Love stronger than death

²I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night.”

³I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on? I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?

⁴My beloved thrust his hand in through the latch opening. My heart pounded for him.

⁵I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock.

⁶I opened to my beloved; but my beloved left, and had gone away. My heart went out when he spoke. I looked for him, but I didn’t find him. I called him, but he didn’t answer.

⁷The watchmen who go about the city found me. They beat me. They bruised me. The keepers of the walls took my cloak away from me.

⁸I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am faint with love.

⁹How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us?

¹⁰My beloved is white and ruddy. The best among ten thousand.

¹¹His head is like the purest gold. His hair is bushy, black as a raven.

¹²His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, washed with milk, mounted like jewels.

¹³His cheeks are like a bed of spices with towers of perfumes. His lips are like lilies, dropping liquid myrrh.

¹⁴His hands are like rings of gold set with beryl. His body is like ivory work overlaid with sapphires.

¹⁵His legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

¹⁶His mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.

¹Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

²My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

³I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies.

⁴You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.

⁵Turn 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.

⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing, of which every one has twins; not one is bereaved among them.

⁷Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.

⁸There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

⁹My 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 saw her, and they praised her.

¹⁰Who is she who looks out as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?

¹¹I 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.

¹²Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people’s chariots.

¹³Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Lover Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?

¹How beautiful are your feet in sandals, prince’s daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.

²Your body is like a round goblet, no mixed wine is wanting. Your waist is like a heap of wheat, set about with lilies.

³Your two breasts are like two fawns, that are twins of a roe.

⁴Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.

⁵Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.

⁶How beautiful and how pleasant you are, love, for delights!

⁷This, your stature, is like a palm tree, your breasts like its fruit.

⁸I said, “I will climb up into the palm tree. I will take hold of its fruit.” Let your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the smell of your breath like apples.

⁹Your mouth is like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.

¹⁰I am my beloved’s. His desire is toward me.

¹¹Come, my beloved! Let’s go out into the field. Let’s lodge in the villages.

¹²Let’s go early up to the vineyards. Let’s see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.

¹³The mandrakes produce fragrance. At our doors are all kinds of precious fruits, new and old, which I have stored up for you, my beloved.

¹Oh that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me.

²I would lead you, bringing you into the house of my mother, who would instruct me. I would have you drink spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.

³His left hand would be under my head. His right hand would embrace me.

⁴I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires.

⁵Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Beloved Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.

⁶Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of the LORD.

⁷Many waters can’t quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.

⁸We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for?

⁹If she is a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver. If she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts like towers, then I was in his eyes like one who found peace.

¹¹Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon. He leased out the vineyard to keepers. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

¹²My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon, two hundred for those who tend its fruit.

¹³You who dwell in the gardens, with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!

¹⁴Come away, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices!