King James Version KJV
New Living Translation NLT
1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
1
Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty? Which way did he turn so we can help you find him?
2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
2
My lover has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to browse in the gardens and gather the lilies.
3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.
3
I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies.
4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
4
You are beautiful, my darling, like the lovely city of Tirzah. Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem, as majestic as an army with billowing banners.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
5
Turn your eyes away, for they overpower me. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
6
Your teeth are as white as sheep that are freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin.
7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
7
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
8
Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young women,
9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
9
I would still choose my dove, my perfect one— the favorite of her mother, dearly loved by the one who bore her. The young women see her and praise her; even queens and royal concubines sing her praises:
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
10
“Who is this, arising like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as an army with billowing banners?”
11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
11
I went down to the grove of walnut trees and out to the valley to see the new spring growth, to see whether the grapevines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
12
Before I realized it, my strong desires had taken me to the chariot of a noble man.
13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
13
Return, return to us, O maid of Shulam. Come back, come back, that we may see you again. Young Man Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam, as she moves so gracefully between two lines of dancers?
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.