7If thou be righteous, what givest thou Him?
Or what receiveth He of thy hand?
8Thy wickedness concerneth a man as thou art; And thy righteousness a son of man.
9By reason of the multitude of op- pressions they cry out; They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty. 10But none saith: 'Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night; nWho teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?', 12There they cry, but none giveth answer, Because of the pride of evil men.. 13Surely God will not hear vanity, ^ Neither will the Almighty regard it "Yea, when thou sayest thou canst not see Him — The cause is before Him; therefore wait thou for Him. "And now, is it for nought that He punished in His anger? And hath He not full knowledge of arrogance? 16But Job doth open his mouth in vanity: He multiplieth words without knowledge.
JOB Of* Elihu also proceeded, and said: OVI "Suffer me a little, and I will tell tb.ee; For there are yet words on God's behalf.
3I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4Por truly my words are not false; One that is upright in mind is with thee.
5Behold, God is mighty, yet He despiseth not any; He is mighty in strength of under- standing.
6He preserveth not the life of the wicked; But giveth to the poor their right.
7He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; But with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.
8And if they be bound in fetters, And be holden in cords of affliction; ^hen He declareth unto them their work, And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly. 10He openeth also their ear to dis- cipline, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. ulf they hearken and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. 12But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowl- edge. *aBut they that are godless in heart lay up anger; nlf^ey cry not for help when He bindeth them. "Their soul perisheth in youth, And their life as that of the d praved. 18He deliyereth the afflicted by H affliction, And openeth their ear by tribulf tion. 16Yea, He hath allured thee out < Into a broad place, where there no strai-tness; And that which is set on thy tab is full of fatness; 17And thou art full of the judgmei of the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold o them. 18For beware of wrath, lest thou I led away by thy sufficiency; Neither let the greatness of th ransom turn thee aside. 19Will thy riches avail, that ai without stint, Or all the forces of thy strength? 20Desire not the night, When peoples are cut off in thci place.
21Take heed, regard not iniquity; For this hast thou chosen ratht than affliction.
^Behold, God doeth loftily in H] power; Who is a teacher like unto Him? ^Who hath enjoined Him His way Or who hath said: 'Thou hat wrought unrighteousness'? 24Remember that thou magnify Hi work, Whereof men have sung. 28A11 men have looked thereon; Man beholdeth it afar off. 26Behold, God is great, beyond ou knowledge; The number of His years is uu searchable.
27For He draweth away the drops o water, JOB Which distil rain from His vapour; 28Which the skies pour down And drop upon the multitudes of inen.
29Yea, can any understand the spread- ings of the clouds, The crashings of His pavilion? 30Behold, He spreadeth His light upon it; And He covereth the depths of the sea. 31For by these He judgeth the peoples; He giveth food in abundance. ^He covereth His hands with the And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.
33The noise thereof telleth concern- ing it, The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.
Q y At this also my heart trembleth, And is moved out of its place.
2Hear attentively the noise of His voice, And the sound that goeth out of His mouth. 3He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, And His lightning unto the ends of the' earth.
4After it a voice rpareth; He thundereth with the voice of His majesty; And He stayeth them not when His voice is heard. Kjod thundereth marvellously with His voice; Great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend. 6For He saith to the snow: 'Fall thou on the earth7; Likewise to the shower of rain, And to the showers of His mighty rair*. / 7Hesealethup the hand of everyman, That all men whom He hath made may know it.
8Then the beasts go into coverts, And remain in their dens. 90ut of the Chamber cometh the storm; And cold out of the north. 10By the breath of God ice is given, And the breadth of the waters is straitened. nYea, He ladeth the thick cloud with moisture, He spreadeth abroad the cloud of His lightning; 12And they are turned round about by His guidance, That they may do whatsoever He commandeth them Upon the face of the habitable world: 13Whether it be for correction, or for His earth, Or for mercy, that He cause it to come.
14Hearken unto this, 0 Job; Stand still, and consider the won- drous works of God. 15Dost thou know how God enjoineth them, And causeth the lightning of His cloud to shine? 16Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, The wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge? 17Thou whose garments are warm, When the earth is still by reason of the south wind; 18Canst thou with Him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mir- ror? 19Tcach us what we shall Hay unto Him; For. we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.
JOB 20Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
41 And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind passeth, and cleanseth them. ^Out of the north cometh golden splendour.
About God is terrible majesty. ^The Almighty, whom we cannot find out, is excellent in power, Yet to judgment and plenteous justice He doeth no violence. 24Men do therefore fear Him; He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.
OQ Then the LORD answered Job ^ ° out of the whirlwind, and said: 3Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge? 3Gird up now thy loins like a man, .For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto Me.
4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast the under- standing 5Who determined the measures there- of, if thou knowest?
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?
Or who laid the corner-stone there- of, When the morning stars sang to- gether, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
*0r who shut up the sea with doors, When it broke forth, and issued out of the womb; 9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors, nAnd said: 'Thus far shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed'?
12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place; 13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? 14It is changed as clay under the seal; And they stand as a garment. 15But from the wicked their light is withholden, And the high arm is broken, 16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been re- vealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? 18Hast thou surveyed unto the breadths of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all.
19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is the place thereof; 20That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, And that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? 21Thou knowest it, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!
JOB thou entered the treasuries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, ^Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war?
24By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth? 25Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, Or a way for the lightning of the thunder; 26To cause it to rain on a land where no man is, On the wilderness, wherein there is no man; 27To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? "Hath the ram a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
490ut of whose womb came the ice? And the hoar-frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? 30The waters are congealed like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen.
31Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion? 32Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her sons? ^Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?
Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?
thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover thee? 35Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, And say unto thee. 'Here we are'?
36Who hath put wisdom in the in- ward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the mind? 37Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38When the dust runneth into a mass, And the clods cleave fast together?
39Wilt thou " hunt the prey for the lioness? Or satisfy the appetite of tHe young lions, 40When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41 Who provideth for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry unto God, And wander for lack of food? OO Knowest thou the time whon the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? 2Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? 3They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, They cast out their fruit. 4Thcir young ones wax strong, they grow up in the open field; They go forth, and return not again.
*Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
JOB Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
*Whose house I have made the wil- derness, And the salt land his dwelling- place.
7He scorneth the tumult of the city, Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.
*The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searcheth after every green thing.
9Will the wild-ox be willing to serve thee?
Or will he abide by thy crib? 10Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow? Or wijl he harrow the valleys after thee? nWilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? 12Wilt thou rely on him, that he will bring home thy seed, And gather the corn of thy thresh- ing-floor?
"The wing of the ostrich beateth joyously; But are her pinions and feathers the kindly stork's? 14For she leaveth her eggs on the earth, And wanneth them in the dust, lsAnd forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them. 16She is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not hers; Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear; "Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, Neither hath He imparted to her understanding. 18When the time cometh, she raiseth her wings on high, And scorneth the horse and his rider.
19Hast thou given the horse his strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with fierceness? 20Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is terrible. 21He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; He goeth out to meet the clash of arms. ^He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; Neither turneth he back from the sword. ^The quiver rattleth upon him, The glittering spear and the javelin. ^He swalloweth the ground with storm and rage; Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the horn. 25As oft as he heareth the horn he saith: 'Ha, ha!'
And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26Doth the hawk soar by thy wis- dom, And stretch her wings toward the south? 27Doth the vulture mount up at thy command, And make her nest on high? 2*She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, Upon the crag of the rock, and the stronghold.
29From thence she spieth out the prey; JOB Her eyes behold it afar off. 30Her young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is she.
Af\ Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2Shall he that reproveth contend with the Almighty?
He that argueth with God, let him answer it 3Then Job answered the LORD, and said 4Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer Thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth. 'Once have I spoken, but I will not answer again; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.
the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7Gird up thy loins now like a man; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto Me. 8Wilt thou even make void My judgment? Wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be justified? 90r hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like Him? 10Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency, And array thyself with glory and beauty.
"Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath; And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him. l2Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; And tread down the wicked in their place.
13Hide them m the dust together; Bind their faces in the hidden place. 14Then will I also confess unto thee That thine own right hand can save thee.
16Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; He eateth grass as an ox. I6Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the stays of his body.
*7He straineth his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are as pipes of brass, His gristles are hike bars of iron. 10He is the beginning of the ways of God; He only that made him can make His sword to approach unto him.
20Surcly the mountains bring him forth food, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21 He lieth under the lotus-trees, In the covert of the reed, and fens. ^The lotus-trees cover him with their shadow; The willows of the brook compass him about. ^Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though the Jordan rush forth to his mouth. 24Shali any take him by his eyes, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?
25Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fish-hook?
Or pr ens down his tongue with a cord?
S6Ganst thou put a ring into MB nose?
Or bore his jaw through with a hook?
27 Will ho make many supplications unto thee?
JOB Or will he speak soft words unto thee?
28Will he make a covenant with thee; That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever? 29\yilt thou play with him as with a -bird?
Or wilt thou bind him for thy maid- ens? 30Will the bands of fishermen make a banquet of him? Will they part him among the merchants? ^Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears? 32Lay thy hand upon him; Think upon the battle, thou wilt do so no more.
Behold, the hope of him is in vain; Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 2None is so fierce that dare stir him up; Who then is able to stand before Me?
3Who hath given Me anything be- forehand, that I should repay him?, Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine. 4Would I keep silence concerning his boastings, Or his proud talk, or his fair array of words?
5Who can uncover the face of his garment? Who shall come within his double bridle?
6Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. 7His scales are his pride, .Shut up together as with a close 80ne is so near to another, That no air can come between them.
9They are joined one to another; They stick together, that they can- not be sundered. 10His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
U0ut of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap forth. 120ut of his nostrils goeth smoke, As out of a seething pot and burning rushes 13His breath kindleth coals, And a flame goeth out of his mouth. 14In his neck abideth strength, And dismay danceth before him. 15The flakes of his flesh are joined together; They are firm upon him; they can- not be moved. "His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone. 17When he raiseth^ himself up, the mighty are afraid; By reason of despair they are beside themselves. 18If one lay at him with the sword, it will not hold, Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. 19He esteemeth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood. 20The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned with him into stubble* 21Clubs are accounted as stubble; He laugheth at the rattling of the javelin.
^Sharpest potsherds are under him; He spreadeth a threshing-sledge upon the mire. 23He maketh the deep to boil like a pot; He maketh the sea like a seething mixture.
JOB maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary. 25Upon earth there is not his like^ Who is made to be fearless. 26He looketh at all high things; He is king over all the proud beasts.
A O Then Job answered the LORD, and said: 2I know that Thou canst do every thing, And that no purpose can be withholden from Thee. 3Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. 4Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me. 5I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth Thee; 6Wherefore I abhor my words, and repent, Seeing I am dust and ashes.
7And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Te- manite: ' My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye.haye not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job hath. 8Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I do not unto you aught unseemly; for ye have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job hath.' 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naama- thite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them; and the LORD accepted Job. 10And the LORD changed the fortune of Job, when he prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. "Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house; and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold. 12So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she- asses. 13He had also seven sons and three daughters. "And he called the name of the first, aJemimah; and the name of the secom}, bKeziah; and the name of the third, cKeren- happuch. 15And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their breth- ren. "And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. 17So Job died, being old and full of days.
* That ifl, Dove. b That is, Cassia. ° That is, Born of eye-paint.
THE SONG OF SONGS THE song Solomon's.
of songs, which is 2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth — For thy love is better than wine. 3Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is as ointment poured forth; Therefore do the maidens love thee. 4Draw me, we will run after thee, The king hath brought me into his chambers; We will be glad and rejoice in thee, We will find thy love more fragrant than wine!
Sincerely do they love thee. ft<I am black, but comely, 0 ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon. 6Look not upon me, that I am swarthy, * That the sun hath tanned me; My mother's sons were incensed against me, They made me keeper of the vine- yards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept/ 7Tell me, 0 thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon; For why should I be as one that veileth herself Beside the flocks of thy com- panions?
8If thou know not, 0 thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock And feed thy kids, beside the shep- herds' tents.
9I have compared thee, 0 my love, To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots. 10Thy cheeks are comely with circlets, Thy neck with beads. "We will make thee circlets of gold With studs of silver, 12While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fra- grance. 18My beloved is unto me as a bag of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts. 14My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna In the vineyards of En-gedi.
15Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves.
16Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our couch is leafy. 17The beams of our houses are cedars.
And our panels are cypresses.
O I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.
*As a Hly among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.
THE SONG OF SONGS 3 As an apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my beloved among the sons. Under its shadow I delighted to sit, And its fruit was sweet to my taste.
4He hath brought me to the ban- Sietmg-house, his banner over me is love. 5'Stay ye me with dainties, refresh me with apples; For I am love-sick.' 6Let his left hand be under my head, And his right hand embrace me. 7'I adjure you, 0 daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field, ' That ye awaken not, nor stir up love, Until it please.' 8Hark! my beloved! behold, he cometh, Leaping upon the mountains, skip- ping upon the hills. 9My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart; Behold, he standeth behind our wall, He looketh in through the windows, He peereth through the lattice. 10My beloved spoke, and said unto me: 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. "For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone, 12The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing is come. And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13The fig-tree putteth forth her green And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
140 my dove, that art in the clefts^of tHe rock, in the covert of the cliff, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.' 18fTake us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.' 16My beloved is mine, and I am his, That feedeth among the lilies. *7Until the day breathe, and the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a gazelle or a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.
O By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not. 2'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. 3The watchmen that go about the city found me: ' Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?' 4Scarce had I passed from them, When 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. 8'I adjure " you, 0 daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field, That ye awaken not, nor stir up love, Until it please.'
6Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness THE SONG OF SONGS Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with, myrrh and frankin- cense, With all powders of the merchant? 7Behold, it is the litter of Solomon; Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty men of Israel. 8They all handle the sword, And are expert in war; Every man hath his sword upon his thigh, Because of dread in the night. 9Kiag Solomon made himself palanquin Of the wood of Lebanon. 10He made the pillars thereof of silver, The top thereof of gold, The seat of it of purple, The inside thereof being inlaid with love, From the daughters of Jerusalem. nGo forth, 0 ye daughters of Zion, And gaze upon king Solomon, Even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart.
A Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That trail down from mount Gilead. 2Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes all shaped alike, ^ Which are come up from the wash- ing; Whereof all are paired, And none faileth among them. 3Thy hps are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely; Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open Behind thy veil.
*Thy neck is like the tower of David Builded with turrets, Whereon there hang a thousand shields, All the armour of the mighty men. 5Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies. 6Until the day breathe, And the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense. 7Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee. 8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, With me from Lebanon; Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards. ^Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one bead of thy necklace. 10How fan: is thy love, my sister, my bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices! "Thy lips, 0 my bride, drop honey — Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. 12A garden shut up is my sister, my bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. "Thy shoots are a park of pomegran- ates, With precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants, "Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, THE SONG OP SONGS With all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
15Thou art a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.
16Awake, O north wind; And come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, That the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits.
g I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride; 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, 0 friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
2I sleep, but my heart waketh; Harkl my beloved knocketh: 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.'
3I have put off my coat; How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; How shall I defile them?
*My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, And my heart was moved for him.
*I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with flowing myrrh, Upon the handles of the bar.
6I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had turned away, and was gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. 7The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me. 8'I adjure you, 0 daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, What will ye tell him? That I am love-sick.' 9'What is thy beloved more than another beloved, 0 thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, That thou dost so adjure us?' 1Qf My beloved is white and ruddy, Pre-eminent above ten thousand. uHis head is as the most fine gold, His locks are curled, And black as a raven. 12His eyes are like doves Beside the water-brooks; Washed with milk, And fitly set.
13His cheeks are as a bed of spices, As banks of sweet herbs; His lips are as lilies, Dropping with flowing myrrh. 14His hands are as rods of gold Set with beryl; His body is as polished ivory Overlaid with sapphires. l6His legs are as pillars of marble, Set upon sockets of fine gold; His aspect is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars. I6His mouth is most sweet; Yea, he is altogether lovely.
THE SON1G OF SONGS This is my beloved, and this is my friend, 0 daughters of Jerusalem,.'
£ 'Whither is thy beloved gone, U0 thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee?' 2'My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, And to gather lilies. 3I am my beloved's, and my be- loved is mine, That feedeth among the lilies.'
4Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners, ^urn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That trail down from Gilead. 6Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the wash- ing; Whereof all are paired, And none faileth among them. - 7Thy temples are like a pomegranate split open Behind thy veil. 8There are threescore queens, And fourscore concubines, And maidens without number. 9My dove, my undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her happy; Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. 30Who is she that looketh forth as the dawn, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners? UI went down into the garden of