New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Which way has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
1
Where is your loved one gone, O most fair among women? Where is your loved one turned away, that we may go looking for him with you?
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
2
My loved one is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to take food in the gardens, and to get lilies.
3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
3
I am for my loved one, and my loved one is for me; he takes food among the lilies.
4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
4
You are beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, as fair as Jerusalem; you are to be feared like an army with flags.
5 Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me! Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead.
5
Let your eyes be turned away from me; see, they have overcome me; your hair is as a flock of goats which take their rest on the side of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins, and not one among them is bereaved.
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Your teeth are like a flock of sheep which come up from the washing; every one has two lambs, and there is not one without young.
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.
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Like pomegranate fruit are the sides of your head under your veil.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.
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There are sixty queens, and eighty servant-wives, and young girls without number.
9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the darling of her mother, flawless to her that bore her. The maidens saw her and called her happy; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.
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My dove, my very beautiful one, is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the dearest one of her who gave her birth. The daughters saw her, and gave her a blessing; yes, the queens and the servant-wives, and they gave her praises.
10 "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?"
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Who is she, looking down as the morning light, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, who is to be feared like an army with flags?
11 I went down to the nut orchard, to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
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I went down into the garden of nuts to see the green plants of the valley, and to see if the vine was in bud, and the pomegranate-trees were in flower.
12 Before I was aware, my fancy set me in a chariot beside my prince.
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Before I was conscious of it, ...
13 Return, return, O Shulammite! Return, return, that we may look upon you. Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies?
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Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, so that our eyes may see you. What will you see in the Shulammite? A sword-dance.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.