| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1The song of songs, which is Solomon's. | 1Solomon's Song of Songs. |
| 2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. | 2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth-- for your love is more delightful than wine. |
| 3Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. | 3Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! |
| 4Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. | 4Take me away with you--let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. Friends We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. She How right they are to adore you! |
| 5I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. | 5Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. |
| 6Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. | 6Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect. |
| 7Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? | 7Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends? |
| 8If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. | 8If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds. |
| 9I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. | 9I liken you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariot horses. |
| 10Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. | 10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. |
| 11We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. | 11We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver. |
| 12While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. | 12While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance. |
| 13A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. | 13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. |
| 14My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. | 14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. |
| 15Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes. | 15How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. |
| 16Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. | 16How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. |
| 17The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. | 17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs. |
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