Judges 14
1 And Samson goes down to Timnath, and sees a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines,
And Samson went down to Timnathah, and saw a woman in Timnathah of the daughters of the Philistines.
2 and comes up and declares [it] to his father and to his mother, and says, “I have seen a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines; and now, take her for me for a wife.”
And he went up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnathah of the daughters of the Philistines; and now take her to me for wife.
3 And his father says to him—also his mother, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brothers, and among all my people, that you are going to take a woman from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson says to his father, “Take her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
Then said unto him his father and his mother, Is there not among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, a woman, that thou art going to take a wife from the Philistines, the uncircumcised? And Samson said unto his father, This one take for me; for she pleaseth me well.
4 And his father and his mother have not known that it [is] from YHWH, that He is seeking a meeting of the Philistines; and the Philistines are ruling over Israel at that time.
But his father and his mother knew not that it was from the Lord, that he sought but an occasion against the Philistines; and at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
5 And Samson goes down—also his father and his mother, to Timnath, and they come to the vineyards of Timnath, and behold, a lion’s whelp roars at meeting him,
And Samson thus went down, with his father and his mother, to Timnathah; and when they were come as far as the vineyards of Timnathah, behold, a young lion came roaring toward him.
6 and the Spirit of YHWH prospers over him, and he tears it as the tearing of a kid, and there is nothing in his hand, and he has not declared to his father and to his mother that which he has done.
And the Spirit of the Lord came suddenly over him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
7 And he goes down and speaks to the woman, and she is right in the eyes of Samson;
And he went down, and spoke unto the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
8 and he turns back after [some] days to take her, and turns aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, a swarm of bees [are] in the body of the lion—and honey.
And when he returned after a time to take her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the carcass of the lion and honey likewise.
9 And he takes it down on to his hands, and goes on, going and eating; and he goes to his father, and to his mother, and gives to them, and they eat, and he has not declared to them that he took down the honey from the body of the lion.
And he took it out in his hands, and went on, eating as he was going, and came to his father and mother, and he gave unto them, and they did eat; but he told them not that out of the carcass of the lion he had taken the honey.
10 And his father goes down to the woman, and Samson makes a banquet there, for so the young men does;
And his father went down unto the woman; and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
11 and it comes to pass, when they see him, that they take thirty companions, and they are with him.
And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions, and they remained with him.
12 And Samson says to them, “Now let me put forth a riddle to you; if you certainly declare it to me [in] the seven days of the banquet, and have found [it] out, then I have given thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of garments to you;
And Samson said unto them, I will now propound unto you a riddle; if ye can in anywise tell it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then will I give you thirty shirts and thirty changes of garments;
13 and if you are not able to declare [it] to me, then you have given thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of garments to me.” And they say to him, “Put forth your riddle, and we hear it!”
But if ye will not be able to tell it to me, then shall ye give me thirty shirts and thirty changes of garments. And they said unto him, Propound thy riddle, that we may hear it.
14 And he says to them: “Out of the eater came forth something to eat, And out of the strong came forth [something] sweet”; and they were not able to declare the riddle [in] three days.
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not solve the riddle in three days.
15 And it comes to pass, on the seventh day, that they say to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he declare the riddle to us, lest we burn you and the house of your father with fire; have you not called for us [here] to rob us?”
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Persuade thy husband, that he may solve unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye invited us to impoverish us? is it not so?
16 And Samson’s wife weeps for it and says, “You have only hated me, and have not loved me; you have put forth the riddle to the sons of my people, but have not declared it to me”; and he says to her, “Behold, I have not declared [it] to my father and to my mother—and I declare [it] to you?”
And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou doest but hate me, and lovest me not: that riddle hast thou propounded unto the children of my people, and me hast thou not told [the solution]. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it to my father and to my mother, and thee shall I tell it?
17 And she weeps for it the seven days [in] which their banquet has been, and it comes to pass on the seventh day that he declares [it] to her, for she has distressed him; and she declares the riddle to the sons of her people.
And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted; and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she had worried him: and she told [the solution of] the riddle to the children of her people.
18 And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goes in: “What [is] sweeter than honey? And what [is] stronger than a lion?” And he says to them: “Unless you had plowed with my heifer, You had not found out my riddle.”
Then said unto him the men of the city on the seventh day before the sun was yet gone down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
19 And the Spirit of YHWH prospers over him, and he goes down to Ashkelon, and strikes down thirty of their men, and takes their armor, and gives the changes to those declaring the riddle; and his anger burns, and he goes up to the house of his father;
And the Spirit of the Lord came suddenly over him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew of them thirty men, and he took their apparel, and gave the changes of garments unto the expounders of the riddle; but his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
20 and Samson’s wife becomes his companion’s, who had attended to him.
And Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been given him as his associate.
