| New Living Translation | New International Version |
| 1I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk. Young Women of Jerusalem Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love! Young Woman | 1I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Friends Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love. |
| 2I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: “Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.” | 2I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: "Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night." |
| 3But I responded, “I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?” | 3I have taken off my robe-- must I put it on again? I have washed my feet-- must I soil them again? |
| 4My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me. | 4My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. |
| 5I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. | 5I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. |
| 6I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. | 6I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer. |
| 7The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls. | 7The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls! |
| 8Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem— If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love. Young Women of Jerusalem | 8Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you-- if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love. |
| 9Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this? Young Woman | 9How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you so charge us? |
| 10My lover is dark and dazzling, better than ten thousand others! | 10My beloved is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand. |
| 11His head is finest gold, his wavy hair is black as a raven. | 11His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven. |
| 12His eyes sparkle like doves beside springs of water; they are set like jewels washed in milk. | 12His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels. |
| 13His cheeks are like gardens of spices giving off fragrance. His lips are like lilies, perfumed with myrrh. | 13His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh. |
| 14His arms are like rounded bars of gold, set with beryl. His body is like bright ivory, glowing with lapis lazuli. | 14His arms are rods of gold set with topaz. His body is like polished ivory decorated with lapis lazuli. |
| 15His legs are like marble pillars set in sockets of finest gold. His posture is stately, like the noble cedars of Lebanon. | 15His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars. |
| 16His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend. | 16His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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