Now Samson went
to aGaza
and saw
a harlot
there
, and went
in to her.
When it was told to the Gazites, saying
, "Samson
has come
here
," they asurrounded
the place and lay
in wait
for him all
night
at the gate
of the city
. And they kept
silent
all
night
, saying
, "Let us wait until
the morning
light
, then we will kill
him."
Now Samson lay
until
midnight
, and at midnight
he arose
and took
hold
of the doors
of the city
gate
and the two
posts
and pulled
them up along
with the bars
; then he put
them on his shoulders
and carried
them up to the top
of the mountain
which
is opposite
Hebron
.
After this
it came
about that he loved
a woman
in the valley
of Sorek
, whose name
was Delilah
.
The alords of the Philistines
came
up to her and said
to her, " bEntice
him, and see
where
his great
strength
lies and 1how
we may overpower
him that we may bind
him to afflict
him. Then we will each
give
you eleven
hundred
pieces of silver
."
So Delilah said
to Samson
, "Please
tell
me where
your great
strength
is and 1how
you may be bound
to afflict
you."
Samson said
to her, "If
they bind
me with seven
fresh
cords
that have not been dried
, then I will become
weak
and be like any
other man
."
Then the lords of the Philistines
brought
up to her seven
fresh
cords
that had not been dried
, and she bound
him with them.
Now she had men lying
in wait
in an inner
room
. And she said
to him, "The Philistines
are upon you, Samson
!" But he snapped
the cords
as a string
of tow
snaps
when it 1touches
fire
. So his strength
was not discovered
.
Then Delilah said
to Samson
, "Behold
, you have deceived
me and told
me lies
; now
please
tell
me 1how
you may be bound
."
He said to her, "If
they bind
me tightly
with new
ropes
1which
have not been used
, then I will become
weak
and be like any
other man
."
So Delilah took
new
ropes
and bound
him with them and said
to him, "The Philistines
are upon you, Samson
!" For the men were lying
in wait
in the inner
room
. But he snapped
1the ropes from his arms
like a thread
.
Then Delilah said
to Samson
, "Up to now
you have deceived
me and told
me lies
; tell
me 1how
you may be bound
." And he said
to her, "If
you weave
the seven
locks
of my 2hair
with the web
3[and fasten
it with a pin
, then I will become weak
and be like any
other man
."
So while he slept, Delilah took the seven
locks
of his 1hair
and wove them into the web
]. And she fastened
it with the pin
and said
to him, "The Philistines
are upon you, Samson
!" But he awoke
from his sleep
and pulled
out the pin
of the loom
and the web
.
Then she said to him, " aHow
can you say
, `I love
you,' when your heart
is not with me? You have deceived
me these
three
times
and have not told
me where
your great
strength
is."
It came about when
she pressed
him daily
with her words
and urged
him, that his soul
was 1annoyed
to death
.
So he told her all
that was in his heart
and said
to her, "A razor
has never
come
on my head
, for I have been a aNazirite
to God
from my mother's
womb
. If
I am shaved
, then my strength
will leave
me and I will become
weak
and be like any
other man
."
When Delilah saw
that he had told
her all
that was in his heart
, she sent
and called
the lords
of the Philistines
, saying
, "Come
up once
more
, for he has told
me all
that is in his heart
." Then the lords
of the Philistines
came
up to her and brought
the money
in their hands
.
She made him sleep on her knees
, and called
for a man
and had him shave
off
the seven
locks
of his 1hair
. Then she began
to afflict
him, and his strength
left
him.
She said, "The Philistines
are upon you, Samson
!" And he awoke
from his sleep
and said
, "I will go
out as at other
times
and shake
myself free
." But he did not know
that athe LORD
had departed
from him.
Then the Philistines seized
him and gouged
out his eyes
; and they brought
him down
to Gaza
and bound
him with bronze
chains
, and he was a grinder
in the prison
.
However, the hair of his head
began
to grow
again after
it was shaved
off
.
Now the lords of the Philistines
assembled
to offer
a great
sacrifice
to aDagon
their god
, and to rejoice
, for they said
, "Our god
has given
Samson
our enemy
into our hands
."
When the people saw
him, athey praised
their god
, for they said
, "Our god
has given
our enemy
into our hands
, Even the destroyer
of our country
, Who
has slain
many
of us."
It so happened when 1they were in high
spirits
, that they said
, "Call
for Samson
, that he may amuse
us." So they called
for Samson
from the prison
, and he 2entertained
them. And they made him stand
between
the pillars
.
Then Samson said
to the boy
who was holding
his hand
, "Let me feel
the pillars
on which
the house
rests
, that I may lean
against
them."
Now the house was full
of men
and women
, and all
the lords
of the Philistines
were there
. And about 3,000
men
and women
were on the roof
looking
on while Samson
was amusing
them.
aThen Samson called
to the LORD
and said
, "O Lord
1GOD
, please
remember
me and please
strengthen
me just
this
time
, O God
, that I may at once
bbe avenged
of the Philistines
for my two
eyes
."
Samson grasped
the two
middle
pillars
on which
the house
rested
, and braced
himself against
them, the one
with his right
hand
and the other
with his left
.
And Samson said
, "Let me die
with the Philistines
!" And he bent
with 1all his might
so that the house
fell
on the lords
and all
the people
who
were in it. So the dead
whom
he killed
at his death
were more
than
those whom
he killed
in his life
.
Then his brothers and all
his father's
household
came
down
, took
him, brought
him up and buried
him between
Zorah
and Eshtaol
in the tomb
of Manoah
his father
. aThus he had judged
Israel
twenty
years
.