Judges 16
1 Then went Samson unto Gaza, —and saw there an unchaste woman, and went in unto her.
And Samson went to Gazah, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying—Samson hath come in hither. So they came round, and lay in wait for him, all the night, in the gate of the city, —but kept themselves quiet all the night, saying, Until the light of the morning, then will we slay him.
[And it was told] the Gazathites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they surrounded [him], and laid wait for him all night at the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning light we will kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and of the two doorposts, and tare them away, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders, —and carried them up to the top of the hill that faceth Hebron.
And Samson lay till midnight; and he arose at midnight, and seized the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and tore them up with the bar, and put [them] upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass, after this, that he loved a woman in the ravine of Shorek, whose, name, was Delilah.
And it came to pass afterwards that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 So the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said to her—Entice him, and see wherein lieth his great strength, and wherewith we may prevail against him, and bind him, to humble him, —and, we, will give thee, every man, eleven hundred pieces of silver.
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Persuade him, and see in what his great strength is, and with what we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to overpower him; and we will each give thee eleven hundred silver-pieces.
6 So Delilah said unto Samson, Do tell me, I pray thee, wherein lieth thy great strength, —and wherewith thou mightest be bound, to humble thee.
Then Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, in what is thy great strength, and with what thou mightest be bound to overpower thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green cords, that have not been dried, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.
And Samson said to her, If they should bind me with seven fresh cords which have not been dried, then should I be weak, and be as another man.
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords, that had not been dried, —and she bound him therewith.
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now, the liers in wait, were tarrying for her, in an inner chamber, —and she said unto him, —The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he snapped the cords as a thread of tow is broken, when fire bloweth thereon, so his strength was not discovered.
Now she had liers in wait abiding in the chamber; and she said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he broke the cords, as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire; and his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Lo! thou hast been laughing at me, and speaking unto me falsehoods, —Now, do tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
And Delilah said to Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Now tell me, I pray thee, with what thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they, bind me fast, with new ropes, wherewith work was never done, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.
And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes, with which no work has been done, then should I be weak, and be as another man.
12 So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him—The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! Now, the liers in wait, were tarrying in an inner chamber. And he snapped them off his arms like a thread.
And Delilah took new ropes, and bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! Now there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson—Hitherto, hast thou been laughing at me, and speaking unto me falsehoods, do tell me, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weave the seven braids of my head with the warp.
And Delilah said to Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what thou mightest be bound. And he said to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 So she beat them up with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he awaked out of his sleep, and pulled out the pin of the loom, and the warp.
And she fastened it with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and tore out the pin of the beam, and the web.
15 And she said unto him—How canst thou say, I love thee, when, thy heart, is not with me? These three times, hast thou laughed at me, and hast not told me wherein lieth thy great strength.
Then she said to him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? these three times hast thou mocked me, and hast not told me in what is thy great strength.
16 And it came to pass, when she urged him with her words continually, and pressed him, that his soul became impatient, unto death;
And it came to pass when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 so he told her all his heart, and said to her—No, razor, hath come on my head, for, one separate unto God, have I been, from my birth, —if I were shaven, then would depart from me my strength, and I should become weak, and be as any other man.
and he told her all his heart, and said to her, There has not come a razor upon my head; for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb; if I should be shaven, then my strength would go from me, and I should be weak, and be like all mankind.
18 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. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought up the silver in their hand.
And Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, and she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this time, for he has told me all his heart. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees, and called for a man, and caused him to shave off the seven braids of his head, —and she began to humble him, and his strength departed from him.
And she made him sleep upon her knees, and called a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to overpower him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said—The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and said—I will go out now, as time after time, and shake myself free: he, not knowing, that, Yahweh, 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 disengage myself. And he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him.
21 And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, —and took him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of bronze, and it came to pass that he used to grind in the prison.
And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gazah, and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he had to grind in the prison-house.
22 And the hair of his head began to grow, after he had been shaven.
But the hair of his head began to grow after he was shaved.
23 Now, the lords of the Philistines, had 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.
Then the lords of the Philistines gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.
24 And, when the people saw him, they praised their god, —for they said—Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, even him who laid waste our land, and who multiplied our slain.
And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god has given into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, even him who multiplied our slain.
25 And it came to pass, when their heart was merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport for us. So they called for Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them, and they stationed him between the pillars.
And it came to pass when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he played before them; and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the youth that held him by his hand, Place me where I may feel the pillars whereon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them.
And Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, Let loose of me, and suffer me to feel the pillars upon which the house stands, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now, the house, was full of men and women, there, also were all the lords of the Philistines, —and, on the roof, were about three thousand men and women, looking on while Samson made sport.
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and upon the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson made sport.
28 So then Samson cried unto Yahweh, and said, —My Lord Yahweh! remember me, I pray thee, —and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged, with one avenging, for my two eyes, upon the Philistines.
And Samson called to Jehovah, and said, Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may take one vengeance upon the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 Then did Samson grasp the two middle pillars, whereon the house rested, and whereon it was upheld, and he braced himself against them, —the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood (and he supported himself upon them), the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
30 And Samson said—Let my soul die with the Philistines! And he bowed mightily, 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 they whom he slew in his life.
And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines! And he bowed himself with might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain in his life.
31 Then came down his brethren, and all the house of his father, and lifted him, and carried him up, and buried him, between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the buryingplace of Manoah his father, —he, having judged Israel twenty years.
And his brethren came down, and all the house of his father, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zoreah and Eshtaol in the sepulchre of Manoah his father. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
