1 Now Samsonwent to 1Gaza and saw a harlot*there, and went in to her.
2
When it was told to the Gazites, saying, "Samson has comehere," they 2surrounded 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.
4
Afterthis it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5
The 3lords of the Philistinescame up to her and said to her, "4Entice 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."
6
So Delilahsaid to Samson, "Pleasetell me where your greatstrength is and how you may be bound to afflict you."
7
Samsonsaid to her, "If they bind me with sevenfreshcords that have not been dried, then I will becomeweak and be like any other man."
8
Then the lords of the Philistinesbrought up to her sevenfreshcords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
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.
10
Then Delilahsaid to Samson, "Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; nowpleasetell me how you may be bound."
11
He said to her, "If they bind me tightly with newropeswhich have not been used, then I will becomeweak and be like any other man."
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.
Delilah Extracts His Secret
15 Then she said to him, "5How 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."
16
It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.
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 6Nazirite 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 7the 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.
23
Now the lords of the Philistinesassembled to offer a greatsacrifice to 8Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, "Our god has givenSamson our enemy into our hands."
24
When the peoplesaw him, 9they 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."