I was sleeping, and then I head my love's voice. He was knocking on the door. He wanted me to open the door. He said he was wet from the dew.
[2] I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
I said that I already had my bath and was dressed for bed.
[3] I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
My love put his hand through the door. My heart was so happy!
[4] My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
I got up to open the door. I had on expensive perfume. But, when I opened the door, my love was gone. I was so disappointed. I looked for him, but I couldn't find him. I called him, but he didn't answer.
[5] I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
[6] I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
The guards around the city found me. They beat me, and they took away the veil from my face.
[7] The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
My friends, daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my love, tell him that I am sick with love for him.
[8] I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
The friends speak:
What makes your love special? Why do you think he is better than other men?
[9] What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
The woman speaks:
My love is handsome. He is the most handsome man out of 10,000 men. His head is like fine gold. His hair is black. It is as black as a raven (bird).
[10] My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
[11] His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves by a river of milk.
[12] His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
His checks are sweet like flowers and spices. His lips are like sweet-smelling lilies.
[13] His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
His hands are like gold rings with beryl (jewel) on them. His belly is like ivory covered with blue sapphires.
[14] His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
His legs are like strong marble pillars. They are set on fine gold. He is as pretty as the cedar trees of Lebanon.
[15] His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
His mouth is sweet. He is fully beautiful. This is my love and my friend.
[16] His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Chapter 6
The friends speak:
Where has your love gone, beautiful woman? We can help you look for him.
[1] Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
The woman speaks:
My love has gone down to work in his garden of spices and to pick lilies.
[2] My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
I am my love's, and my love is mine. He is feeding his sheep in the lilies.
[3] I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
The man speaks:
You are beautiful, my love. You are beautiful like Tirzah and Jerusalem. You are as wonderful and strong as an army carrying colorful banners.
[4] Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
Look away from me. Your eyes have captured me. Your hair is gently moving like a flock of goats coming from Gilead.
[5] Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
Your teeth are white like a flock of sheep that has just been washed. They are all there. None of them are missing.
[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.
Your cheeks are round and pink like pomegranates.
[7] As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
There are 60 queens, 80 concubines, and too many virgins to count. But, you, my dove, are the best. All of the others praise you.
[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.
Who are you that looks like the morning sky? You are as pretty as the moon and sun. You are awsome like an army carrying banners.
[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?
The woman speaks: I went down to the garden to see how the fruit and nuts were growing. I was pretending that I was riding in a chariot.
[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.
The friends speak:
Come back, Shulamite woman. We want to see you.
[13] Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee.
The woman speaks:
What do you want to see me do -- like I was with other groups of people?
What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
Chapter 7
The man speaks:
Your feet are beautiful, and you are wearing beautiful shoes, Princess. Your hips are like jewels and look like they were made by an expert craftsman.
[1] How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
Your navel is like a round goblet filled with wine. Your stomach is like a sheaf of wheat with lilies around it.
[2] Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
Your two breasts are like young, twin deer.
[3] Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
Your neck is like a tower made with ivory. Your eyes are like the still pools of water by the gate of Heshbon. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon that looks toward the city of Damascus.
[4] Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
Your head is like Carmel. Your hair is fine like royalty. Even the king is powerless with it.
[5] Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
You are so beautiful in every way, my love.
[6] How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
You are tall and straight like a palm tree. Your breasts are like a cluster of grapes.
[7] This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
I said that I will go up the palm tree and take hold of the branches. The smell is sweet like apples.
[8] I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
Your mouth is like the best wine. It tastes sweet.
[9] And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
The woman speaks.
I belong to my love, and he belongs to me.
[10] I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
Come, my love, let's go to the field. Let's sleep in the village.
[11] Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
Let's get up early in the morning and see if the new grapes are growing. Let's see if the pomegranates are blooming. I will give you my love there.
[12] Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
The mandrakes make a nice smell. I saved up so that we have a lot of good fruit at home, my love.
[13] The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
Chapter 8
I wish you were my brother so that I could kiss you in public and no one would notice it.
[1] O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.
I would take you to my mother's house. My mother has taught me what to do. I would give you special wine. You would hug me.
[2] I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
[3] His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
Oh, daughters of Jerusalem, don't wake up my love until he's ready.
[4] I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
The friends speak:
Who is this coming from the desert with her love? She is leaning on him.
[5] Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
The woman speaks:
I loved you under the apple tree. That is where you were born.
I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
Always remember me. Wear this jewelery on your arm as a reminder. Love is as strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as the grave. It can cause a terrible fire.
[6] Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Water and floods cannot drown love. A man might give everything he owns for love. It would all be destroyed.
[7] Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
The friends speak:
We have a little sister who is not yet mature. What should we do when she is old enough to get married? If she was a wall, we could protect her with a silver castle. If she was a door, we could put cedar boards around her.
[8] We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
[9] If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
The woman speaks:
I am a wall, and I am mature. My love is happy when he sees me.
[10] I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
Solomon had a vineyard at the place named Baal-hamon. He rented it out to other farmers. The renters had to pay Solomon 1,000 pieces of silver.
[11] Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
My vineyard is mine. You, Solomon, have many vineyards, and you have 200 renters.
[12] My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
The man speaks:
You are in the garden with your friend. I want to hear your voice.
[13] Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
The woman speaks:
Hurry, my love. Be like a deer running fast to the mountain of spices.
[14] Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
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