| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. | 1M I have come to my garden--my sister, my bride. I gather my myrrh with my spices. I eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk. N Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love! W |
| 2I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. | 2I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My love is knocking! M Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew, my hair with droplets of the night. W |
| 3I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? | 3I have taken off my clothing. How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty? |
| 4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. | 4My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him. |
| 5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. | 5I rose to open for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. |
| 6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. | 6I opened to my love, but my love had turned and gone away. I was crushed that he had left. I sought him, but did not find him. I called him, but he did not answer. |
| 7The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. | 7The guards who go about the city found me. They beat and wounded me; they took my cloak from me-- the guardians of the walls. |
| 8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. | 8Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you: if you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick. Y |
| 9What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? | 9What makes the one you love better than another, most beautiful of women? What makes him better than another, that you would give us this charge? W |
| 10My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. | 10My love is fit and strong, notable among ten thousand. |
| 11His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. | 11His head is purest gold. His hair is wavy and black as a raven. |
| 12His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. | 12His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, washed in milk and set like jewels. |
| 13His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. | 13His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh. |
| 14His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. | 14His arms are rods of gold set with topaz. His body is an ivory panel covered with sapphires. |
| 15His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. | 15His legs are alabaster pillars set on pedestals of pure gold. His presence is like Lebanon, as majestic as the cedars. |
| 16His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. | 16His mouth is sweetness. He is absolutely desirable. This is my love, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem. |
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