Song of Solomon 8

1 Who doth make thee as a brother to me, Sucking the breasts of my mother? I find thee without, I kiss thee, Yea, they do not despise me,

O 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.

2 I lead thee, I bring thee in unto my mother's house, She doth teach me, I cause thee to drink of the perfumed wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate,

I 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.

3 His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

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

4 I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, How ye stir up, And how ye wake the love till she please!

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

5 Who [is] this coming from the wilderness, Hasting herself for her beloved? Under the citron-tree I have waked thee, There did thy mother pledge thee, There she gave a pledge [that] bare thee.

Who [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.

6 Set me as a seal on thy heart, as a seal on thine arm, For strong as death is love, Sharp as Sheol is jealousy, Its burnings [are] burnings of fire, a flame of Jah! (Sheol h7585)

Set 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. (Sheol h7585)

7 Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one give all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down — they tread upon it.

Many 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.

8 We have a little sister, and breasts she hath not, What do we do for our sister, In the day that it is told of her?

We 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?

9 If she is a wall, we build by her a palace of silver. And if she is a door, We fashion by her board-work of cedar.

If 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.

10 I [am] a wall, and my breasts as towers, Then I have been in his eyes as one finding peace.

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

11 Solomon hath a vineyard in Baal-Hamon, He hath given the vineyard to keepers, Each bringeth for its fruit a thousand silverlings;

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.

12 My vineyard — my own — is before me, The thousand [is] for thee, O Solomon. And the two hundred for those keeping its fruit. O dweller in gardens!

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

13 The companions are attending to thy voice, Cause me to hear. Flee, my beloved, and be like to a roe,

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

14 Or to a young one of the harts on mountains of spices!

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