SONG OF SONGS
CHAPTER 1
1 Here beginneth the Song of Songs*.
2 Kiss he me with the kiss of his mouth. For thy loves be better than wine (or For thy love is better than wine)†,
3 and give odour with best ointments. Thy name is(like) oil shed out; therefore young damsels loved thee. (and thy aroma is equal to the best perfumes. Thy name is like oil poured out; and so the young women, or the maidens, loved thee.)
4 Draw thou me after thee; we shall run. The king led me into his cellars; we mindful of thy loves above wine, shall make full out joy, and we shall be glad in thee; rightful men love thee. (Draw thou me after thee; and we shall run away or and we shall run together. The king led me into his chamber; and we thinking more about thy love than about wine, shall rejoice, and we shall be glad for thee; yea, all the upright people love thee.)
5 Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, but fair, as the tabernacles of Kedar, as the skins of Solomon. (Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, and beautiful, like the tents of Kedar, and like Solomon’s curtains.)
6 Do not ye behold me, that I am black, for the sun hath discoloured me; the sons of my mother fought against me, they set me a keeper in vineries; I kept not my vinery. (Do not ye look down upon me, because I am black, for the sun hath coloured me, that is, it hath tanned me; the sons of my mother fought against me, and they made me the guardian of the vineyards; and so I could not look after my own vineyard.)
7 Thou spouse, whom my soul loveth, show to me, where thou pasturest, (yea), where thou restest in midday; lest I begin to wander, after the flocks of thy fellows.
8 A! thou fairest among women, if thou knowest not thyself, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy kids, beside the tabernacles of shepherds. (O thou most beautiful among women! if thou thyself knowest not, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy goat kids, beside the shepherds’ tents.)
9 My love, I likened thee to mine host of knights in the chariots of Pharaoh. (My love, I would liken thee to Pharaoh’s army of chariot drivers.)
10 Thy cheeks be fair, as of a turtle; thy neck is as brooches. (Thy cheeks be beautiful, like a turtledove; thy neck is adorned with jewels.)
11 We shall make to thee golden ornaments, parted and made diverse with silver. (We shall make golden ornaments for thee, set with silver beads.)
12 When the king was in his resting place, my nard gave his odour. (While the king lieth on his couch, my spikenard gave forth its aroma.)
13 My darling is a bundle of myrrh to me; he shall dwell betwixt my teats. (My darling is like a bundle of myrrh for me; and he shall rest between my breasts.)
14 My darling is to me (as) a cluster of cypress tree(s), among the vineries of Engedi. (My darling is like a cluster of cypress trees for me, among the vineyards of Engedi.)
15 Lo! my love, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thine eyes be the eyes of culvers. (Behold! my love, thou art beautiful; lo! thou (art) beautiful, thine eyes (be) like doves.)
16 Lo! my darling, thou art fair and shapely; our bed is fair as flowers. (Behold! my darling, thou art beautiful and shapely; the grass and the flowers shall be our bed.)
17 The beams of our houses be of cedar; our couplings be of cypress. (The beams of our house shall be the cedars; our couplings shall be the cypress trees.)
* CHAPTER 1:1 One manuscript adds, ‘that were made of Solomon (or that were made by Solomon), to be sung in the temple of the Lord, into everlasting worshipping, and (so) needeth none other prologue’. † CHAPTER 1:2 The “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”, and one copy of the “Later Version” labeled “X”, present this book as an allegorical dialogue between Christ and the Church. For example, this verse is introduced as: ‘The Church, of the coming of Christ speaketh, saying, (or The Church speaketh of the coming of Christ, saying),…’.