[Songs 1]
1:1 The Song of songs, which is by Solomon.
1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; For thy love is better than wine.
1:3 Thine oils have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is as oil poured forth; Therefore do the ¹virgins love thee.

¹Or, maidens

1:4 Draw me; we will run after thee: The king hath brought me into his chambers; We will be glad and rejoice in thee; We will make mention of thy love more than of wine: ²Rightly do they love thee.

²Or, In uprightness do they love thee. or,  The upright love thee.

1:5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.
1:6 Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, Because the sun hath ³scorched me. My mother’s sons were incensed against me; They made me keeper of the vineyards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept.

³Or, looked upon me.

1:7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest thy flock, where thou makest it to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?
1:8 If thou know not, O thou the fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
1:9 I have compared thee, O ⁴my love, ⁵To a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.

⁴Or, my friend (and so throughout)
⁵Or, To the steeds or, To my steed

1:10 Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair, Thy neck with strings of jewels.
1:11 We will make thee plaits of gold With studs of silver.
1:12 While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
1:13 My beloved is unto me as a ⁶bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts.

⁶Or, bag

1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of ⁷henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi.

⁷Hb. kopher

1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; ⁸Thine eyes are as doves.

⁸Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes.

1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yes, pleasant: Also our couch is green.
1:17 The beams of our ⁹house are ¹⁰cedars, and our rafters are ¹¹firs.

⁹Or, houses
¹⁰Or, of cedar, And our rafters are of fir.
¹¹Or, cypresses.

[Songs 2]
2:1 I am a ¹²rose of ¹³Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

¹²Hb. chabatz tzeleth, the autumn crocus.
¹³Or, the plain,

2:2 As a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.
2:3 As the apple-tree among trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. I ¹⁴sat down under his shadow with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

¹⁴Hb. delighted and sat down under his shadow,

2:4 He brought me to the ¹⁵banqueting-house, And his banner over me was love.

¹⁵Hb. house of wine,

2:5 Stay ye me with ¹⁶raisins, refresh me with apples; For I am sick from love.

¹⁶Hb. the cakes of raisins,

2:6 ¹⁷His left hand is under my head, And his right hand doth embrace me.

¹⁷Or, Let his left hand be under my head,

2:7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the ¹⁸roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until ¹⁹it please.

¹⁸Or, gazelles,
¹⁹Lit. she or, he or, it be pleasing.

2:8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
2:9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: Behold, he standeth behind our wall; He looketh in at the windows; He glanceth through the lattice.
2:10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
2:11 For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone;
2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the ²⁰singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;

²⁰Or, pruning of vines is come,

2:13 The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom; They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
2:15 Take us the foxes, ²¹the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

²¹So Massoretic, Aram. But some Massoretic mss. 4QCant^b Sept. (Vg.) omit the little foxes

2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
2:17 ²²Until the day ²³be cool, and the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart Upon the ²⁴mountains of ²⁵Bether.

²²Or, While the day is cool, And in ch. 4:6.
²³Or, break, Hb. breathe
²⁴Or, mountains of separation.
²⁵Perhaps the spice malobathron.

[Songs 3]
3:1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
3:2 I said, I will rise now, and go about the city; In the streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
3:3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
3:4 It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother’s house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.
3:5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until ²⁶it please.

²⁶Or, she or, he or, until it please him.

3:6 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?
3:7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon; Sixty mighty men are about it, Of the mighty men of Israel.
3:8 They all handle the sword, and are expert in war: Every man hath his sword upon his thigh, Because of fear in the night.
3:9 King Solomon made himself a ²⁷palanquin Of the wood of Lebanon.

²⁷Or, car of state Sept., Vg. read litter

3:10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, The bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, The midst thereof being ²⁸paved with love, From the daughters of Jerusalem.

²⁸Or, inlaid

3:11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon, With the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart.
[Songs 4]
4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; ²⁹Thine eyes are as doves behind thy ³⁰veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That ³¹lie along the side of mount Gilead.

²⁹Or, Thou hast doves’ eyes behind thy veil.
³⁰Or, locks.
³¹Or, appear on mount Gilead.

4:2 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn, Which are come up from the washing, ³²Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

³²Or, Which are all of them in pairs,

4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy ³³mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.

³³Or, speech

4:4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded ³⁴for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All the shields of the mighty men.

³⁴Or, with turrets,

4:5 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a ³⁵roe, Which feed among the lilies.

³⁵Or, gazelle,

4:6 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense.
4:7 Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee.
4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, With me from Lebanon: ³⁶Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions’ dens, From the mountains of the leopards.

³⁶Or, Go

4:9 Thou hast ³⁷ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with ³⁸one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

³⁷Or, given me courage, (both places)
³⁸Or, one look from thine eyes,

4:10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices!
4:11 Thy lips, O my bride, ³⁹drop as the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

³⁹Or, drop honey:

4:12 A garden ⁴⁰shut up is my sister, my bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

⁴⁰Hb. barred (both places)

4:13 Thy shoots are ⁴¹an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,

⁴¹Or, a paradise

4:14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
4:15 Thou art a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.
4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits.
[Songs 5]
5:1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my ⁴²spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yes, drink abundantly, ⁴³O beloved.

⁴²Or, balsam;
⁴³Or, of love.

5:2 I ⁴⁴was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my ⁴⁵undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.

⁴⁴Or, sleep, but my heart waketh:
⁴⁵Hb. perfect;

5:3 I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
5:4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, And my ⁴⁶heart was moved for him.

⁴⁶Hb. bowels

5:5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.
5:6 I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had ⁴⁷withdrawn himself, and was gone. My soul ⁴⁸had failed me when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

⁴⁷Or, turned away,
⁴⁸Hb. went forth when he spake:

5:7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my ⁴⁹mantle from me.

⁴⁹Or, veil

5:8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, ⁵⁰That ye tell him, that I am sick from love.

⁵⁰Hb. What will ye tell him? That I am sick from love.

5:9 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 adjure us?
5:10 My beloved is white and ruddy, ⁵¹The chiefest among ten thousand.

⁵¹Hb. Marked out by a banner among ten thousand.

5:11 His head is as the most fine gold; His locks are ⁵²bushy, and black as a raven.

⁵²Or, curling,

5:12 His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, Washed with milk, and ⁵³fitly set.

⁵³Or, sitting by full streams.

5:13 His cheeks are as a bed of ⁵⁴spices, as ⁵⁵banks of sweet herbs: His lips are as lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.

⁵⁴Or, the balsam,
⁵⁵Or, towers of perfumes:

5:14 His hands are as ⁵⁶rings of gold set with ⁵⁷beryl: His body is as ⁵⁸ivory work ⁵⁹overlaid with sapphires.

⁵⁶Or, cylinders
⁵⁷Or, the topaz:
⁵⁸Or, bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
⁵⁹Or, encrusted

5:15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
5:16 His ⁶⁰mouth is most sweet; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

⁶⁰Or, speech Hb. palate

[Songs 6]
6:1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee?
6:2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds of ⁶¹spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

⁶¹Or, the balsam,

6:3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
6:4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Formidable as an army with ⁶²banners.

⁶²Hb. the bannered hosts.

6:5 Turn away thine eyes from me, For they ⁶³have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead.

⁶³Or, make me afraid.

6:6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.
6:7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil.
6:8 There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, And ⁶⁴virgins without number.

⁶⁴Or, maidens

6:9 My dove, my ⁶⁵undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the ⁶⁶choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; Yes, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

⁶⁵Hb. perfect
⁶⁶Or, pure And in vs. 10.

6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, ⁶⁷Choice as the sun, Formidable as an army with banners?

⁶⁷Or, Clear or possibly, Bright

6:11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.
6:12 Before I was aware, my ⁶⁸soul ⁶⁹set me Among the chariots of my ⁷⁰noble people.

⁶⁸Or, desire Hb. nephesh
⁶⁹Or, made me like the chariots of Ammi nadib.
⁷⁰Or, willing people.

6:13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance ⁷¹of Mahanaim?

⁷¹Or, of the two companies

[Songs 7]
7:1 How beautiful are thy ⁷²feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter! Thy rounded thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a skilful workman.

⁷²Or, steps

7:2 Thy body is like a round goblet, Wherein no mingled wine is wanting: Thy waist is like a heap of wheat Set about with lilies.
7:3 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe.
7:4 Thy neck is like the tower of ivory; Thine eyes as the pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim; Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looketh toward Damascus.
7:5 Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses thereof.
7:6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7:7 This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to its clusters.
7:8 I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy ⁷³breath like apples,

⁷³Hb. nose

7:9 And thy ⁷⁴mouth like the best wine, That goeth down ⁷⁵smoothly for my beloved, ⁷⁶Causing the lips of those that are asleep ⁷⁷to speak.

⁷⁴Hb. palate
⁷⁵Hb. aright
⁷⁶Or, Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep.
⁷⁷Or, to move.

7:10 I am my beloved’s; And his desire is toward me.
7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages.
7:12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine hath budded, and ⁷⁸its blossom is open, And the pomegranates are in flower: There will I give thee my love.

⁷⁸Or, the tender grape appear,

7:13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance; And ⁷⁹at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

⁷⁹Or, over

[Songs 8]
8:1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yes, and none would despise me.
8:2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, ⁸⁰Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the ⁸¹juice of my pomegranate.

⁸⁰Or, That thou mightest instruct me;
⁸¹Or, sweet wine of my pomegranate.

8:3 His left hand should be under my head, And his right hand should embrace me.
8:4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, ⁸²That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until ⁸³it please.

⁸²Hb. Why should ye stir up? or why awake etc.
⁸³Or, she or, he

8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail ⁸⁴that brought thee forth.

⁸⁴Or, and

8:6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is ⁸⁵cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, ⁸⁶A very flame of ⁸⁷Jehovah.

⁸⁵Hb. hard
⁸⁶Or, A most vehement flame
⁸⁷Hb. Jah

8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, ⁸⁸He would utterly be despised.

⁸⁸Or, It

8:8 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?
8:9 If she be a wall, We will build upon her ⁸⁹a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will enclose her with boards of cedar.

⁸⁹Or, battlements of silver:

8:10 I ⁹⁰am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof: Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.

⁹⁰Or, was

8:11 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,
8:12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
8:13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken ⁹¹for thy voice: Cause me to hear it.

⁹¹Or, to

8:14 ⁹²Make haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a ⁹³roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.

⁹²Hb. Flee,
⁹³Or, gazelle