Song of Solomon Chapter 5
Showing all 16 verses for Song of Solomon Chapter 5.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh and spice, eaten my honeycomb and honey, drunk my wine and milk. [To others:] Eat, friends, and drink - drink deeply, loved ones."
Celebrate your commitments openly - don't be ashamed of the good, faithful love you've built with someone. I rejoice with people who rejoice; healthy love between two people is something worth celebrating, not something to apologise for.
"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. "
"I was asleep, but my heart stayed alert. I heard my beloved knocking, saying, 'Let me in, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one - my head is soaked with dew, my hair with the damp of the night.'"
Stay alert to the people who love you, even when life makes you drowsy or distracted. Love that shows up at inconvenient times, travelling through difficulty to reach you, deserves to be noticed and answered.
"I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? "
"I said, 'I've already taken off my clothes for the night - must I dress again? I've washed my feet - must I get them dirty again?'"
Don't let comfort or convenience be the reason you miss someone who's reaching out for you. I know it's easier to stay settled than to get up and answer love when it knocks - but hesitation has a cost, and the people who matter are worth the small effort of getting up.
"My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. "
"My beloved reached his hand through the opening in the door, and my heart stirred deeply for him."
Keep reaching for the people you love, even when they're slow to respond - persistence born of love, not pressure, is often what finally reaches someone's heart.
"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. "
"I got up to open the door for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, onto the handles of the lock."
Even a late response to love still matters and still leaves something behind - don't let past delay convince you it's not worth answering now. It's never too late to reach towards someone, even if the ideal moment has already passed.
"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. "
"I opened the door for my beloved, but he had already turned and gone. My heart sank when he left. I searched for him but couldn't find him; I called out but he didn't answer."
Don't be afraid of the ache of missing someone or the fear of losing them - it's part of loving someone deeply, and it doesn't mean the love is broken. Keep seeking, keep calling out; love worth having is worth the search.
"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. "
"The watchmen patrolling the city found me as I searched; they struck me and wounded me. The guards on the walls tore my veil away from me."
Loving someone deeply can leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable to a world that doesn't understand what you're going through - I see that cost, and it's not something to be ashamed of. Vulnerability in pursuing real love is never wasted, even when it hurts.
"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. "
"I charge you, young women of Jerusalem - if you find my beloved, tell him I am faint with love for him."
You don't have to carry longing alone - it's alright to ask others to help you reach the person you love. Being open about how much someone means to you is a strength, not a weakness.
"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? "
"What makes your beloved better than any other, most beautiful of women? What makes him so special that you'd ask this of us?"
Ask people about who they love, and really listen to the answer - it's one of the most honouring questions you can ask someone. Being asked to describe what makes someone dear to you is an invitation, not an interrogation.
"My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. "
"My beloved is radiant and glowing with health, outstanding among ten thousand others."
Love should go both ways - don't just receive admiration, give it back generously. The healthiest relationships are the ones where both people delight in each other equally, not where affection only flows one direction.
"His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. "
"His head is like the finest gold; his hair is thick and wavy, black as a raven."
Admiration and desire aren't one person's job in a relationship - both people get to look, delight, and speak up. I want love between people to be mutual and equally expressed, not lopsided.
"His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. "
"His eyes are like doves beside flowing streams, washed clean in milk, perfectly set."
Notice how the language of love you share with someone becomes its own private world, built over time - cherish and keep using it.
"His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. "
"His cheeks are like a garden bed of spices, like sweet-scented flowers; his lips are like lilies, dripping with sweet myrrh."
In love that's healthy, both people should feel equally treasured and equally free to say so. Don't let one partner do all the admiring while the other stays silent - speak up about what delights you in the person you love.
"His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. "
"His hands are like rounded gold set with jewels; his body is like polished ivory inlaid with sapphires."
Let yourself value a person you love as more precious than any possession you could own. Genuine love treasures people, not things - and it's alright to say so plainly.
"His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. "
"His legs are like pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold; his whole presence is like Lebanon, majestic as its cedar trees."
When you love someone, let your admiration take in their whole presence - the way they carry themselves, the stability they offer - not just isolated features. That kind of seeing is where lasting attraction lives.
"His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. "
"His mouth is sweetness itself; everything about him is lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem."
The strongest relationships combine desire with real friendship - want the whole package, not just one or the other. I call the people I love my friends, and I want that for you too: love that likes the person, not just longs for them.