1 T hen Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

2 T he Gazites were told, Samson has come here. So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, In the morning, when it is light, we will kill him.

When it was told to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “ Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.”

3 B ut Samson lay until midnight, and he arose and took hold of the doors of the city’s gate and the two posts, and pulling them up, bar and all, he put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.

Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

4 A fter this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5 A nd the lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, Entice him and see in what his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him that we may bind him to subdue him. And we will each give you 1, 100 pieces of silver.

The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “ Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

6 A nd Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray you, wherein your great strength lies, and with what you might be bound to subdue you.

So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you.”

7 A nd Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven fresh, strong gutstrings, still moist, then shall I be weak and be like any other man.

Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

8 T hen the Philistine lords brought to her seven fresh, strong bowstrings, still moist, and she bound him with them.

Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 N ow she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he broke the bowstrings as a string of tow breaks when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

Now she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it touches fire. So his strength was not discovered.

10 A nd Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies; now tell me, I pray you, how you might be bound.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me how you may be bound.”

11 A nd he said to her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.

He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

12 S o Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And the men lying in wait were in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.

So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men were lying in wait in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.

13 A nd Delilah said to Samson, Until now you have mocked me and told me lies; tell me with what you might be bound. And he said to her, If you weave the seven braids of my head with the web.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

14 A nd she did so and fastened it with the pin and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep and went away with the pin of the beam and with the web.

So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web. Delilah Extracts His Secret

15 A nd she said to him, How can you say, I love you, when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me in what your great strength lies.

Then she said to him, “ How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.”

16 A nd when she pressed him day after day with her words and urged him, he was vexed to death.

It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.

17 T hen he told her all his mind and said to her, A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my birth. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.

So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 A nd when Delilah saw that he had told her all his mind, she went and called for the Philistine lords, saying, Come up this once, for he has told me all he knows. Then the Philistine lords came up to her and brought the money in their hands.

When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands.

19 A nd she made Samson sleep upon her knees, and she called a man and caused him to shave off the seven braids of his head. Then she began to torment, and his strength went from him.

She made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him.

20 S he said, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as I have time after time and shake myself free. For Samson did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

21 B ut the Philistines laid hold of him, bored out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze fetters; and he ground at the mill in the prison.

Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison.

22 B ut the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.

23 T hen the Philistine lords gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.

Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.”

24 A nd when the people saw Samson, they praised their god, for they said, Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the ravager of our country, who has slain many of us.

When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hands, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has slain many of us.”

25 A nd when their hearts were merry, they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport for us. So they called Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them. They made him stand between the pillars.

It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.

26 A nd Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, Allow me to feel the pillars upon which the house rests, that I may lean against them.

Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.”

27 N ow the house was full of men and women; all the Philistine princes were there, and on the roof were about 3, 000 men and women who looked on while Samson made sport.

Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And about 3, 000 men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them. Samson Is Avenged

28 T hen Samson called to the Lord and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray You, and strengthen me, I pray You, only this once, O God, and let me have one vengeance upon the Philistines for both my eyes.

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

29 A nd Samson laid hold of the two middle pillars by which the house was borne up, one with his right hand and the other with his left.

Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.

30 A nd Samson cried, Let me die with the Philistines! And he bowed himself mightily, and the house fell upon the princes and upon all the people that were in it. 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 bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.

31 T hen his kinsmen and all the tribal family of his father came down, took his body, and brought it up; and they buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial place of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.