Judges 16
1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and he went to have sex with her that night.
Then went Samson to Gazzah, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
2 The men of Gaza found out Samson was there, so they gathered to spend the night lying in wait for him at the town gates. They kept quiet all night, whispering to one another, “We'll kill him when it gets light.”
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 But Samson only stayed until halfway through the night. He grabbed hold of the town gates along with their two posts and ripped them up, along with the lock-bar. Putting them on his shoulders, he carried them to the hill opposite 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 Later he fell in love with a woman named Delilah living in the Sorek Valley.
And it came to pass after this, that he loved a woman in the valley of Shorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 The Philistine leaders approached her, saying, “See if you can seduce him and get him to show you the secret of his incredible strength, and find out how we can overpower him and tie him up so he can't do anything. We'll all give you eleven hundred shekels of silver each.”
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 went and pleaded with Samson, “Please tell me where your incredible strength comes from, and what can be used to tie you up so you can't do anything.”
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 “If I'm tied up with seven supple bowstrings that haven't dried out, I'll become just as weak,” Samson told her.
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 The Philistine leaders brought her seven supple bowstrings that hadn't dried out, and she tied him up 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 Having arranged for men to hide in her bedroom ready to attack him, she shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a thread snaps when a flame touches it. So nobody found out where his strength came from.
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 Later Delilah said to Samson, “You've made me look stupid, telling me these lies! So now please tell me what can be used to tie you up.”
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 “If I'm tied up tight with new ropes that haven't been used before, I'll become just as weak as anyone else,” he told her.
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 got some new ropes and tied him up with them. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” As before, men were hiding in her bedroom. But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thin threads.
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, “You keep on making me look stupid, telling me these lies! Just tell me what can be used to tie you up!” “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the web on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as anyone else,” he told her. So while he was asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, weaving them into the web,
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 and tightening the pin. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But Samson woke up and ripped out both the pin and the web from the loom.
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 Then Delilah complained to Samson, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don't let me into your confidence? Three times you've me look stupid, not telling me where your incredible strength comes from!”
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 She nagged and complained all the time, pestering him until he wanted to die.
And it came to pass, when she worried him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul became impatient to die;
17 Eventually Samson confided in her, sharing everything. “My hair has never been cut, because I've been dedicated as a Nazirite to God from my birth. If I'm shaved, my strength will leave me, and I'll become as weak as anyone else.”
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 Delilah realized that he had truly confided in her and shared everything, she sent a message to the Philistine leaders telling them, “Come back once more, because this time he's confided in me and told me everything.” So the Philistine leaders returned, bringing with them the money to give to her.
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 Delilah soothed him sleep on her lap, and then called in someone to shave off the seven braids of hair. She started to torment him but he couldn't do anything for his strength left 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 shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” Samson woke up and thought to himself, “I'll do like before and shake myself free.” But he didn't know that the Lord had left 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 grabbed him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza where they imprisoned him in bronze chains. He was made to work grinding grain 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 But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
But the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.
23 The Philistine leaders gathered for a great religious festival to sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us!”
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, and said, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who devastated our land and killed so many of us.”
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 As they began to get drunk, they shouted, “Summon Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison to entertain them, and made him stand between the two main pillars of the building.
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 Samson said to the servant boy who was leading him by the hand, “Leave me by the pillars on which the temple rests so I can feel them, and lean against 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 The temple was full of people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and on the roof were the ordinary people watching what Samson was doing.
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 out to the Lord, “Lord God, please remember me and give me strength. Please God, do this just once more, so that with one act I may pay the Philistines back in revenge for the loss of 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 reached for the two middle pillars that supported the temple. With his right hand leaning on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
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 shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pushed with all his strength. The temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. So those killed at his death were more than 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 his whole family came and took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He led Israel as judge for 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.
