1 Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, 2 Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee. 3 Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee. 4 I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 5 Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept. 6 Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions. 7 If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds. 8 To my company of horsemen, in Pharao’s chariots, have I likened thee, O my love. 9 Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove’s, thy neck as jewels. 10 We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver. 11 While the king was at his repose, my spikenard sent forth the odour thereof. 12 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts. 13 A cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi. 14 Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves. 15 Behold thou art fair, my beloved, and comely. Our bed is flourishing. 16 The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress trees.
Song of Songs · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Song of Songs 1 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (15)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Song of Songs 4:10; Song of Songs 1:4; Psalm 36:7; Psalm 63:3–5; Isaiah 55:1–2
- 3 Ecclesiastes 7:1; Exodus 30:23–28; Song of Songs 4:10; John 12:3; Psalm 45:7–8
- 4 John 6:44; Hosea 11:4; Psalm 45:14–15; John 12:32; Hebrews 12:1
- 5 Song of Songs 2:14; Luke 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Song of Songs 5:16; Song of Songs 2:7
- 6 Song of Songs 8:11–12; Luke 12:51–53; Mark 4:6; Jeremiah 12:6; Psalm 69:8
- 7 Song of Songs 3:1–4; Isaiah 13:20; Psalm 23:1–2; Psalm 28:1; Genesis 37:16
- 8 Song of Songs 6:1; Song of Songs 5:9; James 2:21; James 5:10; Hebrews 11:4–40
- 9 Song of Songs 2:10; Song of Songs 2:13; John 15:14–15; Isaiah 31:1; Song of Songs 2:2
- 10 Ezekiel 16:11–13; 1 Peter 3:4; Song of Songs 5:13; Genesis 24:47; Song of Songs 4:9
- 11 Psalm 149:4; Philippians 3:21; Genesis 1:26; Ephesians 5:25–27; Song of Songs 8:9
- 12 John 12:3; Revelation 3:20; Mark 14:3; Song of Songs 4:13–16; Luke 24:30–32
- 13 John 19:39; Psalm 45:8; Ephesians 3:17; Song of Songs 4:14; Genesis 43:11
- 14 Song of Songs 2:3; 1 Samuel 23:29–24:1; Song of Songs 1:13; Joshua 15:62; Song of Songs 4:13–14
- 15 Song of Songs 4:1; Song of Songs 5:12; Song of Songs 4:7; Ephesians 1:17–18; 2 Corinthians 11:2–3
- 16 Song of Songs 2:3; Psalm 45:2; Zechariah 9:17; Revelation 5:11–13; Song of Songs 5:10–16
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
An example of this is that passage in the Song of Solomon, "I am black, but comely, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon." For it is not said, I was black as the tents of Kedar, but am now comely as the curtains of Solomon.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For now meanwhile thou standest outside the door: but God grant that you all may say, The King hath brought me into His chamber.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
So then this Bridegroom, "fair in beauty above the children of men," became deformed that He might make His Spouse fair to whom it is said, "O thou beauteous among women," of whom it is said, "Who is this that cometh up, whitened" with the brightness of light, not the colouring of falsehood!
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
… with you, all Beauteous as He was, prayed for you; "Father," saith He, "forgive them, for they know not what they do." For if He were without comeliness, how is it that she loveth Him, who saith, "Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth"? How is it that she loveth Him?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)