¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the  ²will of God, to the  ³saints who are  ⁴in Ephesus and are  ⁵faithful in Christ Jesus:

 ¹Grace to you and  ²peace from  ³God our Father and the  ⁴Lord Jesus Christ.

 ¹Blessed be the  ²God and Father of  ³our Lord Jesus Christ, who has  ⁴blessed us  ⁵with every  ⁶spiritual  ⁷blessing in the  ⁸heavenlies  ⁹in Christ,

Even as He  ¹chose us in Him  ²before the foundation of the world to be  ³holy and  ⁴without blemish  ⁵before Him  ⁶in  ⁷love,

 ¹Predestinating us unto  ²sonship  ³through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the  ⁴good pleasure of His will,

To the  ¹praise of the  ²glory of His grace, with which He  ³graced us in the  ⁴Beloved;

In whom we have  ¹redemption through His blood, the  ²forgiveness of offenses, according to the riches of His grace,

Which He caused to  ¹abound to us in all  ²wisdom and prudence,

 ¹Making known to us the  ²mystery of His will  ³according to His good pleasure, which He  ⁴purposed in Himself,

Unto the  ¹economy of the  ²fullness of the times, to  ³head up all things in  ⁴Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him;

In whom also we  ¹were designated as an inheritance, having been  ²predestinated according to the  ³purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His  ⁴will,

That we would be to the  ¹praise of His glory who have  ²first hoped in Christ.

In whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also believing, you were  ¹sealed with the Holy Spirit of the  ²promise,

Who is the  ¹pledge of our  ²inheritance  ³unto the  ⁴redemption of the  ⁵acquired possession, to the  ⁶praise of His glory.

Therefore I also, having heard of  ¹the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and your love to all the saints,

Do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

That the  ¹God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the  ²Father of glory, may give to you a  ³spirit of  ⁴wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him,

The  ¹eyes of your heart having been  ²enlightened, that you may know what is the  ³hope of His  ⁴calling,

and what are the  ⁵riches of the glory of His  ⁶inheritance in the saints,

And what is the surpassing greatness of His  ¹power toward us who believe,  ²according to the operation of the might of His strength,

Which He caused to operate in Christ in  ¹raising Him from the dead and  ²seating Him at His  ³right hand in the  ⁴heavenlies,

Far above all  ¹rule and authority and power and lordship and  ²every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come;

And He  ¹subjected all things under His feet and  ²gave Him to be Head over all things  ³to the  ⁴church,

Which is His  ¹Body, the  ²fullness of the One who  ³fills all in all.

Awake, O  ¹north wind;
And come, O  ¹south wind!
Blow upon my garden:
Let its spices flow forth;
Let my beloved come into his garden
And eat his choicest fruit.

I have come into my garden, my  ¹sister, 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, O  ²friends;
Drink, and drink deeply, O beloved ones!

I  ¹sleep, but my heart is awake.
A sound! My beloved is knocking.
 ²Open to me, my sister, my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the drops of night.

I have  ¹put off my garment;
How can I put it on again?
I have  ¹washed my feet;
How can I dirty them again?

My beloved put his  ¹hand into the opening of the door,
And my inner parts yearned for him.

I rose up to  ¹open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
My fingers with liquid myrrh,
Upon the handles of the bolt.

I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had withdrawn; he was gone.
My soul failed when he spoke;
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him — he answered me not.

The watchmen who go about the city found me.
They struck me; they wounded me;
The keepers of the walls took my veil from me.

I adjure, O  ¹daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
What shall you tell him?
That I am sick with love.

What is your beloved more than some other's beloved,
O you most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than some other's beloved,
That you adjure us so?

My beloved is  ¹dazzling white yet ruddy,
 ²Distinguished among ten thousand.

His  ¹head is the finest gold;
His locks are wavy,
As black as a raven.

His  ¹eyes are like doves
Beside the streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
Fitly set.

His  ¹cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Mounds of sweetly fragrant herbs;
His lips are lilies,
Dripping with liquid myrrh.

His  ¹hands are tubes of gold,
Set with beryl;
His belly is an ivory work,
Overlaid with sapphires.

His  ¹legs are pillars of white marble,
Set upon bases of gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon,
As excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is sweetness itself,
And he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

 ¹Where has your beloved gone,
O you most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?

My beloved has gone down to his  ¹garden,
To the beds of spices,
To feed in the gardens
And gather lilies.

I am  ¹my beloved's, and my beloved is mine;
He pastures his flock among the lilies.

You are as beautiful, my love, as  ¹Tirzah,
As lovely as  ¹Jerusalem,
As terrible as an  ²army with banners.

Turn your  ¹eyes away from me,
For they overwhelm me,
Your  ²hair is like a flock of goats
That repose on Mount Gilead.

Your  ¹teeth are like a flock of ewes
That have come up from the washing,
All of which have borne twins,
And none of them is bereaved of her young.

Your  ¹cheeks are like a piece of pomegranate
Behind your veil.

There are sixty  ¹queens and eighty  ¹concubines
And virgins without number.

My dove, my perfect one, is but one;
She is the only one of her mother;
She is the choice one of her who bore her.
The daughters saw her, and they called her blessed;
The queens and the concubines,
They also praised her.

Who is this woman who looks forth like the dawn,
As beautiful as the  ¹moon,
As clear as the  ¹sun,
As terrible as an  ²army with banners?

I went down to the  ¹orchard of nuts
To see the freshness of the valley,
To see whether the vine had budded,
Whether the pomegranates were in bloom.

Before I was aware,
My soul set me among the  ¹chariots of my noble people.

Return, return, O  ¹Shulammite;
Return, return, that we may gaze at you.
Why should you gaze at the Shulammite,
As upon the dance of  ²two camps?

 ¹How beautiful are your footsteps in  ²sandals,
O  ³prince's daughter!
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
The work of the hands of a skilled artist.

Your  ¹navel is a round goblet
That never lacks mixed wine;
Your  ¹belly is a heap of wheat,
Fenced in by lilies.

Your two  ¹breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle.

Your  ¹neck is like a tower of ivory;
Your eyes, like the pools in Heshbon
By the gate of Bath-rabbim;
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
Which faces Damascus.

Your  ¹head upon you is like Carmel,
And the  ¹locks of your head like purple.
The king is fettered by your tresses.

How  ¹beautiful and how pleasant in delights
You are, O love!

This your stature is like a palm tree,
And your breasts are like the clusters.

I said, I will climb the  ¹palm tree;
I will take hold of its branches;
And let your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your nose like apples,

And the roof of your mouth like the best wine —

 ¹
Going down smoothly for my beloved,
Gliding through the lips of those who sleep.

I am my beloved's,
And his desire is for me.

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the  ¹fields;
Let us lodge in the  ¹villages.

Let us rise up early for the  ¹vineyards;
Let us see if the vine has budded,
If the blossom is open,
If the pomegranates are in bloom;
There I will give you my love.

The  ¹mandrakes give forth fragrance,
And over our doors are all choice fruits,
New as well as old.
These, my beloved, I have stored up for you.

Oh that you were like a  ¹brother to me,
Who nursed at my mother's breasts!
If I found you  ²outside, I would kiss you,
And none would despise me.

I would lead you and bring you
Into my  ¹mother's house,
Who has instructed me;
I would make you drink spiced wine
From the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand would be under my head,
And his right hand would embrace me.

I  ¹adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not rouse up or awaken my love
Until she pleases.

Who is this who comes up from the wilderness,
 ¹Leaning on her beloved?
 ²I awakened you under the apple tree:
There your mother was in labor with you;
There she was in labor and brought you forth.

Set me as a  ¹seal on your heart,
As a seal on your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as cruel as  ²Sheol;
Its flashes are the flashes of fire,
A flame of  ³Jehovah.

Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor do floods drown it.
If a man gave all the substance of his house for love,
It would be utterly despised.

We have a little  ¹sister,
And she has no breasts:
What shall we do for our sister
On the day when she is spoken for?

If she is a  ¹wall,
We will build on her a battlement of silver;
And if she is a  ¹door,
We will enclose her with boards of cedar.

I am a  ¹wall, and my breasts are like towers;
Then I was in his eyes like one who has found peace.

Solomon had a vineyard at  ¹Baal-hamon:
He let out the vineyard to keepers;
Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me.
You will have the thousand, O Solomon;
And those who keep its fruit, two hundred.

O you who dwell in the gardens,
My companions listen for your  ¹voice;
Let me hear it.

 ¹Make haste, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle or a young hart
Upon the mountains of spices.