1
But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheatharvest, that Samsonvisited his wife with a kid*; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
2
And her fathersaid, I verilythought that thou hadst utterlyhated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her youngersisterfairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
3
And Samsonsaid concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
4
And Samsonwent and caughtthreehundredfoxes, and tookfirebrands,[a] and turnedtail to tail, and putafirebrand in the midst between twotails.
5
And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
6
Then the Philistinessaid, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
7
And Samsonsaid unto them, Though ye have donethis, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
8
And he smote them hipandthigh with a greatslaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rockEtam.
9
Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
10
And the men of Judahsaid, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bindSamson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
11
Then threethousandmen of Judahwent[b] to the top of the rockEtam, and said to Samson,Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
12
And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samsonsaid unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
13
And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with twonewcords, and brought him up from the rock.
14
And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistinesshoutedagainst him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bandsloosed[c] from off his hands.
15
And he found a new[d]jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousandmen therewith.
16
And Samsonsaid, With the jawbone of an ass,heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousandmen.
17
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that placeRamathlehi.[e]
18
And he was soreathirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this greatdeliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
19
But Godclave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there camewater thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore,[f] which is in Lehi unto this day.
20
And he judgedIsrael in the days of the Philistinestwentyyears.