Chapter 1
1 This is King Solomon’s most beautiful song.
2 Kiss me on my lips , because your love for me is more delightful than wine.
3 The fragrance of the cologne on your skin is very sweet/pleasing [CHI]. And your reputation is very good and spreads, like [SIM] the fragrance of the special oil spread on your skin. That is why the other young women are attracted to you.
4 Take me quickly; take me to your home. It is as though you are my king; take me into your room. We are very happy [DOU] about you; we say that your love for each other is better than wine. It is not surprising that the other young women adore you.
5 You women of Jerusalem, I am dark but beautiful; my dark skin is like [SIM] the tents in Kedar, or like the beautiful curtains in Solomon’s palace.
6 But do not stare at me because of the sun having caused my skin to become dark; my brothers were angry with me, so they forced me to work out in the sunshine in the vineyards, so I was not able to take good care of my body/skin [CHI, MET].
7 You whom I [SYN] love, where will you take your flock of sheep today? Where will you allow them to rest at noontime? I want to know because it is not right [RHQ] for me to wander around like a prostitute looking for you among the flocks that belong to your friends.
8 You who are the most beautiful of all the women, if you search for me and do not know where I will take my sheep , follow the tracks/footprints of the sheep. Then allow your young goats to ◄graze/eat grass► near the shepherds’ tents.
9 You are beautiful , my darling, like the young female horse that pulls the chariot of the king of Egypt.
10 Your cheeks are decorated with jewelry, and there are strings of beads/pearls around your neck.
11 We will make for you some gold earrings that are decorated/inlaid with silver.
12 While the king was on his couch, the smell of my perfume spread around the room .
13 The man who loves me is as delightful as [MET] a ◄sachet/small cloth bag► of myrrh between my breasts.
14 He is like [MET] a bunch of flowers from the vineyards at En-Gedi.
15 You whom I love, you are beautiful; you are very beautiful! Your eyes are as delightful/charming as doves.
16 You who love me, you are very delightful/handsome, you are wonderful! This green grass will be like a couch where we lie down .
17 Branches of cedar trees will shade us; it is as though branches of juniper/pine trees will be like [MET] a roof over our heads .