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 it came to pass within some days in the time of wheat harvest that Samson visited his wife with a kid, and he said, I will go in to my wife into the 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 was persuaded that thou didst utterly hate her; therefore, I gave her to thy companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

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

And Samson replied unto them, Now I shall be blameless before the Philistines if I do them injury.

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.

And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turning them tail to tail, he put a torch between every two 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.

Then, setting the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines and burnt up both the shocks and also the standing grain with the vineyards and oliveyards.

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 answered, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and burnt 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 unto them, Though ye have done this, yet I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

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 with a great slaughter, and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock Etam.

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

¶ Then the Philistines went up and pitched camp 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 ye 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 three thousand men of Judah went to the cleft of the rock Etam and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto 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 unto him, We have come to bind thee that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me that ye 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 answered him, saying, No, we will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hands; but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords 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 unto Lehi, the Philistines received him with shouts; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from 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 new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand and took it and slew a thousand 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.”

Then Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, one heap, two heaps; with the jaw of an ass I have slain a thousand 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 had finished speaking, he cast away the jawbone out of his hand and called that place Ramathlehi.

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?”

¶ And he was sore athirst and called on the LORD and said, Thou hast given this great salvation by the hand of thy slave; and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand 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.

Then God broke a tooth that was in the jaw, and water came out there; and he drank, and recovered his spirit, and he lived. Therefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

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

And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.