Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.

His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,

Come away, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.