1:1 Solomon’s ¹  Most Excellent ²  Love Song. ³ 

1:2 The Beloved to Her Lover: ⁴ 

Oh, how I wish you ⁵  would kiss me passionately! ⁶ 

For your lovemaking ⁷  is more delightful ⁸  than wine. ⁹ 

1:3 The fragrance ¹⁰  of your colognes ¹¹  is delightful; ¹² 

your name ¹³  is like the finest ¹⁴  perfume. ¹⁵ 

No wonder the young women ¹⁶  adore ¹⁷  you!

1:4 Draw me ¹⁸  after you; let us hurry! ¹⁹ 

May the king ²⁰  bring ²¹  me into his ²²  bedroom chambers! ²³ 

The Maidens ²⁴  to the Lover:

We will ²⁵  rejoice and delight in you; ²⁶ 

we will praise ²⁷  your love more than wine.

The Beloved to Her Lover:

How rightly ²⁸  the young women ²⁹  adore you!

1:5 The Beloved to the Maidens:

I am dark but lovely, O maidens ³⁰  of Jerusalem,

dark ³¹  like the tents of Qedar, ³² 

lovely ³³  like the tent curtains ³⁴  of Salmah. ³⁵ 

1:6 Do not stare at me because ³⁶  I am dark,

for ³⁷  the sun has burned my skin. ³⁸ 

My brothers ³⁹  were angry ⁴⁰  with me;

they made me the keeper of the vineyards.

Alas, my own vineyard ⁴¹  I could not keep! ⁴² 

1:7 The Beloved to Her Lover:

Tell me, O you whom my heart ⁴³  loves,

where do you pasture your sheep?

Where do you rest your sheep during the midday heat?

Tell me lest ⁴⁴  I wander around ⁴⁵ 

beside the flocks of your companions!

1:8 The Lover to His Beloved:

If you do not know, O most beautiful of women,

simply follow the tracks of my flock,

and pasture your little lambs

beside the tents of the shepherds.

1:9 The Lover to His Beloved:

O my beloved, you are like ⁴⁶  a ⁴⁷  mare ⁴⁸ 

among Pharaoh’s stallions. ⁴⁹ 

1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments;

your neck is lovely ⁵⁰  with strings of jewels.

1:11 We ⁵¹  will make for you gold ornaments

studded with silver. ⁵² 

1:12 The Beloved about Her Lover:

While the king was at his banqueting table, ⁵³ 

my nard ⁵⁴  gave forth its fragrance. ⁵⁵ 

1:13 My beloved is like a fragrant pouch of myrrh ⁵⁶ 

spending the night ⁵⁷  between my breasts.

1:14 My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms ⁵⁸ 

in the vineyards of En-Gedi. ⁵⁹ 

1:15 The Lover to His Beloved:

Oh, ⁶⁰  how beautiful you are, my beloved! ⁶¹ 

Oh, how beautiful you are!

Your eyes ⁶²  are like doves! ⁶³ 

1:16 The Beloved to Her Lover:

Oh, how handsome you are, my lover! ⁶⁴ 

Oh, ⁶⁵  how delightful ⁶⁶  you are!

The lush foliage ⁶⁷  is our canopied bed; ⁶⁸ 

1:17 the cedars are the beams of our bedroom chamber;

the pines are the rafters of our bedroom.