Song of Solomon Chapter 1

4 Draw me, we will run after thee! — The king hath brought me into his chambers — We will be glad and rejoice in thee, We will remember thy love more than wine. They love thee uprightly.

5 I am black, but comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.

6 Look not upon me, because I am black; Because the sun hath looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me: They made me keeper of the vineyards; Mine own vineyard have I not kept.

7 Tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest it to rest at noon; For why should I be as one veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?

8 If thou know not, thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' booths.

9 I compare thee, my love, To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.

10 Thy cheeks are comely with bead-rows, Thy neck with ornamental chains.

11 We will make thee bead-rows of gold With studs of silver.

12 While the king is at his table, My spikenard sendeth forth its fragrance.

13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; He shall pass the night between my breasts.

14 My beloved is unto me a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of Engedi.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; Behold, thou art fair: thine eyes are doves.

16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our bed is green.

17 The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are cypresses.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 The Song of songs, which is Solomon's.

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine.

3 And the smell of thine ointments is better than all spices: thy name is ointment poured forth; therefore do the young maidens love thee.

4 They have drawn thee: we will run after thee, for the smell of thine ointments: the king has brought me into his closet: let us rejoice and be glad in thee; we will love thy breasts more than wine: righteousness loves thee.

5 I am black, but beautiful, ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

6 Look not upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has looked unfavourably upon me: my mother's sons strove with me; they made me keeper in the vineyards; I have not kept my own vineyard.

7 Tell me, [thou] whom my soul loves, where thou tendest thy flock, where thou causest [them] to rest at noon, lest I become as one that is veiled by the flocks of thy companions.

8 If thou know not thyself, thou fair one among women, go thou forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids by the shepherds' tents.

9 I have likened thee, my companion, to my horses in the chariots of Pharao.

10 How are thy cheeks beautiful as [those] of a dove, thy neck as chains!

11 We will make thee figures of gold with studs of silver.

12 So long as the king was at table, my spikenard gave forth its smell.

13 My kinsman is to me a bundle of myrrh; he shall lie between my breasts.

14 My kinsman is to me a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of Engaddi.

15 Behold, thou art fair, my companion; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are doves.

16 Behold, thou art fair, my kinsman, yea, beautiful, overshadowing our bed.

17 The beams of our house are cedars, our ceilings are of cypress.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Osculetur me osculo oris sui: quia meliora sunt ubera tua vino,

2 fragrantia unguentis optimis. Oleum effusum nomen tuum: ideo adolescentulæ dilexerunt te.

3 Trahe me: post te curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum. Introduxit me rex in cellaria sua: exultabimus et lætabimur in te, memores uberum tuorum super vinum: recti diligunt te.

4 Nigra sum, sed formosa, filiæ Ierusalem, sicut tabernacula Cedar, sicut pelles Salomonis.

5 Nolite me considerare quod fusca sim, quia decoloravit me sol: filii matris meæ pugnaverunt contra me, posuerunt me custodem in vineis: vineam meam non custodivi.

6 Indica mihi, quem diligit anima mea, ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie, ne vagari incipiam post greges sodalium tuorum.

7 Si ignoras te o pulcherrima inter mulieres, egredere, et abi post vestigia gregum, et pasce hœdos tuos iuxta tabernacula pastorum.

8 Equitatui meo in curribus Pharaonis assimilavi te amica mea.

9 Pulchræ sunt genæ tuæ sicut turturis: collum tuum sicut monilia.

10 Murenulas aureas faciemus tibi, vermiculatas argento.

11 Dum esset rex in accubitu suo, nardus mea dedit odorem suum.

12 Fasciculus myrrhæ dilectus meus mihi, inter ubera mea commorabitur.

13 Botrus cypri dilectus meus mihi, in vineis Engaddi.

14 Ecce tu pulchra es amica mea, ecce tu pulchra es, oculi tui columbarum.

15 Ecce tu pulcher es dilecte mi, et decorus. Lectulus noster floridus:

16 tigna domorum nostrarum cedrina, laquearia nostra cypressina.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.

3 Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is oil poured out, therefore the virgins love you.

4 Take me away with you. Let’s hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. Friends We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! Beloved They are right to love you.

5 I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar’s tents, like Solomon’s curtains.

6 Don’t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven’t kept my own vineyard.

7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; for why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of your companions?

8 If you don’t know, most beautiful among women, follow the tracks of the sheep. Graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.

9 I have compared you, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.

10 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.

11 We will make you earrings of gold, with studs of silver.

12 While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts.

14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves.

16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, yes, pleasant; and our couch is verdant.

17 The beams of our house are cedars. Our rafters are firs.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 The Song of Songs, that <FI>is<Fi> Solomon's.

2 Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better <FI>are<Fi> thy loves than wine.

3 For fragrance <FI>are<Fi> thy perfumes good. Perfume emptied out--thy name, Therefore have virgins loved thee!

4 Draw me: after thee we run, The king hath brought me into his inner chambers, We do joy and rejoice in thee, We mention thy loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved thee!

5 Dark <FI>am<Fi> I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.

6 Fear me not, because I <FI>am<Fi> very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard--my own--I have not kept.

7 Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?

8 If thou knowest not, O fair among women, Get thee forth by the traces of the flock, And feed thy kids by the shepherds' dwellings!

9 To my joyous one in chariots of Pharaoh, I have compared thee, my friend,

10 Comely have been thy cheeks with garlands, Thy neck with chains.

11 Garlands of gold we do make for thee, With studs of silver!

12 While the king <FI>is<Fi> in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.

13 A bundle of myrrh <FI>is<Fi> my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.

14 A cluster of cypress <FI>is<Fi> my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

15 Lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> fair, my friend, Lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> fair, thine eyes <FI>are<Fi> doves!

16 Lo, thou <FI>art<Fi> fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch <FI>is<Fi> green,

17 The beams of our houses <FI>are<Fi> cedars, Our rafters <FI>are<Fi> firs, I <FI>am<Fi> a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).