1
One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he met a prostitute and went to bed with her.
2
The people of Gaza found out that Samson was there, so they surrounded the place and waited for him all night long at the city gate. They were quiet all night, thinking to themselves, "We'll wait until daybreak, and then we'll kill him."
3
But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up and took hold of the city gate and pulled it up - doors, posts, lock, and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them far off to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron.
4
After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley.
5
The five Philistine kings went to her and said, "Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."
6
So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?"
7
Samson answered, "If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I'll be as weak as anybody else."
8
So the Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up.
9
She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. So they still did not know the secret of his strength.
10
Delilah told Samson, "Look, you've been making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Please tell me how someone could tie you up."
11
He told her, "If they tie me with new ropes that have never been used, I'll be as weak as anybody else."