Song of Solomon 8, side by side

¹O that you were to me like a brother who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.

¹O 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.

²I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

²I 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.

³His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.

³His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

⁴O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you: Do not arouse or awaken love until the time is right.

⁴I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

⁵Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? I roused you under the apple tree; there your mother conceived you; there she travailed and brought you forth.

⁵Who 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.

⁶Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all.

⁶Set 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.

⁷Mighty waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, his offer would be utterly scorned.

⁷Many 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.

⁸We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

⁸We 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?

⁹If she is a wall, we will build a tower of silver upon her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

⁹If 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.

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So I have become in his eyes like one who brings peace.

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

¹¹Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased it to the tenants. For its fruit, each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver.

¹¹Solomon 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.

¹²But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

¹²My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

¹³You who dwell in the gardens, my companions are listening for your voice. Let me hear it!

¹³Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

¹⁴Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

¹⁴Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.