Song of Songs 1-8 - Prayer Tents

1This is Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other.H7892H7892H8010 2[Young Woman] Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine.H5401H5390H6310H1730H2896H3196 3How fragrant your cologne; your name is like its spreading fragrance. No wonder all the young women love you!H7381H2896H8081H8034H8081H7324H5959H157 4Take me with you; come, let’s run! The king has brought me into his bedroom. [Young Women of Jerusalem] How happy we are for you, O king. We praise your love even more than wine. [Young Woman] How right they are to adore you.H4900H7323H310H4428H935H2315H1523H8055H2142H1730H3196H4339H157 5I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem—dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents.H7838H5000H1323H3389H168H6938H3407H8010 6Don’t stare at me because I am dark—the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.H7200H7840H8121H7805H517H1121H2787H7760H5201H3754H3754H5201 7Tell me, my love, where are you leading your flock today? Where will you rest your sheep at noon? For why should I wander like a prostitute among your friends and their flocks?H5046H5315H157H7462H349H7257H6672H4100H5844H5739H2270 8[Young Man] If you don’t know, O most beautiful woman, follow the trail of my flock, and graze your young goats by the shepherds’ tents.H3045H3303H802H3318H6119H6629H7462H1429H7462H4908 9You are as exciting, my darling, as a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions.H1819H7474H5484H6547H7393 10How lovely are your cheeks; your earrings set them afire! How lovely is your neck, enhanced by a string of jewels.H3895H4998H8447H6677H2737 11We will make for you earrings of gold and beads of silver.H6213H8447H2091H5351H3701 12[Young Woman] The king is lying on his couch, enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume.H4428H4524H5373H5414H7381 13My lover is like a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.H6872H4753H1730H3885H7699 14He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms from the vineyards of En-gedi.H1730H811H3724H3754H5872 15[Young Man] How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.H3303H7474H3303H3123H5869 16[Young Woman] You are so handsome, my love, pleasing beyond words! The soft grass is our bed;H3303H1730H5273H6210H7488 17fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house, and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters.H6982H1004H730H7351H7351H1266

2[Young Woman] I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain, the lily of the valley.H2261H8289H7799H6010 2[Young Man] Like a lily among thistles is my darling among young women.H7799H2336H7474H1323 3[Young Woman] Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men. I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.H8598H6086H3293H1730H1121H3427H6738H2530H6529H4966H2441 4He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much he loves me.H935H3196H1004H1714H160 5Strengthen me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am weak with love.H5564H809H7502H8598H2470H160 6His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.H8040H7218H3225H2263 7Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.H7650H1323H3389H6643H176H355H7704H5782H5782H160H2654 8Ah, I hear my lover coming! He is leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.H6963H1730H935H1801H2022H7092H1389 9My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he is behind the wall, looking through the window, peering into the room.H1730H1819H6643H6082H354H5975H310H3796H7688H2474H6692H2762 10My lover said to me, “Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!H1730H6030H559H6965H7474H3303H3212 11Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.H5638H5674H1653H2498H1980 12The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.H5339H7200H776H6256H2158H5060H6963H8449H8085H776 13The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!”H8384H2590H6291H1612H5563H5414H7381H6965H7474H3303H3212 14[Young Man] My dove is hiding behind the rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff. Let me see your face; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and your face is lovely. Young Women of JerusalemH3123H2288H5553H5643H4095H7200H4758H8085H6963H6156H6963H4758H5000 15Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!H270H7776H6996H7776H2254H3754H3754H5563 16[Young Woman] My lover is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.H1730H7462H7799 17Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, return to me, my love, like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged mountains.H3117H6315H6752H5127H5437H1730H1819H6643H6082H354H2022H1336

3[Young Woman] One night as I lay in bed, I yearned for my lover. I yearned for him, but he did not come.H3915H4904H1245H5315H157H1245H4672 2So I said to myself, “I will get up and roam the city, searching in all its streets and squares. I will search for the one I love.” So I searched everywhere but did not find him.H6965H5437H5892H7784H7339H1245H5315H157H1245H4672 3The watchmen stopped me as they made their rounds, and I asked, “Have you seen the one I love?”H8104H5437H5892H4672H7200H5315H157 4Then scarcely had I left them when I found my love! I caught and held him tightly, then I brought him to my mother’s house, into my mother’s bed, where I had been conceived.H4592H5674H4672H5315H157H270H7503H935H517H1004H2315H2029 5Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.H7650H1323H3389H6643H176H355H7704H5782H5782H160H2654 6[Young Women of Jerusalem] Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke? Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice?H5927H4057H8490H6227H6999H4753H3828H81H7402 7Look, it is Solomon’s carriage, surrounded by sixty heroic men, the best of Israel’s soldiers.H4296H8010H8346H1368H5439H1368H3478 8They are all skilled swordsmen, experienced warriors. Each wears a sword on his thigh, ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.H270H2719H3925H4421H376H2719H3409H6343H3915 9King Solomon’s carriage is built of wood imported from Lebanon.H4428H8010H6213H668H6086H3844 10Its posts are silver, its canopy gold; its cushions are purple. It was decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.H6213H5982H3701H7507H2091H4817H713H8432H7528H160H1323H3389 11[Young Woman] Come out to see King Solomon, young women of Jerusalem. He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day, his most joyous day.H3318H1323H6726H7200H4428H8010H5850H517H5849H3117H2861H3117H8057H3820

4[Young Man] You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.H3303H7474H3303H3123H5869H1157H6777H8181H5739H5795H1570H2022H1568 2Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin.H8127H5739H7094H5927H7367H8382H7909 3Your lips are like scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting. Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil.H8193H2339H8144H4057H5000H7541H6400H7416H1157H6777 4Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.H6677H4026H1732H1129H8530H8518H505H4043H7982H1368 5Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.H8147H7699H8147H6082H6646H8380H7462H7799 6Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.H3117H6315H6752H5127H3212H2022H4753H1389H3828 7You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.H3303H7474H3971 8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Come down from Mount Amana, from the peaks of Senir and Hermon, where the lions have their dens and leopards live among the hills.H935H3844H3618H3844H7789H7218H549H7218H8149H2768H738H4585H2042H5246 9You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace.H3823H269H3618H3823H259H5869H259H6060H6677 10Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.H3302H1730H269H3618H2895H1730H3196H7381H8081H1314 11Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes are scented like the cedars of Lebanon.H8193H3618H5197H5317H1706H2461H3956H7381H8008H7381H3844 12You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride, a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.H1588H5274H269H3618H1530H5274H4599H2856 13Your thighs shelter a paradise of pomegranates with rare spices—henna with nard,H7973H6508H7416H4022H6529H3724H5373 14nard and saffron, fragrant calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, and every other lovely spice.H5373H3750H7070H7076H6086H3828H4753H174H7218H1314 15You are a garden fountain, a well of fresh water streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains.H4599H1588H875H2416H4325H5140H3844 16[Young Woman] Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits.H5782H6828H935H8486H6315H1588H1314H5140H1730H935H1588H398H4022H6529

5[Young Man] I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk. [Young Women of Jerusalem] Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!H935H1588H269H3618H717H4753H1313H398H3293H1706H8354H3196H2461H398H7453H8354H7937H1730 2[Young Woman] I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: “Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”H3463H3820H5782H6963H1730H1849H6605H269H7474H3123H8535H7218H4390H2919H6977H7447H3915 3But I responded, “I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?”H6584H3801H349H3847H7364H7272H349H2936 4My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me.H1730H7971H3027H4480H2356H4578H1993 5I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt.H6965H6605H1730H3027H5197H4753H676H5674H4753H3709H4514 6I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.H6605H1730H1730H2559H5674H5315H3318H1696H1245H4672H7121H6030 7The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.H8104H5437H5892H4672H5221H6481H8104H2346H5375H7289 8Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem—If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.H7650H1323H3389H4672H1730H5046H2470H160 9[Young Women of Jerusalem] Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this?H1730H1730H3303H802H1730H1730H3602H7650 10[Young Woman] My lover is dark and dazzling, better than ten thousand others!H1730H6703H122H1713H7233 11His head is finest gold, his wavy hair is black as a raven.H7218H3800H6337H6977H8534H7838H6158 12His eyes sparkle like doves beside springs of water; they are set like jewels washed in milk.H5869H3123H650H4325H7364H2461H3427H4402 13His cheeks are like gardens of spices giving off fragrance. His lips are like lilies, perfumed with myrrh.H3895H6170H1314H4840H4026H8193H7799H5197H5674H4753 14His arms are like rounded bars of gold, set with beryl. His body is like bright ivory, glowing with lapis lazuli.H3027H2091H1550H4390H8658H4578H6247H8127H5968H5601 15His legs are like marble pillars set in sockets of finest gold. His posture is stately, like the noble cedars of Lebanon.H7785H5982H8336H3245H134H6337H4758H3844H977H730 16His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.H2441H4477H4261H1730H7453H1323H3389