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The Friends

5a Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness,
    leaning on her lover?

The Wealth of Our House

The Woman

5b Under the apple tree I roused you.
There your mother conceived you.
There she who gave birth to you was in labor.

Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm,
because love is as strong as death.
Its passion is as relentless as the grave.
Its flames are flames of fire, a mighty blaze.[a]
Many waters cannot quench such love.
Rivers cannot wash it away.
If a man were to offer all the wealth
of his house for love,
he would be utterly scorned.

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 8:6 With alternate word division the text may be read the blaze of Yah. Yah is a short form of the divine name often written Yahweh.

Friends

Who is this coming up from the wilderness(A)
    leaning on her beloved?

She

Under the apple tree I roused you;
    there your mother conceived(B) you,
    there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
    like a seal on your arm;
for love(C) is as strong as death,
    its jealousy[a](D) unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.[b]
Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it[c] would be utterly scorned.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Song of Songs 8:6 Or ardor
  2. Song of Songs 8:6 Or fire, / like the very flame of the Lord
  3. Song of Songs 8:7 Or he