07:016:001 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in
unto her.
07:016:002 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.
07:016:003 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.
07:016:004 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the
valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
07:016:005 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.
07:016:006 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy
great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to
afflict thee.
07:016:007 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.
07:016:008 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven
green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with
them.
07:016:009 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.
07:016:010 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.
07:016:011 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.
07:016:012 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.
07:016:013 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.
07:016:014 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.
07:016:015 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.
07:016:016 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her
words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
07:016:017 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.
07:016:018 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.
07:016:019 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.
07:016:020 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.
07:016:021 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.
07:016:022 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was
shaven.
07:016:023 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.
07:016:024 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.
07:016:025 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.
07:016:026 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.
07:016:027 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.
07:016:028 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.
07:016:029 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.
07:016:030 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.
07:016:031 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.