Iudicum 16
1 abiit quoque in Gazam et vidit ibi meretricem mulierem ingressusque est ad eam
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
2 quod cum audissent Philisthim et percrebruisset apud eos intrasse urbem Samson circumdederunt eum positis in porta civitatis custodibus et ibi tota nocte cum silentio praestolantes ut facto mane exeuntem occiderent
When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
3 dormivit autem Samson usque ad noctis medium et inde consurgens adprehendit ambas portae fores cum postibus suis et sera inpositasque umeris portavit ad verticem montis qui respicit Hebron
But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
4 post haec amavit mulierem quae habitabat in valle Sorech et vocabatur Dalila
Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 veneruntque ad eam principes Philisthinorum atque dixerunt decipe eum et disce ab illo in quo tantam habeat fortitudinem et quomodo eum superare valeamus et vinctum adfligere quod si feceris dabimus tibi singuli mille centum argenteos
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
6 locuta est ergo Dalila ad Samson dic mihi obsecro in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo et quid sit quo ligatus erumpere nequeas
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 cui respondit Samson si septem nervicis funibus necdum siccis et adhuc humentibus ligatus fuero infirmus ero ut ceteri homines
Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”
8 adtuleruntque ad eam satrapae Philisthinorum septem funes ut dixerat quibus vinxit eum
So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
9 latentibus apud se insidiis et in cubiculo finem rei expectantibus clamavitque ad eum Philisthim super te Samson qui rupit vincula quomodo si rumpat quis filum de stuppae tortum putamine cum odorem ignis acceperit et non est cognitum in quo esset fortitudo eius
While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.
10 dixitque ad eum Dalila ecce inlusisti mihi et falsum locutus es saltim nunc indica quo ligari debeas
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
11 cui ille respondit si ligatus fuero novis funibus qui numquam fuerunt in opere infirmus ero et aliorum hominum similis
He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.”
12 quibus rursum Dalila vinxit eum et clamavit Philisthim super te Samson in cubiculo insidiis praeparatis qui ita rupit vincula quasi fila telarum
So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like they were threads.
13 dixitque Dalila rursum ad eum usquequo decipis me et falsum loqueris ostende quo vinciri debeas si inquit septem crines capitis mei cum licio plexueris et clavum his circumligatum terrae fixeris infirmus ero
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”
14 quod cum fecisset Dalila dixit ad eum Philisthim super te Samson qui consurgens de somno extraxit clavum cum crinibus et licio
So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.
15 dixitque ad eum Dalila quomodo dicis quod ames me cum animus tuus non sit mecum per tres vices mentitus es mihi et noluisti dicere in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo
“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
16 cumque molesta ei esset et per multos dies iugiter adhereret spatium ad quietem non tribuens defecit anima eius et ad mortem usque lassata est
Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,
17 tunc aperiens veritatem rei dixit ad eam ferrum numquam ascendit super caput meum quia nazareus id est consecratus Deo sum de utero matris meae si rasum fuerit caput meum recedet a me fortitudo mea et deficiam eroque ut ceteri homines
Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
18 videns illa quod confessus ei esset omnem animum suum misit ad principes Philisthinorum atque mandavit ascendite adhuc semel quia nunc mihi aperuit cor suum qui ascenderunt adsumpta pecunia quam promiserant
When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
19 at illa dormire eum fecit super genua sua et in sinu suo reclinare caput vocavitque tonsorem et rasit septem crines eius et coepit abicere eum et a se repellere statim enim ab eo fortitudo discessit
And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
20 dixitque Philisthim super te Samson qui de somno consurgens dixit in animo suo egrediar sicut ante feci et me excutiam nesciens quod Dominus recessisset ab eo
Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21 quem cum adprehendissent Philisthim statim eruerunt oculos eius et duxerunt Gazam vinctum catenis et clausum in carcere molere fecerunt
Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.
22 iamque capilli eius renasci coeperant
However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.
23 et principes Philisthinorum convenerunt in unum ut immolarent hostias magnificas Dagon deo suo et epularentur dicentes tradidit deus noster inimicum nostrum Samson in manus nostras
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
24 quod etiam populus videns laudabat deum suum eademque dicebat tradidit deus noster in manus nostras adversarium qui delevit terram nostram et occidit plurimos
And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”
25 laetantesque per convivia sumptis iam epulis praeceperunt ut vocaretur Samson et ante eos luderet qui adductus de carcere ludebat ante eos feceruntque eum stare inter duas columnas
And while their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him between the pillars.
26 qui dixit puero regenti gressus suos dimitte me ut tangam columnas quibus omnis inminet domus ut recliner super eas et paululum requiescam
Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.”
27 domus autem plena erat virorum ac mulierum et erant ibi omnes principes Philisthinorum ac de tecto et solario circiter tria milia utriusque sexus spectabant ludentem Samson
Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.
28 at ille invocato Domino ait Domine Deus memento mei et redde nunc mihi pristinam fortitudinem Deus meus ut ulciscar me de hostibus meis et pro amissione duorum luminum unam ultionem recipiam
Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”
29 et adprehendens ambas columnas quibus innitebatur domus alteramque earum dextera et alteram leva tenens
And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
30 ait moriatur anima mea cum Philisthim concussisque fortiter columnis cecidit domus super omnes principes et ceteram multitudinem quae ibi erat multoque plures interfecit moriens quam ante vivus occiderat
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life.
31 descendentes autem fratres eius et universa cognatio tulerunt corpus eius et sepelierunt inter Saraa et Esthaol in sepulchro patris Manue iudicavitque Israhel viginti annis
Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
