Wycliffe WYC
King James Version KJV
1 Here beginneth the Song of Songs .
1
The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
2 Kiss he me with the kiss of his mouth. For thy loves be better than wine (For thy love is better than wine) ,
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Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
3 and give odour with best ointments. Thy name is (like) oil shed out; therefore young damsels loved thee. (and thy aroma is equal to the best perfumes. Thy name is like oil poured out; and so the young women, or the maidens, loved thee.)
3
Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
4 Draw thou me after thee; we shall run. The king led me into his cellars; we mindful of thy loves above wine, shall make full out joy, and we shall be glad in thee; rightful men love thee. (Draw thou me after thee; and we shall run away/and we shall run together. The king led me into his chamber; and we thinking more about thy love than about wine, shall rejoice, and we shall be glad for thee; yea, all the upright people love thee.)
4
Draw 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.
5 Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, but fair, as the tabernacles of Kedar, as the skins of Solomon. (Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I am black, and beautiful, like the tents of Kedar, and like Solomon's curtains.)
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I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not ye behold me, that I am black, for the sun hath discoloured me; the sons of my mother fought against me, they set me a keeper in vineries; I kept not my vinery. (Do not ye look down upon me, because I am black, for the sun hath coloured me, that is, it hath tanned me; the sons of my mother fought against me, and they made me the guardian of the vineyards; and so I could not look after my own vineyard.)
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Look 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.
7 Thou spouse, whom my soul loveth, show to me, where thou pasturest, (yea,) where thou restest in midday; lest I begin to wander, after the flocks of thy fellows.
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Tell 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?
8 A! thou fairest among women, if thou knowest not thyself, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy kids, beside the tabernacles of shepherds. (O! thou most beautiful among women, if thou thyself knowest not, go thou out, and go forth after the steps of thy flocks; and feed thy goat kids, beside the shepherds? tents.)
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If 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.
9 My love, I likened thee to mine host of knights in the chariots of Pharaoh. (My love, I would liken thee to Pharaoh's army of chariot drivers.)
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I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.
10 Thy cheeks be fair, as of a turtle; thy neck is as brooches. (Thy cheeks be beautiful, like a turtledove; thy neck is adorned with jewels.)
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Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
11 We shall make to thee golden ornaments, parted and made diverse with silver. (We shall make golden ornaments for thee, set with silver beads.)
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We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
12 When the king was in his resting place, my nard gave his odour. (While the king lieth on his couch, my spikenard gave forth its aroma.)
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While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
13 My darling is a bundle of myrrh to me; he shall dwell betwixt my teats. (My darling is like a bundle of myrrh for me; and he shall rest between my breasts.)
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A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
14 My darling is to me (as) a cluster of cypress tree(s), among the vineries of Engedi. (My darling is like a cluster of cypress trees for me, among the vineyards of Engedi.)
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My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
15 Lo! my love, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thine eyes be the eyes of culvers. (Lo! my love, thou art beautiful; lo! thou art beautiful, thine eyes be like doves.)
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Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.
16 Lo! my darling, thou art fair and shapely; our bed is fair as flowers. (Lo! my darling, thou art beautiful and shapely; the grass and the flowers shall be our bed.)
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Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
17 The beams of our houses be of cedar; our couplings be of cypress. (The beams of our house shall be the cedars; our couplings shall be the cypress trees.)
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The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
The King James Version is in the public domain.