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

And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto 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.

to the Gazathites, saying, `Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city, and keep themselves silent all the night, saying, `Till the light of the morning -- then we have slain 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.

And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night, and riseth in the middle of the night, and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city, and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar, and putteth on his shoulders, and taketh them up unto the top of the hill, which on the front of Hebron.

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

And it cometh to pass afterwards that he loveth a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name 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.

and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power, and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'

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.

And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power, and wherewith thou art bound, to afflict thee.'

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.

And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

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

And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth 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.

And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines upon thee, Samson;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire, and his power hath not been known.

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.

And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Lo, thou hast played upon me, and speakest unto me lies; now, declare, I pray thee, to me, wherewith thou art 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.

And he saith unto her, `If they certainly bind me with thick bands, new ones, by which work hath not been done, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

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.

And Delilah taketh thick bands, new ones, and bindeth him with them, and saith unto him, `Philistines upon thee, Samson;' and the ambush is abiding in an inner chamber, and he breaketh them from off his arms as 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.

And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Hitherto thou hast played upon me, and dost speak unto me lies; declare to me wherewith thou art bound.' And he saith unto her, `If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.'

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.

And she fixeth with the pin, and saith unto him, `Philistines upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and journeyeth with the pin of the weaving machine, and with the web.

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.

And she saith unto him, `How dost thou say, I have loved thee, and thy heart is not with me? these three times thou hast played upon me, and hast not declared to me wherein thy great power.'

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

And it cometh to pass, because she distressed him with her words all the days, and doth urge him, and his soul is grieved 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.

that he declareth to her all his heart, and saith to her, `A razor hath not gone up on my head, for a Nazarite to God I from the womb of my mother; if I have been shaven, then hath my power turned aside from me, and I have been weak, and have been as any of the human race.'

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.

And Delilah seeth that he hath declared to her all his heart, and she sendeth and calleth for the princes of the Philistines, saying, `Come up this time, for he hath declared to me all his heart;' and the princes of the Philistines have come up unto her, and bring up the money in their hand.

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.

and she maketh him sleep on her knees, and calleth for a man, and shaveth the seven locks of his head, and beginneth to afflict him, and his power turneth aside from off 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.

and she saith, `Philistines upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `I go out as time by time, and shake myself;' and he hath not known that Jehovah hath turned aside from off 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.

And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house.

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

And the hair of his head beginneth to shoot up, when he hath been shaven,

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.

and the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they say, `Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy.'

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.

And the people see him, and praise their god, for they said, `Our god hath given in our hand our enemy, and he who is laying waste our land, and who multiplied our wounded.'

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.

And it cometh to pass, when their heart glad, that they say, `Call for Samson, and he doth play before us;' and they call for Samson out of the prison-house, and he playeth before them, and they cause him to 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.

And Samson saith unto the young man who is keeping hold on his hand, `Let me alone, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, and I lean upon 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.

And the house hath been full of men and of women, and thither all the princes of the Philistines, and on the roof about three thousand men and women, who are looking on the playing of Samson.

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.

And Samson calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this time, O God; and I am avenged -- vengeance at once -- because of my two eyes, on the Philistines.'

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.

And Samson turneth aside the two middle pillars, on which the house is established, and on which it is supported, the one with his right hand, and one 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 saith, `Let me die with the Philistines,' and he inclineth himself powerfully, and the house falleth on the princes, and on all the people who in it, and the dead whom he hath put to death in his death are more than those whom he put to death 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.

And his brethren come down, and all the house of his father, and lift him up, and bring him up, and bury him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying-place of Manoah his father; and he hath judged Israel twenty years.