4
No sooner had I left them than I found him, found my dear lost love. I threw my arms around him and held him tight, wouldn't let him go until I had him home again, safe at home beside the fire.
5
Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe - and you're ready.
6
What's this I see, approaching from the desert, raising clouds of dust, Filling the air with sweet smells and pungent aromatics?
7
Look! It's Solomon's carriage, carried and guarded by sixty soldiers, sixty of Israel's finest,
8
All of them armed to the teeth, trained for battle, ready for anything, anytime.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.