Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
WEB
World English Bible
One
day
Samson went to Gaza, where
he
saw a prostitute and went in to spend
the
night
with
her.
Samson went to Gaza, and
saw there
a prostitute ,
and went in to her.
When
the Gazites heard
that
Samson
was
there
, they surrounded
that
place
and
lay
in wait for him all night at
the city
gate .
They
were quiet throughout
the night, saying, “
Let us
wait
until dawn;
then we will kill him. ”
[It
was
told]
the Gazites, saying,
Samson
is
come
here.
They compassed
him
in ,
and
laid
wait for him all night in
the gate of
the
city,
and
were quiet all
the night, saying, [
Let be]
until morning
light,
then we will kill him.
But
Samson lay there
only
until midnight, when
he
got
up
, took
hold of the doors of the city
gate and both
gateposts
, and pulled
them out
, bar and all .
Then
he
put them on his shoulders and took
them to the top of the mountain overlooking
Hebron.
Samson lay until midnight, and
arose
at
midnight
, and
laid
hold of the doors of the gate of
the
city,
and 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.
Some
time
later
, Samson
fell
in
love
with
a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
It
came
to
pass
afterward
, that
he
loved
a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
The lords of the Philistines went
to her and said, “
Entice him and find
out
the
source
of
his great strength and how
we can
overpower
him to tie
him up
and subdue
him.
Then
each
one
of
us
will give you eleven hundred shekels
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 of
us
eleven hundred [pieces]
of silver.
So
Delilah said to Samson, “Please
tell me the
source
of
your great strength and how
you can
be tied
up
and
subdued
. ”
Delilah said to Samson, Tell me ,
Please,
in
which
your great strength lies,
and with
which
you might
be bound
to
afflict
you
.
Samson told
her, “
If they tie
me up
with seven fresh
bowstrings
that have
not
been
dried, I will
become as
weak 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.
So
the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh
bowstrings
that
had not been dried, and she tied
him up
with them.
Then
the lords of the Philistines brought up
to
her seven green
cords
which
had not been dried, and she bound
him with them.
While
the
men
were
hidden
in her
room,
she called
out,
“Samson
, the Philistines are here!”
But
he snapped
the bowstrings
like
a strand
of yarn
seared
by
a
flame
. So the
source
of
his strength remained
unknown
.
Now
she
had
liers-
in -wait
abiding
in
the
inner
chamber.
She said
to
him
, The Philistines are on
you,
Samson.
He broke
the cords,
as
a string
of tow
is
broken
when
it
touches
the
fire
. So his strength was
not
known
.
Then
Delilah said to Samson, “
You have mocked me and lied
to
me !
Now please
tell me how
you can
be tied
up
. ”
Delilah said to Samson, Behold,
you have mocked me ,
and told
me lies:
now tell me ,
Please,
with
which
you might
be bound
.
He replied
, “
If they tie
me up
with new ropes that
have
never
been used
, I will
become as
weak 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.
So Delilah took new ropes, tied
him up
with
them
, and called
out,
“Samson
, the Philistines are here!”
But
while
the men
were hidden
in her
room,
he
snapped
the ropes
off his arms like they
were
threads
.
So Delilah took new ropes, and
bound
him therewith
, and said
to
him
, The Philistines are on
you,
Samson.
The liers-in-wait
were abiding
in the inner
chamber.
He
broke
them
off his arms like a
thread
.
Then
Delilah said to Samson, “
You have mocked me and lied
to
me all
along!
Tell me how
you can
be tied
up
. ”
He told
her, “
If you weave the seven braids
of my head into
the web of
a
loom
and
tighten
it
with
a
pin,
I
will
become
as
weak
as
any
other
man
. ”
Delilah said to Samson, Hitherto
you have mocked me ,
and told
me lies:
tell me with
which
you might
be bound
. He said
to
her, If you weave the seven locks
of my head with
the web.
So
while
he
slept,
Delilah
took
the
seven
braids
of
his
hair
and
wove
them
into
the
web.
Then
she tightened
it with a
pin and called
to him, “Samson,
the Philistines are here!”
But
he awoke
from
his sleep and pulled
out
the pin with
the loom
and the web.
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 web.
“
How can you say, ‘
I love you, ’”
she
asked,
“
when your heart is not with me? This
is
the
third
time
you have mocked me and failed
to
reveal
to
me the
source
of
your 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 in
which
your great strength lies.
Finally
, after
she had
pressed him daily with her words and pleaded
until
he
was sick
to death ,
It
happened
, when
she pressed him daily with her words ,
and urged
him,
that
his
soul
was vexed
to death .
Samson
told her all that
was
in
his heart :
“My
hair
has
never
been
cut
, because
I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s
womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave
me, and I will become as
weak 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. "
When Delilah realized
that he had revealed
to
her all that
was
in
his heart, she sent this
message
to
the lords of the Philistines :
“
Come up once more
, for he has revealed
to
me all that
is
in
his heart. ”
Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing
the money in their hands
.
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
.
And
having
lulled
him to
sleep on her lap,
she called a man to
shave
off the seven braids
of his head .
In
this
way
she began to subdue
him, and his strength left
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.
Then
she called
out,
“Samson
, the Philistines are here!”
When
Samson awoke from
his sleep, he
thought
, “
I will escape
as I
did
before
and shake myself free. ”
But he did
not
know that the
LORD
had departed from him.
She said
, The Philistines are on
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.
Then
the Philistines seized
him, gouged
out his eyes ,
and brought him down to Gaza, where
he
was
bound with bronze
shackles
and forced
to
grind grain
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
brass;
and he
did
grind in the prison -house
.
However ,
the hair of his head began to grow back
after it
had
been
shaved.
However the hair of his head began to grow again
after he
was
shaved.
Now
the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon.
They
rejoiced
and said, “
Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands
. ”
The lords of the Philistines gathered them
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
.
And
when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying:
“
Our god has delivered into our hands
our enemy who
destroyed
our
land
and multiplied
our dead
. ”
When the people saw him, they praised their god ;
for
they
said
, Our god has delivered into our hand
our enemy ,
and the
destroyer
of
our country,
who
has
slain
many
of
us
.
And
while
their hearts were merry, they said, “
Call for Samson to
entertain
us. ”
So
they called Samson out of the prison to
entertain
them. And
they stationed
him between the pillars .
It
happened,
when
their hearts were merry, that
they said, Call for Samson ,
that
he
may
make
us sport
. They called for
Samson out of the prison -house;
and
he
made
sport
before
them. They set
him between the pillars :
Samson said to the servant
who held his
hand, “Lead
me where
I can
feel the pillars supporting
the temple
, so
I can
lean against
them. ”
and
Samson said to the boy
who held him
by
the
hand, Allow
me that
I may
feel the pillars whereupon
the house
rests
, that
I may
lean on
them.
Now the temple
was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there ,
and about three thousand men and women were
on
the
roof
watching
Samson entertain
them
.
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 made
sport
.
Then
Samson called out
to the
LORD:
“O
Lord GOD
, please
remember me .
Strengthen me, O
God
, just
once more
, so
that with
one
vengeful
blow
I may pay
back
the Philistines for my two eyes. ”
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.
And
Samson reached
out
for
the two central
pillars supporting
the temple.
Bracing
himself
against
them with his right hand on
one
pillar
and his
left
hand
on
the other ,
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.
Samson said, “
Let me die with the Philistines. ”
Then
he pushed
with all his might ,
and the temple
fell on the lords and all the people in
it
. So in
his
death
he killed more than he had
killed 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
therein
. So the
dead
that
he killed at
his
death
were
more than those
who
he killed in his life.
Then Samson’s
brothers and his father’s
family
came down, carried
him back
, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb
of his father Manoah
. And
he had
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 burying-place
of Manoah
his father. He judged Israel twenty years.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and World English Bible. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org..