1 While in bed at night,

I reached for the one I love

with heart and soul.

I looked for him,

but he wasn't there.

2 So I searched through the town

for the one I love.

I looked on every street,

but he wasn't there.

3 I even asked the guards

patrolling the town,

"Have you seen the one

I love so much?"

4 Right after that, I found him.

I held him and would not let go

until I had taken him

to the home of my mother.

5 Young women of Jerusalem,

promise me by the power

of deer and gazelles,*

never to awaken love

before it is ready.

6 What do we see approaching

from the desert

like a cloud of smoke?

With it comes the sweet smell

of spices, including myrrh

and frankincense.

7 It is King Solomon

carried on a throne,

surrounded by sixty

of Israel's best soldiers.

8 Each of them wears a sword.

They are experts at fighting,

even in the dark.

9 The throne is made of trees

from Lebanon.

10 Its posts are silver,

the back is gold,

and the seat is covered

with purple cloth.

You women of Jerusalem

have taken great care

to furnish the inside.*

11 Now come and see the crown

given to Solomon by his mother

on his happy wedding day.