Shir haShirim (Song of Songs) 8

¹Who would make you a brother to me, Who nursed at my mother’s breasts! Should I find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised.

²I would lead you, I would bring you into the house of my mother, She who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

³His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.

⁴I have put you under oath, O daughters of Yerushalayim, Do not stir up or awake love until it pleases.

⁵Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labour with you; There she was in labour, gave birth to you.

⁶Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as She’ol; Its flames are flames of fire, a flame of Yah!

⁷Many waters are unable to extinguish love, And floods do not wash it away. If one would give all the wealth of his house for love, It would be utterly scorned.

⁸We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What do we do for our sister in the day when she is spoken for?

⁹If she is a wall, we build upon her a battlement of silver. And if she is a door, we would enclose her with boards of cedar.

¹⁰I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; So I became in his eyes as one who found peace.

¹¹Shelomoh had a vineyard in Ba‛al Hamon; He let out the vineyard to keepers; Each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.

¹²My own vineyard is before me. O Shelomoh, a thousand belongs to you, And two hundred to those who keep its fruit.

¹³You who sit in the gardens, The companions listen for your voice; Let me hear it!

¹⁴Hurry, my beloved, And be like a gazelle or a young stag On the mountains of spices.