1 B ut after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a young goat. He said, “I will go in to my wife’s room.” But her father wouldn’t allow him to go in.

But some days later, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife, taking along a kid; and he said, I will go unto my wife in the inner chamber. But her father would not allow him to go in.

2 H er father said, “I most certainly thought that you utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her, instead.”

And her father said, I truly thought you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not fairer than she? Take her, I pray you, instead.

3 S amson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in the case of the Philistines, when I harm them.”

And Samson said of them, This time shall I be blameless as regards the Philistines, though I do them evil.

4 S amson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the middle between every two tails.

So Samson went and caught 300 foxes or jackals and took torches and turning the foxes tail to tail, he put a torch between each pair of tails.

5 W hen he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the olive groves.

And when he had set the torches ablaze, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and he burned up the shocks and the standing grain, along with the olive orchards.

6 T hen the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” They said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion.” The Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they were told, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and has given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

7 S amson said to them, “If you behave like this, surely I will take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.”

And Samson said to them, If this is the way you act, surely I will take revenge on you, and after that I will quit.

8 H e struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cave in Etam’s rock.

And he smote them hip and thigh, a great slaughter; and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

9 T hen the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi.

10 T he men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”

And the men of Judah said, Why have you come up against us? And they answered, We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.

11 T hen three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in Etam’s rock, and said to Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” He said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”

Then 3, 000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock Etam and said to Samson, Have you not known that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that you have done to us? He said to them, As they did to me, so have I done to them.

12 T hey said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.”

And they said to him, We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hands of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves.

13 T hey spoke to him, saying, “No; but we will bind you securely, and deliver you into their hands; but surely we will not kill you.” They bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

And they said to him, No, we will bind you fast and give you into their hand; but surely we will not kill you. So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 W hen he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.

And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon, and the ropes on his arms became as flax that had caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.

15 H e found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, put out his hand, took it, and struck a thousand men with it.

And he found a still moist jawbone of a donkey and reached out and took it and slew 1, 000 men with it.

16 S amson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps on heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.”

And Samson said, With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain 1, 000 men!

17 W hen he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath Lehi.

And when he stopped speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and that place was called Ramath-lehi.

18 H e was very thirsty, and called on Yahweh, and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

Samson was very thirsty, and he prayed to the Lord and said, You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?

19 B ut God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day.

And God split open the hollow place that was at Lehi, and water came out of it. And when he drank, his spirit returned and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore, which is at Lehi to this day.

20 H e judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

And judged (defended) Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.