Read the Bible

¹ If only I could treat you like my brother,^[a]
one who nursed at my mother's breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
² I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother^(a) who taught me.^[b]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.
³ His left hand is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.^(b)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.^(c)

⁵ Y Who is this^(d) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?

W I awakened you under the apricot tree.^(e)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
⁶ Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.^(f)
For love is as strong as death;^(g)
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love's flames are fiery flames^(h)—
the fiercest of all.^[c]
7 Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth^[d] for love,⁽ⁱ⁾
it would be utterly scorned.

⁸ B Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.^(j)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
⁹ If she is a wall,
we will build a silver parapet on it.
If she is a door,
we will enclose it with cedar planks.^[e](k)

¹⁰ W I am^[f] a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.^[g]

¹¹ Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.^(l)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.^(m)
Each was to bring for his fruit
1,000 pieces of silver.^(n)
12 I have my own vineyard.^[h](o)
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.

¹³ M You^[i] who dwell in the gardens—
companions^(p) are listening for your voice—
let me hear you!^(q)

¹⁴ W Hurry to me, my love,
and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.^(r)