Judges 16
1 Then went Samson unto Gaza, —and saw there an unchaste woman, and went in unto her.
Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
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.
The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light; then we will kill him.”
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.
Samson lay until midnight, then arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, with the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass, after this, that he loved a woman in the ravine of Shorek, whose, name, was Delilah.
It came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
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.
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
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.
Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you might be bound to afflict you.”
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.
Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords, that had not been dried, —and she bound him therewith.
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
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.
Now she had an ambush waiting in the inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He broke the cords as a flax thread is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
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.
Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies. Now please tell me how you might be bound.”
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.
He said to her, “If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
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.
So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, then said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” The ambush was waiting in the inner room. He broke them off his arms like a thread.
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.
Delilah said to Samson, “Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what you might be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the fabric on the loom.”
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.
She fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He awakened out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam and the fabric.
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.
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 where your great strength lies.”
16 And it came to pass, when she urged him with her words continually, and pressed him, that his soul became impatient, unto death;
When she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, his soul was troubled to death.
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.
He told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”
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.
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 has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.
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.
She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from 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.
She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that Yahweh had departed from him.
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.
The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
22 And the hair of his head began to grow, after he had been shaven.
However, the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.
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.
The lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”
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.
When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, “Our god has delivered our enemy and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us, into our hand.”
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.
When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;
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 Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Allow me to feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean on them.”
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.
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson performed.
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.
Samson called to Yahweh, and said, “Lord Yahweh, remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, only this once, God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
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.
Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested and leaned on them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
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.
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those who he killed in his life.
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.
Then his brothers 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 burial site of Manoah his father. He judged Israel twenty years.
