Song of Songs 3

The young woman's dream

1All night I lay on my bed. I wanted my lover to come to me. I looked for him but he did not appear.

2I thought, ‘I will get up now and I will go into the city. I will look everywhere for my lover. I will look in all the streets. I will look in all the market places.’ So I looked for him, but I did not find him.

3The city guards found me as they walked in the streets of the city. I asked them, ‘Have you seen the man that I love?’

4Just then, as I left them, I found my lover! I hugged him and I would not let him go. I took him to my mother's house. I took him into my mother's bedroom. That is where my life started, inside my mother's body.

A royal wedding

5Promise this to me, young women of Jerusalem: Do not cause our love to wake up. Do not cause it to become too strong until the time is right. The gazelles and the wild deer will know about your promise.

6Who is this who is coming from the desert? It seems that smoke is rising into the air! There is a lovely smell of myrrh and incense. It is the smell of all the spices that a trader sells.

7Look! They are carrying King Solomon on a throne! 60 soldiers are travelling with it. They are Israel's bravest soldiers.

8All of them have swords. They all know how to fight well. Their swords are ready for them to use. They are ready for any danger that comes in the night.

9King Solomon made the throne for himself. He used wood from Lebanon to make it.

10He used silver to make the posts for it. He used gold to make its back. Its seat has valuable purple cloth to cover it. The young women of Jerusalem made it beautiful inside, to show their love.

11Young women of Zion, come out to see King Solomon! He is wearing his crown. His mother put the crown on him on his wedding day. It was the happiest day of his life!