The Skeptics Annotated Bible (523 page)

5
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey
;
I have drunk my wine
with my milk: eat,
O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly,
O beloved.

(5.1a)
“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey.”

(5.1b)
“I have drunk my wine … O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly.”
71 Is it OK to drink alcohol?

2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,
Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled
: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

(5.2)
“Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.”

3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

4
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

(5.4)
“My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.”

5
I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

(5.5)
“I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.”

6
I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself
, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

(5.6)
“I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself.”

7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

(5.15)
“His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.”

16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

(5.16)
“His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend.”

6
Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

(6.6)
“Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.”

7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

(6.8) “There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.”

9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

7
How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

(7.1)
“The joints of thy thighs are like jewels.”

2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.

(7.2) “Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.”

3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.

(7.3)
“Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.”

4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.

(7.4)
“Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.”

5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

(7.6-8a)

6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!

(7.6)
“How pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!”

7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.

(7.7)
“Thy breasts to clusters of grapes.”

8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;

9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

(7.8a)
“Thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine.”

(7.8b)
“The smell of thy nose like apples”

10 I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.

11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.