Song of Solomon 8:1-14
8 * If only you were the same as a brother of mine,one that had sucked my mother’s breasts!Finding you in the street, I would kiss you;they would not despise me either.
2 ** I would lead you, would bring you to my mother’s house,to the chamber of her who gave me birth.I would give you a drink of perfumed wine,of my pomegranate-wine.
3 * His left arm clasps my headand his right embraces me.
4 I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem,why should you wake love or rouse it uptill it so please?
5 * Who is this coming up from the wildernessleaning on her truelove?Under the apple-tree I waked you up;it was there your mother bore the birth-pains for you,there she bore the birth-pains, brought you to birth.
6 ** Lay me like a seal over your heart,like a seal on your arm;For love is violent as death,jealousy hard as the grave;Its flashes are flashes of fire,Jehovah’s flame-throwing.
7 * Much water cannot quench love,and rivers will not sweep it away;If a man were to give all the goods in his house for lovethey would just despise him.
8 “We have a little sister and she has no breasts;what shall we do for our sister on the day when she is to be spoken for?
9 If she is a wall we will build silver battlements on her,but if she is a door we will board her up with cedar planks.”
10 I am a wall and my breasts are like the towers;then I was in his eyes like one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon;he gave the vineyard to keepers,each to bring in a thousand shekels of silver.
12 I have my own vineyard before me;the thousand for you, Solomon,and two hundred for those who keep its fruit safe!
13 ** You that are sitting in the garden,comrades are listening for your voice;let me hear it.
14 —Off with you, truelove,and do like a gazelleOr a young deeron the spice mountains.
Footnotes
^ 8:1 Var. were a brother
^ 8:2 Conj. that either would lead you or would bring you does not belong here
^ 8:2 Var. (instead of to the chamber of her who gave me birth) you (or she) would be teaching me
^ 8:3 Codd.* goes under my head
^ 8:5 Var.* she who brought you to birth endured her birth-pains
^ 8:6 Or Set me like a print over your heart, like a print (that is, a tattoo)
^ 8:6 Or strong as death
^ 8:7 Or despise them Conj. would they despise him?
^ 8:13 Conj. my comrades
^ 8:13 Conj. let us
