SAMSON

JDG 13:2  And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the 
Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

3  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, 
Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and 
bear a son.

4  Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, 
and eat not any unclean thing:

5  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on 
his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he 
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

6  Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto 
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very 
terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

7  But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and 
now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the 
child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

24  And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child 
grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of 
Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the 
daughters of the Philistines.

2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have 
seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore 
get her for me to wife.

3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman 
among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou 
goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto 
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he 
sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the 
Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5  Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and 
came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against 
him.

6  And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he 
would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his 
father or his mother what he had done.

7  And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson 
well.

8  And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the 
carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in 
the carcase of the lion.

9  And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his 
father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them 
that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

10  So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; 
for so used the young men to do.

11  And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty 
companions to be with him.

12  And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if 
ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find 
it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

13  But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and 
thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, 
that we may hear it.

14  And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the 
strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the 
riddle.

15  And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's 
wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we 
burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that 
we have? is it not so?

16  And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and 
lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, 
and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it 
my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

17  And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and 
it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore 
upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18  And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun 
went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? 
and he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not 
found out my riddle.

19  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, 
and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of 
garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, 
and he went up to his father's house.

20  But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his 
friend.

15:1  But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat 
harvest, that Samson visited 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 father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; 
therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer 
than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

3  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the 
Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and 
turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

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 Philistines said, 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 Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be 
avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

8  And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down 
and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9  Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread 
themselves in Lehi.

10  And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they 
answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to 
us.

11  Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, 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 Samson said 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 two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

14  And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against 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 bands loosed from 
off his hands.

15  And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took 
it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16  And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the 
jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

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 place Ramathlehi.

18  And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast 
given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I 
die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

19  But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water 
thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: 
wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this 
day.

16:1  Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto 
her.

2  And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they 
compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, 
and were quiet all the night, saying, In 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 to 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 
Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

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

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 green withs that 
were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

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

9  Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And 
she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the 
withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth 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 fast 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 he 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 seven locks of my head with the web.

14  And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be 
upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the 
pin of 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 vexed 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 Nazarite unto God from my 
mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength 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 
called 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 money in their hand.

19  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and 
she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to 
afflict 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 as at other times before, and shake 
myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

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

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

23  Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a 
great sacrifice unto Dagon 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 many of us.

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

26  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that 
I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean 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 roof about three thousand 
men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

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

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

30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed 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 Zorah and Eshtaol in the 
buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

HEB 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of 
Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and 
Samuel, and of the prophets:

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