Κριταί 16
1 καὶ ἐπορεύθη Σαμψων εἰς Γάζαν καὶ εἶδεν ἐκεῖ γυναῖκα πόρνην καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτήν
One day Samson went to Gaza [city in the Philistia area]. He spent some time with a prostitute.
2 καὶ ἀνηγγέλη τοῖς Γαζαίοις λέγοντες ἥκει Σαμψων ὧδε καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν καὶ ἐνήδρευσαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐκώφευσαν ὅλην τὴν νύκτα λέγοντες ἕως διαφαύσῃ ὁ ὄρθρος καὶ φονεύσωμεν αὐτόν
People soon found out that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together at the city gate and waited all night. They said to themselves, “When it dawns tomorrow morning, we will kill him [when he tries to leave the city].”
3 καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Σαμψων ἕως μεσονυκτίου καὶ ἀνέστη ἐν ἡμίσει τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἐπελάβετο τῶν θυρῶν τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως σὺν τοῖς δυσὶ σταθμοῖς καὶ ἀνεβάστασεν αὐτὰς σὺν τῷ μοχλῷ καὶ ἔθηκεν ἐπ’ ὤμων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἐπὶ προσώπου Χεβρων καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὰ ἐκεῖ
But Samson did not stay there all night. At midnight, he got up. He went to the city gate, he took hold of its two posts, and he lifted it up out of the ground, with its [connecting cross] bar still attached. He put it on his shoulders and carried it [many miles] uphill to Hebron.
4 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἠγάπησεν γυναῖκα ἐν Αλσωρηχ καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῇ Δαλιδα
Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, [and started to live with her]. She lived in Sorek Valley [in the Philistia area].
5 καὶ ἀνέβησαν πρὸς αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῇ ἀπάτησον αὐτὸν καὶ ἰδὲ ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐν τίνι δυνησόμεθα αὐτῷ καὶ δήσομεν αὐτὸν τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι αὐτόν καὶ ἡμεῖς δώσομέν σοι ἀνὴρ χιλίους καὶ ἑκατὸν ἀργυρίου
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Find out from Samson what makes him so strong. And find out how we can subdue him and tie him up securely. If you do that, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 καὶ εἶπεν Δαλιδα πρὸς Σαμψων ἀπάγγειλον δή μοι ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ τοῦ ταπεινωθῆναί σε
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong, and tell me how someone can subdue you and tie you up.”
7 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Σαμψων ἐὰν δήσωσίν με ἐν ἑπτὰ νευρέαις ὑγραῖς μὴ διεφθαρμέναις καὶ ἀσθενήσω καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων
Samson said, “If someone ties me with seven new bowstrings, ones that are not dry yet, I will become as weak as other men.”
8 καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν αὐτῇ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἑπτὰ νευρὰς ὑγρὰς μὴ διεφθαρμένας καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν αὐταῖς
So [after Delilah told that to the Philistine leaders], they brought seven new bowstrings to Delilah.
9 καὶ τὸ ἔνεδρον αὐτῇ ἐκάθητο ἐν τῷ ταμιείῳ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ Σαμψων καὶ διέσπασεν τὰς νευρέας ὡς εἴ τις ἀποσπάσοι στρέμμα στιππύου ἐν τῷ ὀσφρανθῆναι αὐτὸ πυρός καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώσθη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ
Then she hid the men in one of the rooms in her house. Then [while Samson was sleeping], she tied him up with the bowstrings. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come here to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as easily as though they were strings that had been singed in a fire. So the Philistines did not find out what made Samson so strong.
10 καὶ εἶπεν Δαλιδα πρὸς Σαμψων ἰδοὺ ἐπλάνησάς με καὶ ἐλάλησας πρός με ψευδῆ νῦν οὖν ἀνάγγειλόν μοι ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have deceived me and lied to me! Now tell me [the truth, ] how someone can tie you up securely.”
11 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτήν ἐὰν δεσμεύοντες δήσωσίν με ἐν καλωδίοις καινοῖς οἷς οὐκ ἐγένετο ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔργον καὶ ἀσθενήσω καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων
Samson replied, “If someone ties me with new ropes, ones that have never been used, I will be as weak as other men.”
12 καὶ ἔλαβεν Δαλιδα καλώδια καινὰ καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ ἔνεδρα ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ταμιείου καὶ εἶπεν ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ Σαμψων καὶ διέσπασεν αὐτὰ ἀπὸ βραχιόνων αὐτοῦ ὡς σπαρτίον
So again, [she told the Philistine leaders, and] they [came and] hid in the room as they had done before. And again, while Samson was sleeping, she took the new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the ropes on his arms as easily as if they were threads.
13 καὶ εἶπεν Δαλιδα πρὸς Σαμψων ἰδοὺ ἐπλάνησάς με καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς ἐμὲ ψευδῆ ἀπάγγειλον δή μοι ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτήν ἐὰν ὑφάνῃς τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς μου σὺν τῷ διάσματι καὶ ἐγκρούσῃς τῷ πασσάλῳ εἰς τὸν τοῖχον καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθενής
Then Delilah said, “You have deceived me and lied to me [again]! Please tell me how someone can tie you up securely!” Samson replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the threads you are weaving on the loom, and then fasten those threads with the pin [that makes the threads tight], then I will be as weak as other men.” So again, while Samson was sleeping on her lap, Delilah held the seven braids of his hair, and wove them into the threads on the loom,
14 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κοιμᾶσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν Δαλιδα τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὕφανεν ἐν τῷ διάσματι καὶ ἔπηξεν τῷ πασσάλῳ εἰς τὸν τοῖχον καὶ εἶπεν ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ Σαμψων καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξῆρεν τὸν πάσσαλον τοῦ ὑφάσματος ἐκ τοῦ τοίχου
and she tightened them with the pin. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up and pulled out the pin, and pulled his hair from the threads on the loom.
15 καὶ εἶπεν Δαλιδα πρὸς Σαμψων πῶς λέγεις ἠγάπηκά σε καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ καρδία σου μετ’ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο τρίτον ἐπλάνησάς με καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἡ μεγάλη
Then Delilah said to him, “How can you say that you love me when you do not tell me the truth about yourself? You have deceived me three times, and you still have not told me what really makes you so strong!”
16 καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐξέθλιψεν αὐτὸν ἐν λόγοις αὐτῆς πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας καὶ ἐστενοχώρησεν αὐτόν καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησεν ἕως τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν
Day after day she nagged him like that. He thought he would die from her nagging [IDM].
17 καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν αὐτῇ τὴν πᾶσαν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου ὅτι ἅγιος θεοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι ἀπὸ κοιλίας μητρός μου ἐὰν οὖν ξυρήσωμαι ἀποστήσεται ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἡ ἰσχύς μου καὶ ἀσθενήσω καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι
Finally Samson told her the truth. He said, “I have been set apart for God since the day I was born. And because of that, my hair has never been cut. If my hair were shaved off, my strength would be gone, and I would be as weak as other men.”
18 καὶ εἶδεν Δαλιδα ὅτι ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῇ πᾶσαν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέστειλεν καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων λέγουσα ἀνάβητε ἔτι τὸ ἅπαξ τοῦτο ὅτι ἀπήγγειλέν μοι τὴν πᾶσαν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνέβησαν πρὸς αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν τὸ ἀργύριον ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν
Delilah realized that this time he had told her the truth. So she summoned the Philistine leaders again, saying, “Come back one more time, because Samson has really told me everything [about why he is so strong]”. So the Philistine leaders returned and brought to Delilah the money [that they promised to give her].
19 καὶ ἐκοίμισεν Δαλιδα τὸν Σαμψων ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτῆς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἄνδρα καὶ ἐξύρησεν τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤρξατο ταπεινῶσαι αὐτόν καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
Again she lulled Samson to sleep, with his head in her lap. Then she called one of the Philistine men to come and shave off Samson’s hair. As he did that, Samson began to get weaker. And finally his strength was all gone.
20 καὶ εἶπεν Δαλιδα ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ Σαμψων καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἐξελεύσομαι ὡς ἅπαξ καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ ἐκτιναχθήσομαι καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔγνω ὅτι ἀπέστη ὁ κύριος ἀπάνωθεν αὐτοῦ
Then [after she tied him up], she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before. I will shake [these ropes] off myself and be free!” But he did not realize that Yahweh had left him.
21 καὶ ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ ἐξέκοψαν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ κατήνεγκαν αὐτὸν εἰς Γάζαν καὶ ἐπέδησαν αὐτὸν ἐν πέδαις χαλκείαις καὶ ἦν ἀλήθων ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου
So the Philistine men seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza. There they put him in prison and bound him with bronze chains. They made him [turn a millstone to] grind grain [every day].
22 καὶ ἤρξατο θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ βλαστάνειν καθὼς ἐξυρήσατο
But his hair started to grow again.
23 καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων συνήχθησαν θῦσαι θυσίασμα μέγα τῷ Δαγων θεῷ αὐτῶν καὶ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ εἶπαν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν χειρὶ ἡμῶν τὸν Σαμψων τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν
[Several months later] the Philistine leaders celebrated a big festival. During the festival they offered sacrifices to their god Dagon. They praised him, saying, “Our god has enabled us to defeat our great enemy Samson!”
24 καὶ εἶδαν αὐτὸν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὕμνησαν τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν ὅτι παρέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν ἐν χειρὶ ἡμῶν τὸν ἐρημοῦντα τὴν γῆν ἡμῶν καὶ ὃς ἐπλήθυνεν τοὺς τραυματίας ἡμῶν
And when the other people saw Samson, they also praised their god Dagon, saying, “Samson ruined our crops and killed many of our people, but our god has put our enemy into our hands. Our god helped us to capture the one who has killed so many of us!”
25 καὶ ὅτε ἠγαθύνθη ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπαν καλέσατε τὸν Σαμψων ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καὶ παιξάτω ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τὸν Σαμψων ἀπὸ οἴκου δεσμωτηρίου καὶ ἔπαιζεν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐρράπιζον αὐτὸν καὶ ἔστησαν αὐτὸν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κιόνων
By that time the people were half-drunk. They shouted, “Bring Samson out of the prison! Bring him here so that he can entertain us!” So they brought Samson from the prison and made fun of him. Then they made him stand in the center of the temple. They made him stand between the two pillars that held up the roof.
26 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμψων πρὸς τὸν νεανίαν τὸν κρατοῦντα τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἄφες με καὶ ψηλαφήσω τοὺς κίονας ἐφ’ οἷς ὁ οἶκος στήκει ἐπ’ αὐτούς καὶ ἐπιστηριχθήσομαι ἐπ’ αὐτούς
Samson said to the servant who was leading him by his hand, “Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them.”
27 καὶ ὁ οἶκος πλήρης τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ ἐκεῖ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ δῶμα ὡς ἑπτακόσιοι ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες οἱ θεωροῦντες ἐν παιγνίαις Σαμψων
At that time the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine leaders were also there. And there were about 3,000 people on the roof, watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 καὶ ἔκλαυσεν Σαμψων πρὸς κύριον καὶ εἶπεν Αδωναιε κύριε μνήσθητι δή μου νῦν καὶ ἐνίσχυσόν με ἔτι τὸ ἅπαξ τοῦτο θεέ καὶ ἀνταποδώσω ἀνταπόδοσιν μίαν περὶ τῶν δύο ὀφθαλμῶν μου τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις
Then Samson prayed, saying, “Yahweh, my Lord, think about me again! Please give me strength one more time, so that I may get revenge on the Philistines for gouging out my eyes!”
29 καὶ περιέλαβεν Σαμψων τοὺς δύο κίονας τοῦ οἴκου ἐφ’ οὓς ὁ οἶκος εἱστήκει καὶ ἐπεστηρίχθη ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκράτησεν ἕνα τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕνα τῇ ἀριστερᾷ αὐτοῦ
Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars of the temple. He put his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other pillar.
30 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμψων ἀποθανέτω ψυχή μου μετὰ ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐβάσταξεν ἐν ἰσχύι καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ οἶκος ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἦσαν οἱ τεθνηκότες οὓς ἐθανάτωσεν Σαμψων ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ πλείους ἢ οὓς ἐθανάτωσεν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ
Then he shouted [to God], “Let me die with the Philistines!”, and he pushed with all his strength. [The pillars collapsed], and the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the other Philistine people, [and they all died]. So Samson killed more people when he died than he had killed all during his life.
31 καὶ κατέβησαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέβησαν καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἀνὰ μέσον Σαραα καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Εσθαολ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ Μανωε τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔκρινεν τὸν Ισραηλ εἴκοσι ἔτη
Later his brothers and their relatives went down [from Zorah to Gaza] to get his body. They took it back home and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, at the place where Samson’s father Manoah was buried. Samson had been Israel’s leader for 20 years.
