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Song of Songs chapter 1 in Hebrew and English

17 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

THE song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ כִּי־טוֹבִים דֹּדֶיךָ מִיָּֽיִן׃

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth - For thy love is better than wine.

לְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנֶיךָ טוֹבִים שֶׁמֶן תּוּרַק שְׁמֶךָ עַל־כֵּן עֲלָמוֹת אֲהֵבֽוּךָ׃

Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is as ointment poured forth; Therefore do the maidens love thee.

מָשְׁכֵנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ נָּרוּצָה הֱבִיאַנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ חֲדָרָיו נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָּךְ נַזְכִּירָה דֹדֶיךָ מִיַּיִן מֵישָׁרִים אֲהֵבֽוּךָ׃

Draw 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.

שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם כְּאָהֳלֵי קֵדָר כִּירִיעוֹת שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

’I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon.

אַל־תִּרְאוּנִי שֶׁאֲנִי שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת שֶׁשֱּׁזָפַתְנִי הַשָּׁמֶשׁ בְּנֵי אִמִּי נִחֲרוּ־בִי שָׂמֻנִי נֹטֵרָה אֶת־הַכְּרָמִים כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי לֹא נָטָֽרְתִּי׃

Look 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 vineyards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept.’

הַגִּידָה לִּי שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי אֵיכָה תִרְעֶה אֵיכָה תַּרְבִּיץ בַּצָּהֳרָיִם שַׁלָּמָה אֶהְיֶה כְּעֹטְיָה עַל עֶדְרֵי חֲבֵרֶֽיךָ׃

Tell me, O 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 companions?

אִם־לֹא תֵדְעִי לָךְ הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים צְאִי־לָךְ בְּעִקְבֵי הַצֹּאן וּרְעִי אֶת־גְּדִיֹּתַיִךְ עַל מִשְׁכְּנוֹת הָרֹעִֽים׃

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock And feed thy kids, beside the shepherds’tents.

לְסֻסָתִי בְּרִכְבֵי פַרְעֹה דִּמִּיתִיךְ רַעְיָתִֽי׃

I have compared thee, O my love, To a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots.

נָאווּ לְחָיַיִךְ בַּתֹּרִים צַוָּארֵךְ בַּחֲרוּזִֽים׃

Thy cheeks are comely with circlets, Thy neck with beads.

תּוֹרֵי זָהָב נַעֲשֶׂה־לָּךְ עִם נְקֻדּוֹת הַכָּֽסֶף׃

We will make thee circlets of gold With studs of silver.

עַד־שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ בִּמְסִבּוֹ נִרְדִּי נָתַן רֵיחֽוֹ׃

While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.

צְרוֹר הַמֹּר דּוֹדִי לִי בֵּין שָׁדַי יָלִֽין׃

My beloved is unto me as a bag of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts.

אֶשְׁכֹּל הַכֹּפֶר דּוֹדִי לִי בְּכַרְמֵי עֵין גֶּֽדִי׃

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna In the vineyards of En-gedi.

הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי הִנָּךְ יָפָה עֵינַיִךְ יוֹנִֽים׃

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves. .

הִנְּךָ יָפֶה דוֹדִי אַף נָעִים אַף־עַרְשֵׂנוּ רַעֲנָנָֽה׃

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our couch is leafy.

קֹרוֹת בָּתֵּינוּ אֲרָזִים רַהִיטֵנוּ בְּרוֹתִֽים׃

The beams of our houses are cedars, And our panels are cypresses.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 1 of the 8 chapters of Song of Songs
  • Song of Songs is one of the Writings
  • 17 verses, 150 words, about 2 minutes to read

Song of Songs has 8 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Song of Songs·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Song of Songs chapter 1 have?

Song of Songs chapter 1 has 17 verses and 150 words.

How does Song of Songs chapter 1 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words שיר השירים אשר לשלמה.

Where does Song of Songs chapter 1 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 1 of the 8 chapters of Song of Songs, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Song of Songs chapter 1?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.