Marriage Bed, 1/14
Song of Solomon 1:2-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Banquet
The Shulamite[a]
2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—For your[b] love is better than wine.
3
Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,Your name is ointment poured forth;Therefore the virgins love you.
4
Draw me away!
The Beloved
8
If you do not know, O fairest among women,Follow in the footsteps of the flock,And feed your little goatsBeside the shepherds’ tents.
9
I have compared you, my love,To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10
Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,Your neck with chains of gold.
13
A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,That lies all night between my breasts.
14
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna bloomsIn the vineyards of En Gedi.
The Beloved
15
Behold, you are fair, my love!Behold, you are fair!You have dove’s eyes.
The Shulamite
16
Behold, you are handsome, my beloved!Yes, pleasant!Also our bed is green.
Song of Solomon 2:4-6,10-14
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem
4
He brought me to the banqueting house,And his banner over me was love.
5
Sustain me with cakes of raisins,Refresh me with apples,For I am lovesick.
6
His left hand is under my head,And his right hand embraces me.
10
My beloved spoke, and said to me:“Rise up, my love, my fair one,And come away.
11
For lo, the winter is past,The rain is over and gone.
12
The flowers appear on the earth;The time of singing has come,And the voice of the turtledoveIs heard in our land.
13
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,And the vines with the tender grapesGive a good smell.Rise up, my love, my fair one,And come away!
14
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,In the secret places of the cliff,Let me see your face,Let me hear your voice;For your voice is sweet,And your face is lovely.”
Song of Solomon 3:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)
A Troubled Night
The Shulamite
3
By night on my bed I sought the one I love;I sought him, but I did not find him.
2
“I will rise now,” I said,“And go about the city;In the streets and in the squaresI will seek the one I love.”I sought him, but I did not find him.
3
The watchmen who go about the city found me;I said,“Have you seen the one I love?”
Song of Solomon 4:1-12
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Bridegroom Praises the Bride
The Beloved
4
Behold, you are fair, my love!Behold, you are fair!You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.Your hair is like a flock of goats,Going down from Mount Gilead.
2
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheepWhich have come up from the washing,Every one of which bears twins,And none is barren among them.
3
Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,And your mouth is lovely.Your temples behind your veilAre like a piece of pomegranate.
4
Your neck is like the tower of David,Built for an armory,On which hang a thousand bucklers,All shields of mighty men.
5
Your two breasts are like two fawns,Twins of a gazelle,Which feed among the lilies.
6
Until the day breaksAnd the shadows flee away,I will go my way to the mountain of myrrhAnd to the hill of frankincense.
7
You are all fair, my love,And there is no spot in you.
8
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,With me from Lebanon.Look from the top of Amana,From the top of Senir and Hermon,From the lions’ dens,From the mountains of the leopards.
9
You have ravished my heart,My sister, my spouse;You have ravished my heartWith one look of your eyes,With one link of your necklace.
10
How fair is your love,My sister, my spouse!How much better than wine is your love,And the scent of your perfumesThan all spices!
11
Your lips, O my spouse,Drip as the honeycomb;Honey and milk are under your tongue;And the fragrance of your garmentsIs like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12
A garden enclosedIs my sister, my spouse,A spring shut up,A fountain sealed.
Song of Solomon 6:4-10 New King James Version (NKJV)
Praise of the Shulamite’s Beauty
The Beloved
4
O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,Lovely as Jerusalem,Awesome as an army with banners!
5
Turn your eyes away from me,For they have overcome me.Your hair is like a flock of goatsGoing down from Gilead.
6
Your teeth are like a flock of sheepWhich have come up from the washing;Every one bears twins,And none is barren among them.
7
Like a piece of pomegranateAre your temples behind your veil.
8
There are sixty queensAnd eighty concubines,And virgins without number.
9
My dove, my perfect one,Is the only one,The only one of her mother,The favorite of the one who bore her.The daughters saw herAnd called her blessed,The queens and the concubines,And they praised her.
10
Who is she who looks forth as the morning,Fair as the moon,Clear as the sun,Awesome as an army with banners?
Song of Solomon 7:1-10 New King James Version (NKJV)
Expressions of Praise
The Beloved
7
How beautiful are your feet in sandals,O prince’s daughter!The curves of your thighs are like jewels,The work of the hands of a skillful workman.
2
Your navel is a rounded goblet;It lacks no blended beverage.Your waist is a heap of wheatSet about with lilies.
3
Your two breasts are like two fawns,Twins of a gazelle.
4
Your neck is like an ivory tower,Your eyes like the pools in HeshbonBy the gate of Bath Rabbim.Your nose is like the tower of LebanonWhich looks toward Damascus.
5
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,And the hair of your head is like purple;A king is held captive by your tresses.
6
How fair and how pleasant you are,O love, with your delights!
7
This stature of yours is like a palm tree,And your breasts like its clusters.
8
I said, “I will go up to the palm tree,I will take hold of its branches.”Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine,The fragrance of your breath like apples,
9
And the roof of your mouth like the best wine.
The Shulamite
The wine goes down smoothly for my beloved,Moving gently the lips of sleepers.[a]
10
I am my beloved’s,And his desire is toward me.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Shulamite to Her Beloved
6
Set me as a seal upon your heart,As a seal upon your arm;For love is as strong as death,Jealousy as cruel as the grave;[a]Its flames are flames of fire,A most vehement[b] flame.
7
Many waters cannot quench love,Nor can the floods drown it.If a man would give for loveAll the wealth of his house,It would be utterly despised.
-Steve Pursell, 1/14