The Bride Confesses Her Love
(Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Peter 3:1–7)
1This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.
The Bride
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.
3The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.
4Take me away with you—let us hurry!
May the king bring me to his chambers.
The Friends
We will rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
The Bride
It is only right that they adore you.
5I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
6Do not stare because I am dark,
for the sun has gazed upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me a keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have neglected.
7Tell me, O one I love,
where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest them at midday?
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your companions?
The Friends
8If you do not know, O fairest of women,
follow the tracks of the flock,
and graze your young goats
near the tents of the shepherds.
The Bridegroom
9I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
The Friends
11We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with beads of silver.
The Bride
12While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
13My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
The Bridegroom
15How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.
The Bride
16How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how delightful!
The soft grass is our bed.
The Bridegroom
17The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are fragrant firs.