Judges 16

Samson at Gaza

16One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he met a prostitute and went to bed with her.H3212H8123H5804H7200H802H2181H9352The people of Gaza found out that Samson was there, so they surrounded the place and waited for him all night long at the city gate. They were quiet all night, thinking to themselves, "We'll wait until daybreak, and then we'll kill him."H5841H559H8123H935H5437H693H3915H8179H5892H2790H3915H559H1242H216H20263But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up and took hold of the city gate and pulled it up - doors, posts, lock, and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them far off to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron.H8123H7901H2677H3915H6965H2677H3915H270H1817H8179H5892H8147H4201H5265H1280H7760H3802H5927H7218H2022H6440H2275

Samson and Delilah

4After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley.H310H157H802H5158H7796H8034H18075The five Philistine kings went to her and said, "Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."H5633H6430H5927H559H6601H7200H1419H3581H3201H631H6031H5414H376H505H3967H37016So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?"H1807H559H8123H5046H1419H3581H631H60317Samson answered, "If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I'll be as weak as anybody else."H8123H559H631H7651H3892H3499H2717H2470H259H1208So the Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up.H5633H6430H5927H7651H3892H3499H2717H6319She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. So they still did not know the secret of his strength.H693H3427H2315H559H6430H8123H5423H3499H6616H5296H5423H7306H784H3581H304510Delilah told Samson, "Look, you've been making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Please tell me how someone could tie you up."H1807H559H8123H2048H1696H3577H5046H63111He told her, "If they tie me with new ropes that have never been used, I'll be as weak as anybody else."H559H631H631H2319H5688H4399H6213H2470H259H12012So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. Then she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" The men were waiting in another room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.H1807H3947H2319H5688H631H559H6430H8123H693H3427H2315H5423H2220H233913Delilah said to Samson, "You're still making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Tell me how someone could tie you up." He told her, "If you weave my seven locks of hair into a loom, and make it tight with a peg, I'll be as weak as anybody else."H1807H559H8123H2008H2048H1696H3577H5046H631H559H707H7651H4253H7218H454514Delilah then lulled him to sleep, took his seven locks of hair, and wove them into the loom. She made it tight with a peg and shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he woke up and pulled his hair loose from the loom.H8628H3489H559H6430H8123H3364H8142H5265H3489H708H454515So she said to him, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it? You've made a fool of me three times, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong."H559H349H559H157H3820H2048H7969H6471H5046H1419H358116She kept on asking him, day after day. He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about itH6693H3117H1697H509H5315H7114H419117that he finally told her the truth. "My hair has never been cut," he said. "I have been dedicated to God as a nazirite from the time I was born. If my hair were cut, I would lose my strength and be as weak as anybody else."H5046H3820H559H5927H4177H7218H5139H430H517H990H1548H3581H5493H2470H12018When Delilah realized that he had told her the truth, she sent a message to the Philistine kings and said, "Come back one more time. He has told me the truth." Then they came and brought the money with them.H1807H7200H5046H3820H7971H7121H5633H6430H559H5927H6471H5046H3820H5633H6430H5927H5927H3701H302719Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and then called a man, who cut off Samson's seven locks of hair. Then she began to torment him, for he had lost his strength.H3462H1290H7121H376H1548H7651H4253H7218H2490H6031H3581H549320Then she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" He woke up and thought, "I'll get loose and go free, as always." He did not know that the LORD had left him.H559H6430H8123H3364H8142H559H3318H6471H5287H3045H3068H549321The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with bronze chains, and put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison.H6430H270H5365H5869H3381H5804H631H5178H2912H631H100422But his hair started growing back.H8181H7218H2490H6779H834H1548

The Death of Samson

23The Philistine kings met together to celebrate and offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They sang, "Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!"H5633H6430H622H2076H1419H2077H1712H430H8057H559H430H5414H8123H341H302724They were enjoying themselves, and so they said, "Call Samson, and let's make him entertain us!" When they brought Samson out of the prison, they made him entertain them and made him stand between the columns.H5971H7200H1984H430H559H430H5414H3027H341H2717H776H2491H723525When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: "Our god has given us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!"H3820H2896H559H7121H8123H7832H7121H8123H631H1004H6440H6711H5975H598226Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, "Let me touch the columns that hold up the building. I want to lean on them."H8123H559H5288H2388H3027H3240H4184H3237H5982H1004H3559H817227The building was crowded with men and women. All five Philistine kings were there, and there were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching Samson entertain them.H1004H4390H582H802H5633H6430H1406H7969H505H376H802H7200H8123H783228Then Samson prayed, "Sovereign LORD, please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes."H8123H7121H3068H559H136H3069H2142H2388H6471H430H259H5358H5359H6430H8147H586929So Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. Putting one hand on each column, he pushed against themH8123H3943H8147H8432H5982H1004H3559H5564H259H3225H259H804030and shouted, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed with all his might, and the building fell down on the five kings and everyone else. Samson killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life.H8123H559H4191H5315H6430H5186H3581H1004H5307H5633H5971H4191H4191H4194H7227H4191H241631His brothers and the rest of his family came down to get his body. They took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had been Israel's leader for twenty years.H251H1004H1H3381H5375H5927H6912H6881H847H6913H4495H1H8199H3478H6242H8141