The Friends
1Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
The Bride
2My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
Mutual Delight
4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
5Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
6Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
7As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
8There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
9My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
The Bride
11I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
12Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
The Friends
13Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Together in the Garden
1 Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
4 You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; none is bereaved among them.
7 Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.
13 Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
Together in the Garden
The Friends
1 Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Which way has he turned?
We will seek him with you.
The Bride
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to pasture his flock in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
The Bridegroom
4 You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
5 Turn your eyes away from me,
for they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing;
each has its twin,
and not one of them is lost.
7 Your brow behind your veil
is like a slice of pomegranate.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and maidens without number,
9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the favorite of the mother who bore her.
The maidens see her and call her blessed;
the queens and concubines sing her praises.
The Friends
10 Who is this who shines like the dawn,
as fair as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
as majestic as the stars in procession?
The Bridegroom
11 I went down to the walnut grove
to see the blossoms of the valley,
to see if the vines were budding
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I realized it, my desire had set me
among the royal chariots of my people. a
The Friends
13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite!
Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you.
The Bridegroom
Why do you look at the Shulammite,
as on the dance of Mahanaim b?
Footnotes:
12 a Or among the chariots of Amminadab
13 b Or the dance of the two camps
The Friends
1Whither hath thy beloved gone, O fair among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned, And we seek him with thee?
The Bride
2My beloved went down to his garden, To the beds of the spice, To delight himself in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, Who is delighting himself among the lilies.
Mutual Delight
4Fair art thou, my friend, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts.
5Turn round thine eyes from before me, Because they have made me proud. Thy hair is as a row of the goats, That have shone from Gilead,
6Thy teeth as a row of the lambs, That have come up from the washing, Because all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.
7As the work of the pomegranate is thy temple behind thy veil.
8Sixty are queens, and eighty concubines, And virgins without number.
9One is my dove, my perfect one, One she is of her mother, The choice one she is of her that bare her, Daughters saw, and pronounce her happy, Queens and concubines, and they praise her.
10Who is this that is looking forth as morning, Fair as the moon -- clear as the sun, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts?'
The Bride
11Unto a garden of nuts I went down, To look on the buds of the valley, To see whither the vine had flourished, The pomegranates had blossomed --
12I knew not my soul, It made me -- chariots of my people Nadib.
The Friends
13Return, return, O Shulammith! Return, return, and we look upon thee. What do ye see in Shulammith?
