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SONG
OF SOLOMON
CHAPTER
1
1
An excellent song which was Salomons.
2 Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy loue is better then
wine.
3 Because of the sauour of thy good ointments thy name is as an ointment powred
out: therefore the virgins loue thee.
4 Drawe me: we will runne after thee: the King hath brought me into his chabers:
we will reioyce and be glad in thee: we will remember thy loue more then wine:
the righteous do loue thee.
5 I am blacke, O daughters of Ierusalem, but comely, as the tentes of Kedar, and
as the curtaines of Salomon.
6 Regard ye me not because I am blacke: for the sunne hath looked vpon mee. The
sonnes of my mother were angry against mee: they made me the keeper of ye vines:
but I kept not mine owne vine.
7 Shewe me, O thou, whome my soule loueth, where thou feedest, where thou liest
at noone: for why should I be as she that turneth aside to the flockes of thy
companions?
8 If thou knowe not, O thou the fairest among women, get thee foorth by the
steps of the flocke, and feede thy kiddes by the tents of the shepheards.
9 I haue compared thee, O my loue, to the troupe of horses in the charets of
Pharaoh.
10 Thy cheekes are comely with rowes of stones, and thy necke with chaines.
11 We will make thee borders of golde with studdes of siluer.
12 Whiles the King was at his repast, my spikenard gaue the smell thereof.
13 My welbeloued is as a bundle of myrrhe vnto me: he shall lie betweene my
breasts.
14 My welbeloued is as a cluster of camphire vnto me in the vines of Engedi.
15 My loue, beholde, thou art faire: beholde, thou art faire: thine eyes are
like the doues.
16 My welbeloued, beholde, thou art faire and pleasant: also our bed is greene:
17 The beames of our house are cedars, our rafters are of firre.
CHAPTER
2
1 I am the rose of the fielde, and the lilie of the valleys.
2 Like a lilie amog the thornes, so is my loue among the daughters.
3 Like the apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my welbeloued among
the sonnes of men: vnder his shadow had I delite, & sate downe: and his
fruite was sweete vnto my mouth.
4 Hee brought mee into the wine cellar, and loue was his banner ouer me.
5 Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples: for I am sicke of loue.
6 His left hande is vnder mine head, and his right hand doeth imbrace me.
7 I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, by the roes and by the hindes of the
fielde, that ye stirre not vp, nor waken my loue, vntill she please.
8 It is the voyce of my welbeloued: beholde, hee commeth leaping by the
mountaines, and skipping by the hilles.
9 My welbeloued is like a roe, or a yong hart: loe, he standeth behinde our
wall, looking forth of the windowes, shewing him selfe through the grates.
10 My welbeloued spake and said vnto me, Arise, my loue, my faire one, and come
thy way.
11 For beholde, winter is past: the raine is changed, and is gone away.
12 The flowers appeare in the earth: the time of the singing of birdes is come,
and the voyce of the turtle is heard in our land.
13 The figtree hath brought foorth her yong figges: and the vines with their
small grapes haue cast a sauour: arise my loue, my faire one, and come away.
14 My doue, that art in the holes of ye rocke, in the secret places of the
staires, shewe mee thy sight, let mee heare thy voyce: for thy voyce is sweete,
and thy sight comely.
15 Take vs the foxes, the little foxes, which destroy the vines: for our vines
haue small grapes.
16 My welbeloued is mine, and I am his: hee feedeth among the lilies,
17 Vntil the day breake, and the shadowes flee away: returne, my welbeloued, and
be like a roe, or a yong hart vpon the mountaines of Bether.
CHAPTER
3
1 In my bed by night I sought him that my soule loued: I sought him, but I found
him not.
2 I will rise therefore nowe, and goe about in the citie, by the streetes and by
the open places, and wil seeke him that my soule loueth: I sought him, but I
found him not.
3 The watchmen that went about the citie, found mee: to whome I said, Haue you
seene him, whome my soule loueth?
4 When I had past a litle from them, then I found him whom my soule loued: I
tooke holde on him and left him not, till I had brought him vnto my mothers
house into the chamber of her that conceiued me.
5 I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, by the roes and by the hindes of the
fielde, that ye stirre not vp, nor waken my loue vntill she please.
6 Who is shee that commeth vp out of the wildernes like pillars of smoke
perfumed with myrrhe and incense, and with all the spices of the marchant?
7 Beholde his bed, which is Salomons: threescore strong men are round about it,
of the valiant men of
Israel
.
8 They all handle the sworde, and are expert in warre, euery one hath his sword
vpon his thigh for the feare by night.
9 King Salomon made himselfe a palace of the trees of
Lebanon
.
10 Hee made the pillars thereof of siluer, and the pauement thereof of gold, the
hangings thereof of purple, whose middes was paued with the loue of the
daughters of Ierusalem.
11 Come forth, ye daughters of
Zion
, and behold the King Salomon with the crowne, wherewith his mother crowned him
in ye day of his mariage, and in the day of the gladnes of his heart.
CHAPTER
4
1 Beholde, thou art faire, my loue: behold, thou art faire: thine eyes are like
the doues: among thy lockes thine heare is like the flocke of goates, which
looke downe from the mountaine of
Gilead
.
2 Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe in good order, which go vp from the
washing: which euery one bring out twinnes, and none is barren among them.
3 Thy lippes are like a threede of scarlet, and thy talke is comely: thy temples
are within thy lockes as a piece of a pomegranate.
4 Thy necke is as the
tower
of
Dauid
builte for defence: a thousand shieldes hang therein, and all the targates of
the strong men.
5 Thy two breastes are as two young roes that are twinnes, feeding among the
lilies.
6 Vntill the day breake, and the shadowes flie away, I wil go into the mountaine
of myrrhe and to the mountaine of incense.
7 Thou art all faire, my loue, and there is no spot in thee.
8 Come with me from
Lebanon
, my spouse, euen with me from
Lebanon
, and looke from the toppe of Amanah, from the toppe of Shenir and Hermon, from
the dennes of the
lyons
, and from the mountaines of the leopards.
9 My sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded mine heart: thou hast wounded mine
heart with one of thine eyes, and with a chaine of thy necke.
10 My sister, my spouse, how faire is thy loue? howe much better is thy loue
then wine? and the sauour of thine oyntments then all spices?
11 Thy lippes, my spouse, droppe as honie combes: honie and milke are vnder thy
tongue, and the sauoure of thy garments is as the sauoure of
Lebanon
.
12 My sister my spouse is as a garden inclosed, as a spring shut vp, and a
fountaine sealed vp.
13 Thy plantes are as an orchard of pomegranates with sweete fruites, as
camphire, spikenarde,
14 Euen spikenarde, and saffran, calamus, and cynamon with all the trees of
incense, myrrhe and aloes, with all the chiefe spices.
15 O fountaine of the gardens, O well of liuing waters, and the springs of
Lebanon
.
16 Arise, O North, and come O South, and blowe on my garden that the spices
thereof may flow out: let my welbeloued come to his garden, and eate his
pleasant fruite.
CHAPTER
5
1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I gathered my myrrhe with my
spice: I ate mine hony combe with mine hony, I dranke my wine with my milke:
eate, O friends, drinke, and make you mery, O welbeloued.
2 I sleepe, but mine heart waketh, it is the voyce of my welbeloued that
knocketh, saying, Open vnto mee, my sister, my loue, my doue, my vndefiled: for
mine head is full of dewe, and my lockes with the droppes of the night.
3 I haue put off my coate, howe shall I put it on? I haue washed my feete, howe
shall I defile them?
4 My welbeloued put in his hand by the hole of the doore, and mine heart was
affectioned toward him.
5 I rose vp to open to my welbeloued, and mine hands did drop downe myrrhe, and
my fingers pure myrrhe vpon the handels of the barre.
6 I opened to my welbeloued: but my welbeloued was gone, and past: mine heart
was gone when hee did speake: I sought him, but I coulde not finde him: I called
him, but hee answered mee not.
7 The watchmen that went about the citie, founde me: they smote me and wounded
me: the watchmen of the walles tooke away my vaile from me.
8 I charge you, O daughters of Ierusalem, if you finde my welbeloued, that you
tell him that I am sicke of loue.
9 O the fairest among women, what is thy welbeloued more then other welbeloued?
what is thy welbeloued more then another louer, that thou doest so charge vs?
10 My welbeloued is white and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand.
11 His head is as fine golde, his lockes curled, and blacke as a rauen.
12 His eyes are like doues vpon the riuers of waters, which are washt with milke,
and remaine by the full vessels.
13 His cheekes are as a bedde of spices, and as sweete flowres, and his lippes
like lilies dropping downe pure myrrhe.
14 His hands as rings of gold set with the chrysolite, his belly like white
yuorie couered with saphirs.
15 His legges are as pillars of marble, set vpon sockets of fine golde: his
countenance as
Lebanon
, excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is as sweete thinges, and hee is wholy delectable: this is my
welbeloued, and this is my louer, O daughters of Ierusalem.
CHAPTER
6
1 O the fairest among women, whither is thy welbeloued gone? whither is thy
welbeloued turned aside, that we may seeke him with thee?
2 My welbeloued is gone downe into his garden to the beds of spices, to feede in
the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my welbeloueds, and my welbeloued is mine, who feedeth among the lilies.
4 Thou art beautifull, my loue, as Tirzah, comely as Ierusale, terrible as an
army with baners.
5 Turne away thine eyes from me: for they ouercome mee: thine heare is like a
flocke of goates, which looke downe from
Gilead
.
6 Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe, which goe vp from the washing, which
euery one bring out twinnes, and none is barren among them.
7 Thy temples are within thy lockes as a piece of a pomegranate.
8 There are threescore Queenes and fourescore concubines & of the damsels
without nober.
9 But my doue is alone, and my vndefiled, she is the onely daughter of her
mother, and shee is deare to her that bare her: the daughters haue seene her
& counted her blessed: euen the Queenes and the concubines, and they haue
praised her.
10 Who is shee that looketh foorth as the morning, fayre as the moone, pure as
the sunne, terrible as an armie with banners!
11 I went downe to the garden of nuttes, to see the fruites of the valley, to
see if the vine budded, and if the pomegranates flourished.
12 I knewe nothing, my soule set me as the charets of my noble people.
13 Returne, returne, O Shulamite, returne: returne that we may behold thee. What
shal you see in the Shulamite, but as the company of an armie?
CHAPTER
7
1 Howe beautifull are thy goings with shooes, O princes daughter! the ioynts of
thy thighs are like iewels: the worke of the hande of a cunning workeman.
2 Thy nauel is as a round cuppe that wanteth not licour: thy belly is as an
heape of wheat compassed about with lilies.
3 Thy two breastes are as two young roes that are twinnes.
4 Thy necke is like a towre of yuorie: thine eyes are like the fishe pooles in
Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the towre of
Lebanon
, that looketh toward
Damascus
.
5 Thine head vpon thee is as skarlet, and the bush of thine head like purple:
the King is tyed in the rafters.
6 Howe faire art thou, and howe pleasant art thou, O my loue, in pleasures!
7 This thy stature is like a palme tree, and thy brestes like clusters.
8 I saide, I will goe vp into the palme tree, I will take holde of her boughes:
thy breastes shall nowe be like the clusters of the vine: and the sauour of thy
nose like apples,
9 And the roufe of thy mouth like good wine, which goeth straight to my
welbeloued, and causeth the lippes of the ancient to speake.
10 I am my welbeloueds, and his desire is toward mee.
11 Come, my welbeloued, let vs go foorth into the fielde: let vs remaine in the
villages.
12 Let vs get vp early to the vines, let vs see if the vine florish, whether it
hath budded the small grape, or whether the pomegranates florish: there will I
giue thee my loue.
13 The mandrakes haue giuen a smell, and in our gates are all sweete things, new
and olde: my welbeloued, I haue kept them for thee.
CHAPTER
8
1 Oh that thou werest as my brother that sucked the brestes of my mother: I
would finde thee without, I would kisse thee, then they should not despise thee.
2 I will leade thee and bring thee into my mothers house: there thou shalt
teache me: and I will cause thee to drinke spiced wine, and newe wine of the
pomegranate.
3 His left hand shalbe vnder mine head, and his right hand shall embrace me.
4 I charge you, O daughters of Ierusale, that you stir not vp, nor waken my loue,
vntil she please.
5 (Who is this that commeth vp out of the wildernesse, leaning vpon her
welbeloued?) I raysed thee vp vnder an apple tree: there thy mother conceiued
thee: there she coceiued that bare thee.
6 Set mee as a seale on thine heart, and as a signet vpo thine arme: for loue is
strong as death: ielousie is cruel as the graue: the coles thereof are fierie
coles, and a vehement flame.
7 Much water can not quench loue, neither can the floods drowne it: If a man
should giue all the substance of his house for loue, they would greatly contemne
it.
8 Wee haue a litle sister, and she hath no breastes: what shall we do for our
sister when she shalbe spoken for?
9 If shee be a wall, we will builde vpon her a siluer palace: and if she be a
doore, we wil keepe her in with bordes of cedar.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are as towres: then was I in his eyes as one that
findeth peace.
11 Salomon had a vine in Baal-hamon: hee gaue the vineyarde vnto keepers: euery
one bringeth for ye fruite thereof a thousand pieces of siluer.
12 But my vineyarde which is mine, is before me: to thee, O Salomon appertaineth
a thousand pieces of siluer, and two hundreth to them that keepe the fruite
thereof.
13 O thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken vnto thy voyce:
cause me to heare it.
14 O my welbeloued, flee away, and be like vnto the roe, or to the yong harte
vpon ye mountaines of spices.
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