Judges 16
1 Then went Samson unto Gaza, —and saw there an unchaste woman, and went in unto her.
Also Sampson yede in to Gazam, and he siy there a womman hoore, and he entride to hir.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying—Samson hath come in hither. So they came round, and lay in wait for him, all the night, in the gate of the city, —but kept themselves quiet all the night, saying, Until the light of the morning, then will we slay him.
And whanne Filisteis hadden seyn this, and it was pupplischid at hem, that Sampson entride in to the citee, thei cumpassiden hym, whanne keperis weren set in the yate of the citee; and thei abididen there al nyyt `with silence, that in the morewtid thei schulen kille Sampson goynge out.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and of the two doorposts, and tare them away, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders, —and carried them up to the top of the hill that faceth Hebron.
Forsothe Sampson slepte til to `the myddis of the nyyt; and `fro thennus he roos, and took bothe the closyngis, ethir leeues, of the yate, with hise postis and lok; and he bar tho leeues, put on the schuldris, to the cop of the hil that biholdith Ebron.
4 And it came to pass, after this, that he loved a woman in the ravine of Shorek, whose, name, was Delilah.
After these thingis Sampson louyde a womman that dwellide in the valey of Soreth, and sche was clepid Dalida.
5 So the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said to her—Entice him, and see wherein lieth his great strength, and wherewith we may prevail against him, and bind him, to humble him, —and, we, will give thee, every man, eleven hundred pieces of silver.
And the princes of Filisteis camen to hir, and seiden, Disseyue thou hym, and lerne thou of hym, in what thing he hath so greet strengthe, and how we mowen ouercome hym, and turmente hym boundun; that if thou doist, we schulen yyue to thee ech man a thousynde and an hundrid platis of siluer.
6 So Delilah said unto Samson, Do tell me, I pray thee, wherein lieth thy great strength, —and wherewith thou mightest be bound, to humble thee.
Therfor Dalida spak to Sampson, Y biseche, seie thou to me, wher ynne is thi gretteste strengthe, and what is that thing, with which thou boundun maist not breke?
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green cords, that have not been dried, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.
To whom Sampson answeride, If Y be boundun with seuene coordis of senewis not yit drye `and yit moiste, Y schal be feble as othere men.
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords, that had not been dried, —and she bound him therewith.
And the princis of Filisteis brouyten `to hir seuene coordis, as he hadde seide; with whiche sche boond him,
9 Now, the liers in wait, were tarrying for her, in an inner chamber, —and she said unto him, —The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he snapped the cords as a thread of tow is broken, when fire bloweth thereon, so his strength was not discovered.
while buyschementis weren hid at hir, and abididen in a closet the ende of the thing. And sche criede to hym, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! Which brak the boondis, as if a man brekith a threed of herdis, writhun with spotle, whanne it hath take the odour of fier; and it was not knowun wher ynne his strengthe was.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Lo! thou hast been laughing at me, and speaking unto me falsehoods, —Now, do tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
And Dalida seide to hym, Lo! thou hast scorned me, and thou hast spok fals; nameli now schewe thou to me, with what thing thou schuldist be boundun.
11 And he said unto her, If they, bind me fast, with new ropes, wherewith work was never done, then shall I become weak, and be as any other man.
To whom he answeride, If Y be boundun with newe coordis, that weren not yit in werk, I schal be feble, and lijk othere men.
12 So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him—The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! Now, the liers in wait, were tarrying in an inner chamber. And he snapped them off his arms like a thread.
With whiche Dalida boond him eft, and criede, Sampson, Filistees ben on thee! the while buyschementis weren maad redi in closet. Which brak `so the boondis as thredis of webbis.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson—Hitherto, hast thou been laughing at me, and speaking unto me falsehoods, do tell me, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weave the seven braids of my head with the warp.
And Dalida seide eft to hym, Hou long schalt thou disseyue me, and schalt speke fals? Schew thou to me, with what thing thou schalt be boundun. To whom Sampson answeryde, he seide, If thou plattist seuene heeris of myn heed with a strong boond, and fastnest to the erthe a naile boundun a boute with these, Y schal be feble.
14 So she beat them up with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he awaked out of his sleep, and pulled out the pin of the loom, and the warp.
And whanne Dalida hadde do this, sche seide to hym, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! And he roos fro sleep, and drow out the nail, with the heeris and strong boond.
15 And she said unto him—How canst thou say, I love thee, when, thy heart, is not with me? These three times, hast thou laughed at me, and hast not told me wherein lieth thy great strength.
And Dalida seide to hym, Hou seist thou, that thou louest me, sithen thi soule is not with me? Bi thre tymes thou liedist to me, and noldist seie to me, wher ynne is thi moost strengthe.
16 And it came to pass, when she urged him with her words continually, and pressed him, that his soul became impatient, unto death;
And whanne sche was diseseful to hym, and cleuyde to hym contynueli bi many daies, and yaf not space to reste, his lijf failide, and was maad wery `til to deeth.
17 so he told her all his heart, and said to her—No, razor, hath come on my head, for, one separate unto God, have I been, from my birth, —if I were shaven, then would depart from me my strength, and I should become weak, and be as any other man.
Thanne he openyde the treuthe of the thing, and seide to hir, Yrun stiede neuere on myn heed, for Y am a Nazarei, that is, halewid to the Lord, fro `the wombe of my modir; if myn heed be schauun, my strengthe schal go awei fro me, and Y schal faile, and Y schal be as othere men.
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 told me all his heart. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought up the silver in their hand.
And sche siy that he knowlechide to hir al his wille, `ether herte; and sche sente to the princes of Filisteis, and comaundide, Stie ye yit onys, for now he openyde his herte to me. Whiche stieden, with the money takun which thei bihiyten.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees, and called for a man, and caused him to shave off the seven braids of his head, —and she began to humble him, and his strength departed from him.
And sche made hym slepe on hir knees, and `bowe the heed in hir bosum; and sche clepide a barbour, and schauede seuene heeris of hym; and sche bigan to caste hym awei, and to put fro hir; for anoon the strengthe yede awei fro him.
20 And she said—The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and said—I will go out now, as time after time, and shake myself free: he, not knowing, that, Yahweh, had departed from him.
And sche seide, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! And he roos fro sleep, and seide to his soule, Y schal go out, as and Y dide bifore, and Y schal schake me fro boondis; and he wiste not, that the Lord hadde goon awei fro hym.
21 And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, —and took him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of bronze, and it came to pass that he used to grind in the prison.
And whanne Filisteis hadden take hym, anoon thei diden out hise iyen, and ledden hym boundun with chaynes to Gaza, and `maden hym closid in prisoun to grynde.
22 And the hair of his head began to grow, after he had been shaven.
And now hise heeris bigunnen to growe ayen;
23 Now, the lords of the Philistines, had gathered themselves together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice, —and they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand, Samson our enemy.
and the princes of Filisteis camen togidere to offre grete sacrifices to Dagon, her god, and `to ete, seiynge, Oure god hath bitake oure enemy Sampson in to oure hondis.
24 And, when the people saw him, they praised their god, —for they said—Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, even him who laid waste our land, and who multiplied our slain.
And the puple seynge also this thing preiside her god, and seide the same thingis, Our god hath bitake oure aduersarie in to oure hondis, which dide awey oure lond, and killide ful many men.
25 And it came to pass, when their heart was merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport for us. So they called for Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them, and they stationed him between the pillars.
And thei weren glad bi feestis, for thei hadden ete thanne; and thei comaundiden, that Sampson schulde be clepid, and schulde pleie bifor hem; which was led out of prisoun, and pleiede bifor hem; and thei maden hym stonde bitwixe twei pileris.
26 And Samson said unto the youth that held him by his hand, Place me where I may feel the pillars whereon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them.
And he seide to the `child gouernynge hise steppis, Suffre thou me, that Y touche the pilers on whiche al the hows stondith, that Y be bowid on tho, and reste a litil.
27 Now, the house, was full of men and women, there, also were all the lords of the Philistines, —and, on the roof, were about three thousand men and women, looking on while Samson made sport.
Sotheli the hows was ful of men and of wymmen, and the princes of the Filisteis weren there, and aboute thre thousynde of `euer either kynde, biholdynge fro the roof and the soler Sampson pleynge.
28 So then Samson cried unto Yahweh, and said, —My Lord Yahweh! remember me, I pray thee, —and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged, with one avenging, for my two eyes, upon the Philistines.
And whanne the Lord `was inwardli clepid, he seide, My Lord God, haue mynde on me, and, my God, yelde thou now to me the formere strengthe, that Y venge me of myn enemyes, and that Y resseyue o veniaunce for the los of tweyne iyen.
29 Then did Samson grasp the two middle pillars, whereon the house rested, and whereon it was upheld, and he braced himself against them, —the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
And he took bothe pilers, on whiche the hows stood, and he helde the oon of tho in the riythond, and the tother in the left hond; and seide,
30 And Samson said—Let my soul die with the Philistines! And he bowed mightily, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead, whom he slew at his death, were more than they whom he slew in his life.
My lijf die with Filesteis! And whanne the pileris weren schakun togidere strongli, the hows felde on alle the princes, and on the tother multitude, that was there; and he diynge killide many moo, than he quyk hadde slayn bifore.
31 Then came down his brethren, and all the house of his father, and lifted him, and carried him up, and buried him, between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the buryingplace of Manoah his father, —he, having judged Israel twenty years.
Forsothe hise britheren and al the kinrede camen doun, and token his bodi, and birieden bitwixe Saraa and Escahol, in the sepulcre of his fadir Manue; and he demyde Israel twenti yeer.
