Cânticos 5

¹ I have come into myThe garden signifies the kingdom of Christ, where he prepares the banquet for his elect.garden, my sister, [my] spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drank my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

² The spouse says that she is troubled with the cares of worldly things, which is meant by sleeping.I sleep, but my heart waketh: [it is] the voice of my beloved that knocketh, [saying], Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, [and] my locks with the drops of theDeclaring the long patience of the Lord toward sinners.night.

³ I have put off myThe spouse confesses her nakedness, and that of herself she has nothing, or seeing that she is once made clean she promises not to defile herself again.coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

⁴ My welbeloued put in his hand by the hole of the doore, and mine heart was affectioned toward him.

⁵ I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands flowed [with] myrrh, and myThe spouse who should be anointed by Christ will not find him if she thinks to anoint him with her good works.fingers [with] sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

⁶ I opened to my welbeloued: but my welbeloued was gone, and past: mine heart was gone when hee did speake: I sought him, but I coulde not finde him: I called him, but hee answered mee not.

⁷ TheThese are the false teachers who wound the conscience with their traditions.watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

⁸ I charge you,She asks of them who are godly (as the law and salvation should come out of Zion and Jerusalem) that they would direct her to Christ.O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I [am] sick with love.

⁹ Thus say they of Jerusalem.What [is] thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? what [is] thy beloved more than [another] beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

¹⁰ My welbeloued is white and ruddie, the chiefest of ten thousand.

¹¹ HisShe describes Christ to be of perfect beauty and comeliness.head [is as] the most fine gold, his locks [are] bushy, [and] black as a raven.

¹² His eyes are like doues vpon the riuers of waters, which are washt with milke, and remaine by the full vessels.

¹³ His cheekes are as a bedde of spices, and as sweete flowres, and his lippes like lilies dropping downe pure myrrhe.

¹⁴ His hands as rings of gold set with the chrysolite, his belly like white yuorie couered with saphirs.

¹⁵ His legges are as pillars of marble, set vpon sockets of fine golde: his countenance as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

¹⁶ His mouth is as sweete thinges, and hee is wholy delectable: this is my welbeloued, and this is my louer, O daughters of Ierusalem.