16:1 And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there
a harlot, and went in to her.
16:2 And it was reported to the Gazites, saying, Sampson is come hither: and
they compassed him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city,
and they were quiet all the night, saying, Let us wait till the dawn appear,
and we will slay him.
16:3 And Sampson slept till midnight, and rose up at midnight, and took hold
of the doors of the gate of the city with the two posts, and lifted them up
with the bar, and laid them on his shoulders, and he went up to the top of
the mountain that is before Chebron, and laid them there.
16:4 And it came to pass after this that he loved a woman in Alsorech, and
her name [was] Dalida.
16:5 And the princess of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her,
Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength [is], and wherewith we shall
prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each
eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.
16:6 And Dalida said to Sampson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein [is] thy
great strength, and wherewith thou shalt be bound that thou mayest be
humbled.
16:7 And Sampson said to her, If they bind me with seven moist cords that
have not been spoiled, then shall I be weak and be as one of ordinary men.
16:8 And the princess of the Philistines brought to her seven moist cords
that had not been spoiled, and she bound him with them.
16:9 And the liers in wait remained with her in the chamber; and she said to
him, the Philistines [are] upon thee, Sampson: and he broke the cords as if
any one should break a thread of tow when it has touched the fire, and his
strength was not known.
16:10 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast cheated me, and told me
lies; now then tell me wherewith thou shalt be bound.
16:11 And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes with
which work has not been done, then shall I be weak, and shall be as another
man.
16:12 And Dalida took new ropes, and bound him with them, and the liers in
wait came out of the chamber, and she said, The Philistines [are] upon thee,
Sampson: and he broke them off his arms like a thread.
16:13 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me
lies; tell me, I intreat thee, wherewith thou mayest be bound: and he said
to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and
shouldest fasten them with the pin into the wall, then shall I be weak as
another man.
16:14 And it came to pass when he was asleep, that Dalida took the seven
locks of his head, and wove them with the web, and fastened them with the
pin into the wall, and she said, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Sampson:
and he awoke out of his sleep, and carried away the pin of the web out of
the wall.
16:15 And Dalida said to Sampson, How sayest thou, I love thee, when thy
heart is not with me? this third time thou hast deceived me, and hast not
told e wherein [is] thy great strength.
16:16 And it came to pass as she pressed him sore with her words
continually, and straitened him, that his spirit failed almost to death.
16:17 Then he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come
upon my head, because I have been a holy [one] of Elohim from my mother's womb;
if then I should be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I shall be
weak, and I shall be as all [other] men.
16:18 And Dalida saw that he told her all his heart, and she sent and called
the princess of the Philistines, saying, Come up yet this once; for he has
told me all his heart. And the chiefs of the Philistines went up to her, and
brought the money in their hands.
16:19 And Dalida made Sampson sleep upon her knees; and she called a man,
and he shaved the seven locks of his head, and she began to humble him, and
his strength departed from him.
16:20 And Dalida said, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Sampson: and he
awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at former times, and shake
myself; and he knew not that Yehovah was departed from him.
16:21 And the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him
down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he ground in the
prison-house.
16:22 And the hair of his head began to grow as before it was shaven.
16:23 And the chiefs of the Philistines met to offer a great sacrifice to
their god Dagon, and to make merry; and they said, Elohim has given into our
hand our enemy Sampson.
16:24 And the people saw him, and sang praises to their god; for our god,
[said they], has delivered into our hand our enemy, who wasted our land, and
who multiplied our slain.
16:25 And when their heart was merry, then they said, Call Sampson out of
the prison-house, and let him play before us: and they called Sampson out of
the prison-house, and he played before them; and they smote him with the
palms of their hands, and set him between the pillars.
16:26 And Sampson said to the young man that held his hand, Suffer me to
feel the pillar on which the house [rests], and I will stay myself upon
them.
16:27 And the house [was] full of men and woman, and there were all the
chiefs of the Philistines, and on the roof [were] about three thousand men
and woman looking at the sports of Sampson.
16:28 And Sampson wept before Yehovah, and said, O Lord, my lord, remember
me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, O Elohim, yet this once, and I will requite
one recompense to the Philistines for my two eyes.
16:29 And Sampson took hold of the two pillars of the house on which the
house stood, and leaned on them, and laid hold of one with his right hand,
and the other with his left.
16:30 And Sampson said, Let my wife perish with the Philistines: and he
bowed himself mightily; and the house fell upon the princes, and upon all
the people that were in it: and the dead whom Sampson slew in his death were
more than those whom he slew in his life.
16:31 And his brethren and his father's house went down, and they took him;
and they went up and buried him between Saraa and Esthaol in the sepulchre
of his father Manoe; and he judged Israel twenty years. |
16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there
an harlot, and went in unto her.
16:2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they
compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city,
and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we
shall kill him.
16:3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors
of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and
all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an
hill that is before Hebron.
16:4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of
Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her,
Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we
may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will
give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
16:6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great
strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
16:7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that
were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
16:8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes
which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
16:9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And
she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the
withes, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his
strength was not known.
16:10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me
lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
16:11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never
were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
16:12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said
unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait
abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
16:13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told
me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If
thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
16:14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines
be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the
pin of the beam, and with the web.
16:15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine
heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not
told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and
urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
16:17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come
a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto Elohim from my mother's
womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become
weak, and be like any other man.
16:18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and
called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he
hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto
her, and brought money in their hand.
16:19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and
she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to
afflict him, and his strength went from him.
16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out
of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake
myself. And he wist not that Yehovah was departed from him.
16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him
down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the
prison house.
16:22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer
a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our
god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
16:24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said,
Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our
country, which slew many of us.
16:25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said,
Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out
of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the
pillars.
16:26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that
I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon
them.
16:27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the
Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand
men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
16:28 And Samson called unto Yehovah, and said, O Lord Elohim, remember me, I
pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O Elohim, that I may
be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
16:29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house
stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of
the other with his left.
16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself
with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the
people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more
than they which he slew in his life.
16:31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took
him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the
buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. |