Song of Solomon Chapter 3
Showing all 11 verses for Song of Solomon Chapter 3.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. "
"Night after night on my bed I searched for the one I love with my whole being — I searched, but I could not find him."
It's normal for love to include seasons of searching and even anxious longing, not just settled contentment. Don't mistake a restless, searching season for a sign something's wrong — sometimes it's simply what deep love feels like when the person you love isn't within reach.
"I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. "
"I will get up now and go through the city, through the streets and squares, searching for the one I love with my whole being. I searched, but I could not find him."
When something truly matters to you, get up and go after it — don't just wait for it to arrive. I honour persistence born of love, the willingness to leave your comfort and actively seek what, or who, you deeply care about.
"The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? "
"The watchmen making their rounds of the city found me. I asked them, 'Have you seen the one I love?'"
Don't let pride stop you asking for help when you're searching for something, or someone, that matters. Being willing to say plainly what you're looking for, even to strangers, is often what gets you closer to finding it.
"It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. "
"Barely had I passed them when I found the one I love with my whole being. I held onto him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, into the room where she conceived me."
When you find what you've genuinely been searching for, hold on to it — don't let go out of fear of seeming too attached. Real commitment sometimes looks exactly like refusing to release someone once you've found them, and building that bond into something lasting.
"I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. "
"I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer of the field: do not stir up or awaken love before it is ready."
Some truths are worth repeating until they sink in — I say things more than once because you need to actually live them, not just hear them once. Let this be one you return to: don't rush love, yours or anyone else's, ahead of its proper season.
"Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? "
"Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense and every fragrant powder a merchant sells?"
Some occasions deserve to be marked with real ceremony and beauty — don't be embarrassed to celebrate a genuinely important commitment with visible joy and even extravagance. Marking love publicly, richly, and without restraint has its place.
"Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. "
"Look — it is Solomon's own carriage, with sixty of Israel's finest soldiers surrounding it."
The people and commitments you value most deserve real protection and care, not casual treatment. If something — or someone — genuinely matters to you, be willing to guard it seriously, not just hope things work out.
"They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. "
"They are all skilled swordsmen, trained for battle, each with his sword at his side, ready for danger in the night."
Vigilance and readiness aren't the opposite of love — sometimes protecting something precious means being genuinely prepared, not just hopeful. Take real, practical care of the relationships and commitments that matter most to you.
"King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. "
"King Solomon made himself a carriage from the wood of Lebanon."
Give the best of what you have to the commitments and celebrations that matter most — don't settle for the cheapest or the least effort on the things you claim to value. What you're willing to invest says something true about what you actually treasure.
"He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. "
"He made its posts of silver, its base of gold, its seat covered in purple, its interior inlaid with love, a gift from the daughters of Jerusalem."
No amount of costly material substitutes for love actually being present at the centre of something. However much you're able to spend on a celebration or a gift, make sure what genuinely fills it is real affection and care, not just expense for its own sake.
"Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. "
"Come out, daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown his mother placed on him on his wedding day — the day his heart was full of gladness."
When real joy arrives — a wedding, a long-awaited commitment fulfilled — let it be full and unguarded, and let others come and witness it with you. I don't want you to downplay your happiest days for fear of seeming too much; gladness like this deserves an audience, not a shrug.