1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
2 Let him kiss me with the
kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
3 your anointing
oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 Draw me after you; let us
run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
5 I am very dark, but
lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me because I
am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept!
7 Tell me, you whom my soul
loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?
8 If you do not know,
O most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.
9 I compare you, my
love,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Your cheeks are lovely
with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make for you
ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
12 While the king was on his
couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a
sachet of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a
cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of Engedi.
15 Behold, you are beautiful,
my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves.
16 Behold, you are beautiful,
my beloved, truly delightful.
Our couch is green;
17 the beams of
our house are cedar;
our rafters are pine.
(ESV) Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Click here for more copyright information.