Song of Songs 6

Young Women

1 Where has your love gone,

most beautiful of women?

Which way has he  * 6:1 Lit your love  turned?

We will seek him with you.

Woman

2 My love has gone down to his garden,  * 6:2 Sg 4:16; 5:1

to beds of spice,  * 6:2 Sg 5:13

to feed in the gardens  * 6:2 Sg 1:7

and gather lilies.  * 6:2 Sg 2:1

3 I am my love’s and my love is mine;  * 6:3 Sg 2:16; 7:10; 8:6

he feeds among the lilies.

Man

4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,

lovely as Jerusalem,

awe-inspiring as an army with banners.  * 6:4 Nm 2:2–3; Sg 6:10

5 Turn your eyes away from me,

for they captivate me.  * 6:5 Sg 4:9

Your hair is like a flock of goats

streaming down from Gilead.  * 6:5 Sg 4:1

6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

coming up from washing,

each one having a twin,

and not one missing.  * 6:6 Lit and no one bereaved among them,* 6:6 Sg 4:2

7 Behind your veil,  * 6:7 Sg 4:3

your brow  * 6:7 Or temple, or cheek, or lips is like a slice of pomegranate.

8 There are sixty queens

and eighty concubines  * 6:8 1Kg 11:3

and young women  * 6:8 Or and virgins; Sg 1:3 without number.

9 But my dove,  * 6:9 Sg 2:14; 5:2 my virtuous one, is unique;  * 6:9 Pr 31:29

she is the favorite of her mother,

perfect to the one who gave her birth.

Women see her and declare her fortunate;  * 6:9 Gn 30:13

queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises:

10 Who is this  * 6:10 Sg 3:6; 8:5 who shines like the dawn,

as beautiful as the moon,

bright as the sun,

awe-inspiring as an army with banners?  * 6:10 Sg 6:4

Woman

11 I came down to the walnut grove

to see the blossoms of the valley,

to see if the vines were budding  * 6:11 Sg 7:12

and the pomegranates blooming.

12 I didn’t know what was happening to me.

I felt like I was

in a chariot with a nobleman.  * 6:12 Hb obscure

Young Women

13 Come back, come back, Shulammite!  * 6:13 Or the perfect one, or the peaceable one

Come back, come back, that we may look at you!

Man

How you gaze at the Shulammite,

as you look at the dance  * 6:13 Jdg 21:21 of the two camps!  * 6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim,* 6:13 Gn 32:2; 2Sm 17:24