Song of Solomon 6

Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

1The other women asked her, "Where did the man you love go, most beautiful woman? Which way did he turn? We will help you look for him."

2My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

2She said, "He went down to his garden, where the sweet-smelling plants grow. He is letting his sheep eat there, and he is picking lilies."

3I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

3"I belong to the one I love, and he belongs to me. He feeds his sheep among the lilies."

4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

4The man said, "You are as lovely as the city Tirzah, my dear. You are as pretty as the city Jerusalem. You are as grand as an army marching with flags."

NoteIn 1611 English, "terrible" meant grand and awesome, the way a big parade fills you with wonder. It did not mean scary or bad.

5Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

5"Please look away from me. Your eyes are too much for me. Your hair flows down like a flock of goats coming down the hills of Gilead."

6Thy 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 white like sheep just washed in water. They match, two by two, and not one is missing."

7As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

7"Behind your veil, your face glows pink, like a slice of a pomegranate."

8There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

8"A king may have sixty queens and eighty other wives. He may have more young women than anyone can count."

NoteLong ago, a king often had one main wife and other wives too. These other wives had a lower place in the family. The verse is saying the king knew many women, but the man in this poem loves only one.

9My 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"But my dove, my perfect one, is the only one for me. She is her mother's special girl, the one her mother loves most. The young women see her and say she is blessed. Even the queens and the other wives say good things about her."

10Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

10The people asked, "Who is this woman? She shines like the sunrise. She is fair like the moon and bright like the sun. She is as grand as an army marching with flags."

11I 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 nut trees. I wanted to see the new green plants in the valley. I wanted to see if the grapevines and pomegranate trees had buds."

12Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

12"Before I knew what was happening, my longing carried me away. I felt like I was riding among the king's chariots."

13Return, 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.

13The people called, "Come back, come back, Shulamite! Come back so we can look at you." Someone asked, "Why do you want to look at the Shulamite?" The answer came: "To watch her dance, like two lines of dancers facing each other."

Note"Shulamite" is the name people call the young woman in this poem. The old wording says "the company of two armies." The Hebrew points to a special dance, where two groups face each other, like two camps.