Song of Solomon
Chapter 4
The man praises his bride's beauty part by part, using pictures drawn from the land around him: flocks of goats and sheep, fruit, a tower hung with shields, spices and perfume. He calls her to come away with him from the far mountains of Lebanon, and names her a locked garden, a sealed spring, and an orchard of costly spices. The chapter ends with a call for the wind to carry the garden's scent, and an invitation for the beloved to come into his garden and eat its fruit.
Plain reading written for preteens. Clear and complete, at about a fifth grade reading level.
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
1Look at you. You are beautiful, my love. You are beautiful. Behind your veil, your eyes are like doves. Your hair flows down like a flock of goats coming down Mount Gilead.
2Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
2Your teeth are white like sheep just washed and freshly clipped. Each one has its match, and not one is missing.
3Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
3Your lips are like a red ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Behind your veil, your brow is like a slice of pomegranate.
"Temples" in the KJV means the part of the face beside the forehead, not a building.
4Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
4Your neck stands tall like the tower of David, built row upon row. A thousand shields hang on it, all of them the shields of strong soldiers.
5Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
5Your two breasts are like two fawns, twin deer feeding among the lilies.
6Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
6Before the day dawns and the shadows slip away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.
7Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
7You are beautiful through and through, my love. There is no flaw in you.
8Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. Come with me from Lebanon. Come down from the top of Amana, from the peaks of Shenir and Hermon, from the dens of lions and the mountains where leopards live.
9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
9You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride. One look from your eyes, one jewel on your neck, and my heart was yours.
"My sister" was a warm name for a bride in old love songs; it does not mean they are related. "Ravished my heart" means she captured his heart, and carries no sense of force.
10How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
10How lovely is your love, my sister, my bride! Your love is far better than wine, and your perfume smells sweeter than any spice.
11Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
11Your lips drip sweetness like a honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes smell like the forests of Lebanon.
12A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
12My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden, a spring closed off, a fountain sealed shut.
13Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
13What grows in you is an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest fruit, with henna and nard,
The KJV uses old names for perfume plants: "camphire" is henna, "spikenard" is nard, and "calamus" is a sweet-smelling reed. Myrrh, frankincense, and aloes are scented tree saps and gums. All of them were used to make perfume and scented oil.
14Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
14with nard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, and every tree that gives frankincense, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
15You are a spring that waters gardens, a well of fresh running water, streams flowing down from Lebanon.
16Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
16Wake up, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow across my garden and send its sweet smell out. Let the one I love come into his garden and eat its finest fruit.
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