1 S amson went to Gaza and saw a woman who sold the use of her body there. He went in to her.

Then 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 gathered around the place and waited for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait until the morning light. Then we will kill him.”

The 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.

3 B ut Samson lay until late at night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the pieces that held them. He pulled them up together with the locks and put them on his shoulders. And he carried them up to the top of the mountain beside Hebron.

But 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.

4 A fter this Samson loved a woman in the valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah.

After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

5 T he leaders of the Philistines came to her, saying, “Tempt Samson to tell you the secret of his powerful strength. Find out how we can get power over him so we can tie him and hold him. Then we will each give you 1, 100 pieces of silver.”

And 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.

6 S o Delilah said to Samson, “I beg you. Tell me the secret of your powerful strength. Tell me how one can get power over you and tie you up and hold you.”

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

7 S amson said to her, “They must tie me with seven new ropes that have not been dried. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

And 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.

8 S o the leaders of the Philistines brought her seven new ropes that had not been dried. And Delilah tied Samson with them.

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

9 S he had men hiding and waiting in another room. She said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the ropes like a string breaks when it touches fire. So they did not find the secret of his strength.

Now 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.

10 D elilah said to Samson, “See, you have fooled me and told me lies. Now tell me, I beg you, how can you be tied?”

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

11 S amson said to her, “They must tie me with new ropes which have never been used. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

And 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.

12 S o Delilah took new ropes, tied Samson with them, and said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Men were hiding and waiting in another room. But Samson broke the ropes from his arms like a string.

So 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.

13 T hen Delilah said to Samson, “You have fooled me and told me lies until now. Tell me how you can be tied.” Samson said to her, “You must work the seven strings of my hair into the cloth you are making and hold it there with a nail. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

And 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.

14 S o while Samson slept, Delilah took the seven strings of his hair and worked them into the cloth. She held it in place with the nail. Then she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the nail, the cloth maker and the cloth.

And 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.

15 D elilah said to Samson, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have lied to me these three times. You have not told me the secret of your powerful strength.”

And 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.

16 S he asked him day after day until his soul was troubled to death.

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

17 S o he told her all that was in his mind. He said to her, “My hair has never been cut. For I have been a Nazirite to God from the time I was born. If my hair is cut, my strength will leave me. I will become weak and be like any other man.”

Then 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.

18 D elilah saw that Samson had told her the truth. She sent and called the leaders of the Philistines, saying, “Come once again. For he has told me all he knows.” So the leaders of the Philistines came to her. And they brought the money in their hands.

And 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.

19 S he made Samson sleep on her knees. Then she called for a man to cut off the seven parts of Samson’s hair. She began to hurt Samson, and his strength left him.

And 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.

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

She 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.

21 T he Philistines took hold of him and cut out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and tied him with brass chains. Samson was made to grind grain in the prison.

But 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.

22 B ut the hair of his head started to grow again after it was cut off. The Death of Samson

But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

23 N ow the leaders of the Philistines gathered to give a large gift to their god Dagon. They were happy, for they said, “Our god has given us Samson, the man who has fought against us.”

Then 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.

24 T he people praised their god when they saw Samson. They said, “Our god has given us the one who fought against us, destroyed our country, and killed many of us.”

And 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.

25 A fter the people had had much to drink, they said, “Bring Samson here so we can have some fun with him.” So they called Samson out of prison and made fun of him. They made him stand between the stone pillars that held up the building.

And 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.

26 S amson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the tall pillars that hold up the building. I want to rest against them.”

And 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.

27 N ow the building was full of men and women. All the leaders of the Philistines were there, and there were about 3, 000 men and women on the roof looking down and laughing at Samson.

Now 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.

28 T hen Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, I beg You. Remember me. Give me strength only this once, O God. So I may now punish the Philistines for my two eyes.”

Then 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.

29 S amson took hold of the two center pillars that held up the building. He pushed against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.

And 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.

30 S amson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his strength so that the building fell on the leaders and all the people in it. He killed more at his death than he killed in his life.

And 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.

31 T hen his brothers and all those of his father’s house came and took him. They brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the grave of his father Manoah. Samson had ruled Israel for twenty years.

Then 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.