Song of Songs 8

Love Is Strong as Death; Many Waters Cannot Quench It

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8:1Who might make you my kinsman, nursing at my mother’s breasts? Finding you outside, I will kiss you, and indeed they will not despise me.

8:2I will take you, bring you into my mother’s house and into the chamber of the one who conceived me. I will give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranates.

8:3His left hand is beneath my head, and his right hand will embrace me.

8:4I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the strengths of the field: why awaken or stir up love before it wishes?

8:5Who is this coming up, made white, leaning upon her kinsman? Beneath the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother labored with you; there she who bore you labored.

8:6Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy harsh as Hades. Its wings are wings of fire, its flames.

8:7Much water will not be able to quench love, nor will rivers flood it. If a man gave all his livelihood for love, they would utterly despise him.

8:8We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day someone speaks concerning her?

8:9If she is a wall, let us build silver battlements upon her; and if she is a door, let us mark out a cedar plank upon her.

8:10I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. I was in his eyes like one who finds peace.

8:11Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he gave his vineyard to keepers. Each will bring a thousand pieces of silver for its fruit.

8:12My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are yours, Solomon, and the two hundred belong to those who keep its fruit.

8:13You who sit in gardens, companions are attending to your voice; let me hear it.

8:14Flee, my kinsman, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon mountains of spices.

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.