Beautiful dreams

She speaks:

1While in bed at night,

I reached for the one I love

with heart and soul.

I looked for him,

but he wasn't there.

2So I searched through the town

for the one I love.

I looked in every street,

but he wasn't there.

3I even asked the guards

patrolling the town,

“Have you seen the one

I love so much?”

4Straight after that, I found him.

I held him and would not let go

until I had taken him

to the home of my mother.

5Young women of Jerusalem,

promise me by the power

of deer and gazelles,3.5 deer and gazelles: See the note at 2.7.

never to awaken love

before it is ready.

The wedding

The groom and the wedding party

Their friends speak:

6What do we see approaching

from the desert

like a cloud of smoke?

With it comes the sweet smell

of spices, including myrrh

and frankincense.

7It is King Solomon

carried on a throne,

surrounded by sixty

of Israel's best soldiers.

8Each of them wears a sword.

They are experts at fighting,

even in the dark.

9The throne is made of trees

from Lebanon.

10Its posts are silver,

the back is gold,

and the seat is covered

with purple cloth.

You women of Jerusalem

have taken great care

to furnish the inside.3.10 inside: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

11Now come and see the crown

given to Solomon by his mother

on his happy wedding day.