Judges

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

1Samson went to the city of Gaza. There he saw a prostitute, a woman men paid to sleep with. He went in to spend the night with her.

2And 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.

2People in Gaza heard that Samson was there. They surrounded the place and waited near the city gate all night. They stayed quiet and said, "At dawn we will kill him."

3And 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.

3But Samson only stayed until midnight. Then he got up and grabbed the city gate doors. He pulled them out with both posts and the bar. He put them on his shoulders and carried them to a hilltop near Hebron.

4And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

4Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. She lived in the valley of Sorek.

5And 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.

5The Philistine leaders came to her and said, "Find out what makes him so strong. Learn how we can tie him up and beat him. Each of us will pay you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

NoteEleven hundred pieces of silver from each leader was a huge amount of money, far more than most people earned in a lifetime.

6And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

6So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me why you are so strong. What could tie you up so someone could hurt you?"

7And 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.

7Samson said, "Tie me with seven fresh bowstrings that are still damp. Then I will be as weak as anyone else."

NoteThe KJV says "green withs." These were fresh, damp cords used to string a bow, not tree branches.

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

8The Philistine leaders brought her seven fresh bowstrings that were still damp. She tied Samson up with them.

9Now 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.

9Men were hiding in her room, waiting. She called out, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He snapped the bowstrings like string burned by fire. So no one learned his secret.

10And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

10Delilah said to Samson, "You made fun of me. You told me lies. Now please tell me what could tie you up."

11And 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.

11He said, "Tie me with new ropes that have never been used. Then I will be as weak as anyone else."

12Delilah 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.

12So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up. Men were hiding in the room again. She called out, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.

13And 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.

13Delilah said, "You keep making fun of me and telling me lies. Tell me what could tie you up." He said, "Weave the seven braids of my hair into the cloth on a loom."

14And 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.

14So she wove his hair in and fastened it tight with a pin. Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He woke up and pulled the pin, the loom, and the cloth right out.

15And 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.

15She said, "How can you say you love me when you do not trust me? You have made fun of me three times. You still have not told me why you are so strong."

16And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

16Day after day she kept asking and begging him. She wore him down until he was sick and tired of it.

17That 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.

17So he told her everything. He said, "My hair has never been cut. I have belonged to God in a special way since I was born. If my hair is cut off, my strength will leave. I will be as weak as anyone else."

NoteThe KJV calls Samson a "Nazarite." That was a person who made special promises to God, including never cutting his hair.

18And 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.

18Delilah saw that he had told her the truth. She sent word to the Philistine leaders, "Come once more. He has told me everything." So they came, bringing the money with them.

19And 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.

19She let him fall asleep on her lap. Then she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair. Samson grew weak, and his strength left him.

20And 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.

20She called out, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He woke up and thought, "I will get free like I always do." But he did not know the LORD had left him.

21But 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.

21The Philistines grabbed him and put out his eyes. They took him down to Gaza and chained him with bronze chains. There he had to grind grain in the prison.

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

22But the hair on his head slowly started to grow back.

23Then 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.

23The Philistine leaders met to give a big offering to their god Dagon. They celebrated and said, "Our god handed Samson our enemy over to us."

24And 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.

24When the people saw Samson, they praised their god. They said, "Our god handed over our enemy. He ruined our land and killed many of us."

25And 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.

25They were happy and having fun. They said, "Bring Samson out to entertain us." So they brought him from the prison, and he entertained them. They stood him between the pillars.

26And 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.

26Samson spoke to the young man leading him by the hand. He said, "Let me touch the pillars that hold up this building. I want to lean on them."

27Now 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.

27The building was packed with men and women. All the Philistine leaders were there. About three thousand more were on the roof, watching Samson.

28And 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.

28Samson prayed to the LORD. He said, "Lord GOD, please remember me. Please make me strong just one more time. Let me pay the Philistines back for my two eyes."

29And 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.

29Samson felt for the two middle pillars that held up the building. He put his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.

30And 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.

30Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He pushed with all his might. The building fell on the leaders and everyone inside. He killed more people when he died than in his whole life.

31Then 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.

31His brothers and his father's family came and carried his body home. They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the grave of his father Manoah. Samson had led Israel as their judge for twenty years.