2
When it was told to the Gazites, saying, "Samson has comehere," they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him allnight at the gate of the city. And they keptsilentallnight, saying, "Let us wait until the morninglight, then we will kill him."
3
Now Samsonlayuntilmidnight*, and at midnight* he arose and tookhold of the doors of the citygate and the twoposts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountainwhich is opposite*Hebron.
5
The lords of the Philistinescame up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and seewhere his greatstrength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will eachgive you eleven*hundred pieces of silver."
9
Now she had men lying in wait in an innerroom. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the cords as a string of towsnaps when it touchesfire. So his strength was not discovered.
12
So Delilahtooknewropes and bound him with them and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" For the men were lying in wait in the innerroom. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.
13
Then Delilahsaid to Samson, "Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be bound." And he said to her, "If you weave the sevenlocks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man."
14
So while he slept, Delilah took the sevenlocks of his hair and wove them into the web ]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.
15
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me thesethreetimes and have not told me where your greatstrength is."
17
So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, "A razor has nevercome on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother'swomb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave* me and I will becomeweak and be like any other man."
18
When Delilahsaw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up oncemore, for he has told me all that is in his heart." Then the lords of the Philistinescame up to her and brought the money in their hands.
19
She made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shaveoff the sevenlocks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strengthleft him.
20
She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at othertimes and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21
Then the Philistinesseized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronzechains, and he was a grinder in the prison*.
22
However, the hair of his headbegan to grow again after it was shavedoff.
x'LUG r,v]a;K ;xeM;c.l w{va{r -r;[.f l,x'Y;w
23
Now the lords of the Philistinesassembled to offer a greatsacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, "Our god has givenSamson our enemy into our hands."
24
When the peoplesaw him, they praised their god, for they said, "Our god has given our enemy into our hands, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has slainmany of us."
25
It so happened when they were in highspirits, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may amuse us." So they called for Samson from the prison*, and he entertained* them. And they made him standbetween the pillars.
27
Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And about 3,000*men and women were on the rooflooking on while Samson was amusing them.
28
Then Samsoncalled to the LORD and said, "O LordGOD, pleaseremember me and pleasestrengthen me justthistime, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my twoeyes."
29
Samsongrasped the twomiddlepillars on which the houserested, and braced himself against them, the one with his righthand and the other with his left.
30
And Samsonsaid, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he bent with all his might so that the housefell on the lords and all the peoplewho were in it. So the deadwhom he killed at his death were morethan those whom he killed in his life.
31
Then his brothers and all his father'shouseholdcamedown, took him, brought him up and buried him betweenZorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judgedIsraeltwentyyears.