Song 5:2-8:4 | ESV | STEP | I slept , but my heart was awake . A sound ! My beloved is knocking . Open to me, my sister , my love , my dove , my perfect one , for my head is wet with dew , my locks with the drops of the night .

2 I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is ^aknocking.
“Open to me, my ^bsister, my ^clove,
my ^ddove, my ^eperfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my ^flocks with the drops of the night.”
3 ^gI had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had ^hbathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with ⁱliquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he ^jspoke.
^kI sought him, but found him not;
^lI called him, but he gave no answer.
7 ^mThe watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8 I ⁿadjure you, O ^odaughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
^pI am sick with love.

Others

9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O ^qmost beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus ^radjure us?

The Bride Praises Her Beloved

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ^sruddy,
^tdistinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
^uhis locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His ^veyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool. ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain}
13 His ^xcheeks are like ^ybeds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are ^zlilies,
dripping ^aaliquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with ^abjewels.
His body is polished ivory, ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain}
bedecked with ^adsapphires. ^{▼▼Hebrew lapis lazuli}
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like ^afLebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His ^agmouth ^{▼▼Hebrew palate} is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O ^aidaughters of Jerusalem.

Song of Solomon 6

Others

1 Where has your beloved gone,
O ^ajmost beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?

Together in the Garden of Love

She

2 My beloved has gone down to his ^akgarden
to ^althe beds of spices,
to ^amgraze ^{▼▼Or to pasture his flock; also verse 3} in the gardens
and to gather ^aolilies.
3 ^apI am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

4 You are beautiful as ^aqTirzah, ^army love,
^aslovely as ^atJerusalem,
^auawesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me—
^avYour hair is like a flock of goats
leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
6 ^awYour teeth are like a flock of ewes
that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
not one among them has lost its young.
7 ^axYour cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are ^aysixty ^azqueens and eighty ^baconcubines,
and ^bbvirgins without number.
9 My ^bcdove, my ^bdperfect one, is the only one,
the only one of her mother,
pure to ^beher who bore her.
^bfThe young women saw her and called her blessed;
^bgthe queens and ^bhconcubines also, and they praised her.
10 ^bi“Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
^bjawesome as an army with banners?”

She

11 I went down to the nut orchard
to look at ^bkthe blossoms of the valley,
^blto see whether the vines had budded,
whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 ^bmBefore I was aware, my desire set me
among ^bnthe chariots of my kinsman, a prince. ^{▼▼Or chariots of Ammi-Nadib}

Others

13 ^{▼▼Ch 7:1 in Hebrew} Return, return, O ^bqShulammite,
return, return, that we may look upon you.

He

Why should you look upon ^brthe Shulammite,
as upon ^bsa dance before ^bttwo armies? ^{▼▼Or dance of Mahanaim}

Song of Solomon 7

1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O ^bvnoble daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like ^bwjewels,
the work of ^bxa master hand.
2 Your navel is a rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a heap of wheat,
encircled with ^bylilies.
3 ^bzYour two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
4 Your ^caneck is like an ivory tower.
Your ^cbeyes are pools in ^ccHeshbon,
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like a tower of ^cdLebanon,
which looks toward ^ceDamascus.
5 Your head crowns you like ^cfCarmel,
and your ^cgflowing locks are like purple;
a king is held captive in the tresses.
6 ^chHow beautiful and ^cipleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights! ^{▼▼Or among delights}
7 Your stature is like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters.
8 I say I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.
Oh may your breasts be like ^ckclusters of the vine,
and the scent of your breath like apples,
9 and your ^clmouth ^{▼▼Hebrew palate} like the best wine.

She

It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding over lips and teeth. ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew causing the lips of sleepers to speak}
10 ^coI am my beloved’s,
^cpand his desire is for me.

The Bride Gives Her Love

11 ^cqCome, my beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and lodge in the villages; ^{▼▼Or among the henna plants}
12 let us go out early to the vineyards
^csand see whether the vines have budded,
whether ^ctthe grape blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love.
13 ^cuThe mandrakes give forth fragrance,
and beside our doors are all choice fruits,
^cvnew as well as old,
which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.

Song of Solomon 8:1-4

Longing for Her Beloved

1 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me.
2 I would lead you and ^cwbring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you ^cxspiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
3 ^cyHis left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
4 I ^czadjure you, O ^dadaughters of Jerusalem,
^dbthat you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.