< Judges 16 >

1 He went also into Gaza, and saw there a woman a harlot, and went in unto her.
And he went Samson Gaza towards and he saw there a woman a prostitute and he went into her.
2 And when the Philistines had beard this, and it was noised about among them, that Samson was come into the city, they surrounded him, setting guards at the gate of the city, and watching there all the night in silence, that in the morning they might kill him as he went out.
To the Gazites - saying he has come Samson here and they surrounded and they lay in wait for him all the night at [the] gate of the city and they were silent all the night saying until [the] light of the morning and we will kill him.
3 But Samson slept till midnight, and then rising he took both the doors of the gate, with the posts thereof, and the bolt, and laying them on his shoulders, carried them up to the top of the hill, which looketh towards Hebron.
And he lay down Samson until [the] middle of the night and he arose - in [the] middle of the night and he took hold on [the] doors of [the] gate of the city and on [the] two the doorposts and he pulled up them with the bar and he put [them] on shoulders his and he carried up them to [the] top of the mountain which [is] on [the] face of Hebron.
4 After this he loved a woman, who dwelt in the valley of Sorec, and she was called Dalila.
And it was after thus and he loved a woman in [the] valley of Sorek and name her [was] Delilah.
5 And the princes of the Philistines came to her, and said: Deceive him, and learn of him wherein his great strength lieth, and how we may be able to overcome him, to bind and afflict him: which if thou shalt do, we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
And they went up to her [the] rulers of [the] Philistines and they said to her entice him and see how? [is] strength his great and how? will we prevail to him and we will bind him to humble him and we we will give to you each one thousand and one hundred silver.
6 And Dalila said to Samson: Tell me, I beseech thee, wherein thy greatest strength lieth, and what it is wherewith if thou wert bound thou couldst not break loose.
And she said Delilah to Samson tell! please to me how? [is] strength your great and how? will you be bound to humble you.
7 And Samson answered her: If I shall be bound with seven cords made of sinews not yet dry, but still moist, I shall be weak like other men.
And he said to her Samson if people will bind me with seven cords fresh which not they have been dried and I will be weak and I will be like one of humankind.
8 And the princes of the Philistines brought unto her seven cords, such is he spoke of, with which she bound him;
And they brought up to her [the] rulers of [the] Philistines seven cords fresh which not they had been dried and she bound him with them.
9 Men lying privately in wait with her, and in the chamber expecting the event of the thing, and she cried out to him: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he broke the bands, as a man would break a thread of tow twined with spittle, when it smelleth the fire: so it was not known wherein his strength Jay.
And the ambusher [was] sitting of her in the chamber and she said to him [the] Philistines [are] on you O Samson and he tore apart the cords just as it is torn apart thread of tow when smells it fire and not it was known strength his.
10 And Dalila said to him: Behold thou hast mocked me, and hast told me a false thing: but now at least tell me wherewith thou mayest be bound.
And she said Delilah to Samson here! you have deceived me and you have spoken to me lies now tell! please to me how? will you be bound.
11 And he answered her: If I shall be bound with new ropes, that were never in work, I shall be weak and like other men.
And he said to her certainly [if] they will bind me with ropes new which not it has been done with them work and I will be weak and I will be like one of humankind.
12 Dalila bound him again with these, and cried out: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson, there being an ambush prepared for him in the chamber. But he broke the bands like threads of webs.
And she took Delilah ropes new and she bound him with them and she said to him [the] Philistines [are] on you O Samson and the ambusher [was] sitting in the chamber and he tore apart them from on arms his like thread.
13 And Dalila said to him again: How long dost thou deceive me, and tell me lies? Shew me wherewith thou mayest be bound. And Samson answered her: If thou plattest the seven locks of my head with a lace, and tying them round about a nail fastenest it in the ground, I shall be weak.
And she said Delilah to Samson until now you have deceived me and you have spoken to me lies tell! to me how? will you be bound and he said to her if you will weave seven [the] plaits of head my with the web. (And you will strike with a pin to the wall and I will be weak and I will be like one man. *X*)
14 And when Dalila had done this, she said to him: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking out of his sleep he drew out the nail with the hairs and the lace.
(And she made sleep him and she wove seven [the] plaits head his with the web *X*) and she thrust with the pin and she said to him [the] Philistines [are] on you O Samson and he awoke from sleep his and he pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.
15 And Dalila said to him: How dost thou say thou lovest me, when thy mind is not with me? Thou hast told me lies these three times, and wouldst not tell me wherein thy great strength lieth.
And she said to him how? will you say I love you and heart your not [is] with me this three times you have deceived me and not you have told to me how? [is] strength your great.
16 And when she pressed him much, and continually hung upon him for many days, giving him no time to rest, his soul fainted away, and was wearied even until death.
And it was that she pressed him with words her all the days and she urged him and it was short self his to die.
17 Then opening the truth of the thing, he said to her: The razor hath never come upon my head, for I am a Nazarite, that is to say, consecrated to God from my mother’s womb: if my head be shaven, my strength shall depart from me, and I shall become weak, and shall be like other men.
And he told to her all heart his and he said to her a razor not it has come up on head my for [am] a Nazirite of God I from [the] womb of mother my if I was shaved and it will depart from me strength my and I will be weak and I will be like every man.
18 Then seeing that be had discovered to her all his mind, she sent to the princes of the Philistines, saying: Come up this once more, for now he hath opened his heart to me. And they went up taking with them the money which they had promised.
And she saw (Delilah *LA(bh)*) that he had told to her all heart his and she sent and she summoned [the] rulers of [the] Philistines saying come up this time for he has told (to me *Q(K)*) all heart his and they came up to her [the] rulers of [the] Philistines and they brought up the silver in hand their.
19 But she made him sleep upon her knees, and lay his head in her bosom. And she called a barber, and shaved his seven locks, and began to drive him away, and thrust him from her: for immediately his strength departed from him.
And she made sleep him on knees her and she summoned the man and she shaved off seven [the] plaits of head his and she began to humble him and it departed strength his from on him.
20 And she said: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking from sleep, he said in his mind: I will go out as I did before, and shake myself, not knowing that the Lord was departed from him.
And she said [the] Philistines [are] on you O Samson and he awoke from sleep his and he said I will go out as time on time so I may shake myself free and he not he knew that Yahweh he had departed from with him.
21 Then the Philistines seized upon him, and forthwith pulled out his eyes, and led him bound in chains to Gaza, and shutting him up in prison made him grind.
And they seized him [the] Philistines and they gouged out eyes his and they brought down him Gaza towards and they bound him with bronze fetters and he was grinding in [the] house of (those imprisoned. *Q(K)*)
22 And now his hair began to grow again.
And it began [the] hair of head his to grow back when it had been shaved.
23 And the princes of the Philistines assembled together, to offer great sacrifices to Dagon their god, and to make merry, saying: Our god hath delivered our enemy Samson into our hands.
And [the] rulers of [the] Philistines they gathered to sacrifice a sacrifice great to Dagon god their and for joy and they said he has given god our in hand our Samson enemies our.
24 And the people also seeing this, praised their god, and said the same: Our god hath delivered our adversary into our bands, him that destroyed our country and killed very many.
And they saw him the people and they praised god their for they said he has given god our in hand our enemy our and [the] desolator of land our and who he has multiplied slain [ones] our.
25 And rejoicing in their feasts, when they had now taken their good cheer, they commanded that Samson should be called, and should play before them. And being brought out of prison he played before them, and they made him stand between two pillars.
And it was (like good *Q(K)*) heart their and they said summon Samson so he may make sport for us and they summoned Samson from [the] house of (those imprisoned *Q(K)*) and he made sport before them and they made stand him between the pillars.
26 And he said to the lad that guided his steps: Suffer me to touch the pillars which support the whole house, and let me lean upon them, and rest a little.
And he said Samson to the young man who kept hold on hand his permit! me (and let feel me *Q(K)*) the pillars which the house [is] established on them so I may lean on them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the princes of the Philistines were there. Moreover about three thousand persons of both sexes from the roof and the higher part of the house, were beholding Samson’s play.
And the house was full men and women and [were] there all [the] rulers of [the] Philistines and [were] on the roof about three thousand man and woman who were looking when sported Samson.
28 But he called upon the Lord, saying: O Lord God, remember me, and restore to me now my former strength, O my God, that I may revenge myself on my enemies, and for the loss of my two eyes I may take one revenge.
And he called out Samson to Yahweh and he said O Lord Yahweh remember me please and strengthen me please only the time this O God so let me avenge myself vengeance of one from [the] two eyes my from [the] Philistines.
29 And laying hold on both the pillars on which the house rested, and holding the one with his right hand, and the other with his left,
And he grasped Samson [the] two - [the] pillars of the middle which the house [was] established on them and he supported himself on them one in right [hand] his and one in left [hand] his.
30 He said: Let me die with the Philistines. And when he had strongly shook the pillars, the house fell upon all the princes, and the rest of the multitude that was there: and he killed many more at his death, than he had killed before in his life.
And he said Samson let it die life my with [the] Philistines and he stretched out with strength and it fell the house on the rulers and on all the people which [was] in it and they were the dead whom he killed in death his many more than [those] whom he had killed in life his.
31 And his brethren and all his kindred, going down took his body, and buried it between Saraa and Esthaol in the buryingplace of his father Manue: and he judged Israel twenty years.
And they went down brothers his and all [the] household of father his and they carried him and they brought [him] up - and they buried him between Zorah and between Eshtaol in [the] tomb of Manoah father his and he he judged Israel twenty year[s].

< Judges 16 >