The Bride’s Admiration The Bride The Bridegroom 2Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens. The Bride 3Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4He has brought me to the house of wine,b and his banner over me is love. 5Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, 6His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. 7O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love 8Listen! My beloved approaches. Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, 9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, 10My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one. 11For now the winter is past; 12The flowers have appeared in the countryside; the season of singingc has come, and the cooing of turtledoves 13The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.” The Bridegroom 14O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely. The Friends 15Catch for us the foxes— the little foxes that ruin the vineyards— for our vineyards are in bloom. The Bride 16My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies. 17Before the day breaks and shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.d Footnotes: 1 a Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Israel 4 b That is, the banquet hall 12 c Or pruning 17 d Or the rugged mountains The Berean Bible (www.Berean.Bible) Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Free downloads and licensing available. See also the Berean Literal Bible and Berean Interlinear Bible. OpenBible.com |