Judges

16 Then went Samson unto Gaza,—and saw there an unchaste woman, and went in unto 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.

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.

4 And it came to pass, after this, that he loved a woman in the ravine of Shorek, 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.

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.

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.

8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords that had not been dried,—and she bound him therewith.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

16 And it came to pass, when she urged him with her words continually, and pressed him that his soul became impatient 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

22 And the hair of his head began to grow after he had been shaven.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.