American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
Oh that thou wert as my brother,That sucked the breasts of my mother!When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee;Yea, and none would despise me.
I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, {Or, That thou mightest}Who would instruct me;I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine,Of the {Or, sweet wine}juice of my pomegranate.
His left hand should be under my head,And his right hand should embrace me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, {Hebrew: Why should ye stir up? or why &c.}That ye stir not up, nor awake my love,Until {Or, it Or, she}he please.
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 {Or, and}that brought thee forth.
Set me as a seal upon thy heart,As a seal upon thine arm:For love is strong as death;Jealousy is {Hebrew: hard.}cruel as Sheol;The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, {Or, A most vehement flame}A very flame of {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah.
Many waters cannot quench love,Neither can floods drown it:If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, {Or, It}He would utterly be contemned.
We have a little sister,And she hath no breasts:What shall we do for our sisterIn the day when she shall be spoken for?
If she be a wall,We will build upon her {Or, battlements}a turret of silver:And if she be a door,We will inclose her with boards of cedar.
I {Or, was}am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.
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.
My vineyard, which is mine, is before me:Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand,And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
Thou that dwellest in the gardens,The companions hearken {Or, to}for thy voice:Cause me to hear it.
{Hebrew: Flee.}Make haste, my beloved,And be thou like to a {Or, gazelle}roe or to a young hartUpon the mountains of spices.
As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood,So is my beloved among the sons.I {Hebrew: delighted and sat down &c.}sat down under his shadow with great delight,And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return {Or, with}unto the children of Israel.
Look not upon me, because I am swarthy,Because the sun hath {Or, looked upon}scorched me.My mother's sons were incensed against me;They made me keeper of the vineyards;But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
The Song of songs, which is Solomon's.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;For thy love is better than wine.
Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;Thy name is as oil poured forth;Therefore do the {Or, maidens}virgins love thee.
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: {Or, In uprightness}Rightly do they love thee.
I am black, but comely,Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem,As the tents of Kedar,As the curtains of Solomon.
Look not upon me, because I am swarthy,Because the sun hath {Or, looked upon}scorched me.My mother's sons were incensed against me;They made me keeper of the vineyards;But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
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 veiledBeside the flocks of thy companions?
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
I have compared thee, O {Or, my friend (and so throughout)}my love, {Or, To the steeds Or, To my steed}To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.
Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair,Thy neck with strings of jewels.
We will make thee plaits of goldWith studs of silver.
While the king sat at his table,My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
My beloved is unto me as a {Or, bag}bundle of myrrh,That lieth betwixt my breasts.
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of {Hebrew: copher.}henna-flowersIn the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Song of songs, which is Solomon's.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;For thy love is better than wine.
Thine oils have a goodly fragrance;Thy name is as oil poured forth;Therefore do the {Or, maidens}virgins love thee.
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: {Or, In uprightness}Rightly do they love thee.
I am black, but comely,Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem,As the tents of Kedar,As the curtains of Solomon.
Look not upon me, because I am swarthy,Because the sun hath {Or, looked upon}scorched me.My mother's sons were incensed against me;They made me keeper of the vineyards;But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
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 veiledBeside the flocks of thy companions?
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
I have compared thee, O {Or, my friend (and so throughout)}my love, {Or, To the steeds Or, To my steed}To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.
Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair,Thy neck with strings of jewels.
We will make thee plaits of goldWith studs of silver.
While the king sat at his table,My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
My beloved is unto me as a {Or, bag}bundle of myrrh,That lieth betwixt my breasts.
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of {Hebrew: copher.}henna-flowersIn the vineyards of En-gedi.