THE BOOK OF
JUDGES

Judges 16 ©

Samson being hemmed in at Gaza, rises up in the night, and takes the doors of the city-gate, with their bars, on his shoulders, and carries them up into a mountain, v. 1, etc. He falls in love with Delilah, who by the instigation of the Philistines’ princes vexed him so long, that at last he tells her plainly wherein his strength was, 4. So he is betrayed, and taken captive by the Philistines, who put out his eyes, and cast him into prison, 19. His hair being grown again, when the Philistines were gathered together to make sport of him to the honor of their idols, he avenges himself on them, by throwing down the whole house, thus he dies and is buried, 22.

1

THEN 1went Samson to 2Gaza, and saw there an 3harlot, and 4went in unto her.

2

And it was told 5the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they 6compassedahim in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were 7quiet all the night, saying, 8In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

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 9to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

4

¶And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of 10Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5

And the 11lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, 12Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to 13afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of 14silver.

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.

7

And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven 15green withsb that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as 16another man.

8

Then the lords of the Philistines 17brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9

Now there were men 18lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The 19Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of 20towc is broken when it 21toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

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.

11

And he said unto her, If they bind me 22fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

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 23he brake them from off his arms like a thread.

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 24seven locks of my head with the 25web.

14

And she 26fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and 27went away with the pin 28of the beam, and with the web.

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

And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was 29vexed unto death;

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 30Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my 31strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

18

And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and 32called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought 33money in their hand.

19

And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she 34called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to 35afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out 36as at other times before, and 37shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was 38departed from him.

21

¶But the Philistines took him, and put out his 39eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the 40prison house.

22

Howbeit the hair of his head began to 41grow again 42after he was shaven.

23

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto 43Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath 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 hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew 44many of us.

25

And it came to pass, when their hearts were 45merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us 46sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; 47and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

26

And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, 48Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may 49lean upon them.

27

Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the 50roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

28

And Samson calledd unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, 51that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29

And Samson took hold of the two 52middle pillars upon which the house stood, and 53on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30

And Samson said, Let 54me die with the Philistines. And he 55bowed 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.

31

Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between 56Zorah and 57Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel 58twenty years.