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Song of Songs

Chapter 3

Song of Songs · King Solomon

¹ By night on my bed

ΕΠΙ κοίτην μου ἐν νυξὶν ἐζήτησα ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου· ἐζήτησα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ εὗρον αὐτόν· ἐκάλεσα αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσέ μου.

Song 3:1

² I will rise now, and go about in the city,

ἀναστήσομαι δὴ καὶ κυκλώσω ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις, καὶ ζητήσω ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου. ἐζήτησα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐχ εὗρον αὐτόν.

Song 3:2

³ The watchmen who go their rounds in the city found me.

εὕροσάν με οἱ τηροῦντες, οἱ κυκλοῦντες ἐν τῇ πόλει. μὴ ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου ἴδετε;

Song 3:3

⁴ [It was] as a little [while] after I parted from them,

ὡς μικρὸν ὅτε παρῆλθον ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν, ἕως οὗ εὗρον ὃν ἠγάπησεν ἡ ψυχή μου· ἐκράτησα αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκα αὐτόν, ἕως οὗ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον μητρός μου καὶ εἰς ταμιεῖον τῆς συλλαβούσης με.

Song 3:4

⁵ I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

ὥρκισα ὑμᾶς, θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσι καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἰσχύσεσι τοῦ ἀγροῦ, ἐὰν ἐγείρητε καὶ ἐξεγείρητε τὴν ἀγάπην, ἕως ἂν θελήσῃ.

Song 3:5

⁶ Who is this that comes up from the wilderness

Τίς αὕτη ἡ ἀναβαίνουσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου ὡς στελέχη καπνοῦ τεθυμιαμένη σμύρναν καὶ λίβανον ἀπὸ πάντων κονιορτῶν μυρεψοῦ;

Song 3:6

⁷ Behold Solomon’s bed;

ἰδοὺ ἡ κλίνη τοῦ Σαλωμών, ἑξήκοντα δυνατοὶ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ δυνατῶν Ἰσραήλ,

Song 3:7

⁸ They all hold a sword,

πάντες κατέχοντες ρομφαίαν, δεδιδαγμένοι πόλεμον, ἀνὴρ ρομφαία αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ μηρὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ θάμβους ἐν νυξί.

Song 3:8

⁹ King Solomon made himself a litter of woods of Lebanon.

φορεῖον ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς Σαλωμὼν ἀπὸ ξύλων τοῦ Λιβάνου·

Song 3:9

¹⁰ He made the pillars of it silver,

στύλους αὐτοῦ ἐποίησεν ἀργύριον καὶ ἀνάκλιτον αὐτοῦ χρύσεον· ἐπίβασις αὐτοῦ πορφυρᾶ, ἐντὸς αὐτοῦ λιθόστρωτον, ἀγάπην ἀπὸ θυγατέρων Ἱερουσαλήμ.

Song 3:10

¹¹ Go forth, ye daughters of Zion,

θυγατέρες Σιών, ἐξέλθατε καὶ ἴδετε ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ Σαλωμὼν ἐν τῷ στεφάνῳ, ᾧ ἐστεφάνωσεν αὐτὸν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ νυμφεύσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐφροσύνης καρδίας αὐτοῦ.

Song 3:11

Greek: Septuagint, public domain via eBible.org (grclxx). The English remains the primary text; the Greek is offered for study.

The Fathers on this passage

How the fathers, councils, and saints of the corpus read Song of Songs: Chapter 3. Drawn by meaning from across the tradition; follow any link to read it in full context.