1 The Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you were my little brother, nursing at my mother's breasts; if I saw you outside, I could kiss you -- surely no one would despise me!
1 “Oh that you were like a brother to meWho nursed at my mother’s breasts.If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;No one would despise me, either.
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.
1 If only I could treat you like my brother,(a)one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,I would find you in public and kiss you,and no one would scorn me.
1 If only you were like a brother to me, like one who nursed at my mother's breasts. If I found you outside I would kiss you, and no one would view me with contempt.
2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house, the one who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
2 “I would lead you and (A)bring youInto the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
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.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,to the house of my mother(A) who taught me.(b)I would give you spiced wine to drinkfrom my pomegranate juice.
2 I would lead you, I would bring you to the house of my mother who used to teach me. I would give you some spiced wine to drink, from the juice of my pomegranates.
4 The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem: "Do not arouse or awaken love until it pleases!"
4 “(a)(C)I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,(b)Do not arouse or awaken my loveUntil (c)she pleases.”
4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:do not stir up or awaken loveuntil the appropriate time.(C)
4 Swear to me, young women of Jerusalem, that you won't awaken or arouse love before its proper time!
5 The Maidens about His Beloved: Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved? The Beloved to Her Lover: Under the apple tree I aroused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who bore you was in labor of childbirth.
5 “(d)(D)Who is this coming up from the wildernessLeaning on her beloved?” “(e)Beneath the (f)(E)apple tree I awakened you;There your mother was in labor with you,There she was in labor and gave you birth.
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
5 Y Who is this(D) coming up from the wilderness,leaning on the one she loves?W I awakened you under the apricot tree.(E)There your mother conceived you;there she conceived and gave you birth.
5 Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved? Under theapple tree I awakened you. There your mother had gone into labor with you; there she went into labor and gave birth to you.
6 The Beloved to Her Lover: Set me like a cylinder seal over your heart, like a signet on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion is as unrelenting as Sheol. Its flames burst forth, it is a blazing flame.
6 “Put me like a (g)seal over your heart,Like a (F)seal on your arm.For love is as strong as death,(h)(G)Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;Its flashes are flashes of fire,(i)The very flame of the Lord.
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.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,as a seal on your arm.(F)For love is as strong as death;(G)ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.Love’s flames are fiery flames(H)—the fiercest of all.(c)
6 Set me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, passion as intense as Sheol. The flames of love are flames of fire, a blaze that comes from the LORD.
7 Surging waters cannot quench love; floodwaters cannot overflow it. If someone were to offer all his possessions to buy love, the offer would be utterly despised.
7 “Many waters cannot quench love,Nor will rivers overflow it;(H)If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,It would be utterly despised.”
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.
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;rivers cannot sweep it away.If a man were to give all his wealth(d) for love,(I)it would be utterly scorned.
7 Mighty bodies of water cannot extinguish love, rivers cannot put it out. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, he would surely be viewed with contempt.
8 The Beloved's Brothers: We have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?
8 “(j)We have a little sister,And she (I)has no breasts;What shall we do for our sisterOn the day when she is spoken for?
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?
8 B Our sister is young;she has no breasts.(J)What will we do for our sisteron the day she is spoken for?
8 We have a little sister, and she has not yet reached maturity. What will we do for our sister to prepare her for her engagement?
9 If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver; but if she is a door, we will barricade her with boards of cedar.
9 “If she is a wall,We will build on her a battlement of silver;But if she is a door,We will barricade her with (J)planks of cedar.”
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.
9 If she is a wall,we will build a silver parapet on it.If she is a door,we will enclose it with cedar planks.(e)(K)
9 If she's a wall, on her we will build a battlement of silver. If she's a door, we will enclose her with planks of cedar.
10 The Beloved: I was a wall, and my breasts were like fortress towers. Then I found favor in his eyes.
10 “(k)I was a wall, and (K)my breasts were like towers;Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.
10 W I am(f) a walland my breasts like towers.So in his eyes I have becomelike one who finds peace.(g)
10 I was a wall and my breasts were like towers. Then I became like one who finds peace in his eyes.
11 The Beloved to Her Lover: Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon; he leased out the vineyard to those who maintained it. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
11 “Solomon had a (L)vineyard at Baal-hamon;He (M)entrusted the vineyard to (N)caretakers.Each one was to bring a (O)thousand shekels of silver for its (P)fruit.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(L)He leased the vineyard to tenants.(M)Each was to bring for his fruit1,000 pieces of silver.(N)
11 Solomon has a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers each one is to bring 1,000 pieces of silver in exchange for its fruit.
12 My vineyard, which belongs to me, is at my disposal alone. The thousand shekels belong to you, O Solomon, and two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its fruit.
12 “My very own vineyard is (l)at my disposal;The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”
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.
12 I have my own vineyard.(h)(O)The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,but 200 for those who guard its fruits.
12 My vineyard belongs to me and is at my disposal. The 1,000 are for you, Solomon, and 200 are for those who take care of its fruit.
13 The Lover to His Beloved: O you who stay in the gardens, my companions are listening attentively for your voice; let me be the one to hear it!
13 “(m)O you who sit in the gardens,My (Q)companions are listening for your voice—(R)Let me hear it!”
13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
13 You who sit in the gardens, companions are listening for your voice, but let me hear it.
14 The Beloved to Her Lover: Make haste, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
14 “(n)(o)Hurry, my beloved,And be (S)like a gazelle or a young (p)stagOn the (T)mountains of spices.”
14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
14 Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
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