Judges 16
1 Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
Then went Samson to Gazzah, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
2 The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light; then we will kill him.”
And it was told to the Gazzites, saying, Samson is come hither: and they compassed him in, and lay in wait for him all the night in the gate of the city, and held themselves quiet all the night, saying, By the time it is light in the morning will we kill him.
3 Samson lay until midnight, then arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, with the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
And Samson lay till midnight; but he arose at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the city-gate, and the two door-posts, and tore them away with the bolt, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mount that is before Hebron.
4 It came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
And it came to pass after this, that he loved a woman in the valley of Shorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Persuade him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail over him, that we may bind him to subdue him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you might be bound to afflict you.”
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou canst be bound to subdue thee.
7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven moist cords which have not yet been dried, then shall I become weak, and be like any other of mankind.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
And the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven moist cords which had not yet been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now she had an ambush waiting in the inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He broke the cords as a flax thread is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
And she had men lying in wait, sitting near her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he tore the cords, as a thread of tow is torn when it toucheth the fire; and his strength was not perceived.
10 Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies. Now please tell me how you might be bound.”
And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me lies; now do tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou canst be bound.
11 He said to her, “If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that have never been used in work, then shall I become weak, and be like any other of mankind.
12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, then said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” The ambush was waiting in the inner room. He broke them off his arms like a thread.
And Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And the liers in wait were sitting in the chamber. But he tore them from off his arms like a thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what you might be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the fabric on the loom.”
And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast deceived me, and told me lies; do tell me wherewith thou canst be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 She fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He awakened out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam and the fabric.
And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awakened out of his sleep, and tore away the pin of the loom, with the web.
15 She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”
And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? these three times hast thou deceived me, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 When she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, his soul was troubled to death.
And it came to pass, when she worried him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul became impatient to die;
17 He told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”
And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, A razor hath not passed over my head; for a Nazarite of God have I been from my mother's womb; if I were shaved, my strength would depart from me, and I should become weak, and be like all other men.
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.
And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once; for he hath told me all his heart. Then came the lords of the Philistines up unto her, and brought the money in their hand.
19 She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to subdue him, and his strength departed from him.
20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and thought, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself free. But he knew not that the Lord had departed from him.
21 The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gazzah, and bound him with fetters of copper; and he had to grind in the prison-house.
22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.
But the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.
23 The lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”
And the lords of the Philistines gathered themselves together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand Samson our enemy.
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, “Our god has delivered our enemy and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us, into our hand.”
And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, and him who hath slain so many of us.
25 When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;
And it came to pass, when their heart was merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport for us. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them; and they placed him between the pillars.
26 and Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Allow me to feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean on them.”
And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me [to go] and let me feel the pillars whereupon the house is supported, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson performed.
Now the house was full of men and women; and there were all the lords of the Philistines; and upon the roof were about three thousand men and women, that looked on while Samson made sport.
28 Samson called to the LORD, and said, “Lord GOD, remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, only this once, God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord Eternal, remember me, I pray thee, and do thou strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged for one of my two eyes on the Philistines.
29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested and leaned on them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
And Samson threw his arms around the two middle pillars upon which the house was supported, and he leaned on them, [on] one with his right hand, and [on] the other with his left.
30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those who he killed in his life.
And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bent [them] with might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain in his life.
31 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial site of Manoah his father. He judged Israel twenty years.
Then came down his brothers and all the house of his father, and they took him up, and carried him up, and buried him between Zor'ah and Eshtaol, in the burying-place of Manoach his father. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
