Song of Solomon 2

2:1   I am a rose¹ of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

He

2   As a lily among brambles,
    so is my love among the young women.

She

3   As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
    so is my beloved among the young men.
  With great delight I sat in his shadow,
    and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4   He brought me to the banqueting house,²
    and his banner over me was love.
5   Sustain me with raisins;
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am sick with love.
6   His left hand is under my head,
    and his right hand embraces me!
7   I adjure you,³ O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the does of the field,
  that you not stir up or awaken love
    until it pleases.

The Bride Adores Her Beloved

8   The voice of my beloved!
    Behold, he comes,
  leaping over the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
9   My beloved is like a gazelle
    or a young stag.
  Behold, there he stands
    behind our wall,
  gazing through the windows,
    looking through the lattice.
10   My beloved speaks and says to me:
  “Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away,
11   for behold, the winter is past;
    the rain is over and gone.
12   The flowers appear on the earth,
    the time of singing⁴ has come,
  and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.
13   The fig tree ripens its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
  Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away.
14   O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    in the crannies of the cliff,
  let me see your face,
    let me hear your voice,
  for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.
15   Catch the foxes⁵ for us,
    the little foxes
  that spoil the vineyards,
    for our vineyards are in blossom.”
16   My beloved is mine, and I am his;
    he grazes⁶ among the lilies.
17   Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
  turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
    or a young stag on cleft mountains.⁷

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus
[2] 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
[3] 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
[4] 2:12 Or pruning
[5] 2:15 Or jackals
[6] 2:16 Or he pastures his flock
[7] 2:17 Or mountains of Bether

(ESV)