Judges, 16

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

1. When Samson went to Gaza, he saw a prostitute there and entered the place where she lived.

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.

2. When the men of Gaza were notified that Samson had come, they made the rounds and lay in wait for him at the city gates. They kept quiet all night, thinking, "We will wait for him until dawn and then we will 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.

3. But Samson slept until midnight. At midnight, he arose and took hold of the door panels of the city gates together with the doorcase, and pulled them up with the bar. He put them upon his shoulders and carried them to the hilltop opposite Hebron.

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

4. After this, Samson fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek; she was called 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.

5. The Philistine chiefs said to this woman, "Charm him and find out where he gets such strength and how we can defeat and tie him up. Each of us shall give you 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.

6. So Delilah asked Samson, "Tell me, please, where do you get such strength and how can others tie you up to subdue you?"

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.

7. Samson answered her, "If they bind me with seven new and moist bowstrings, then I shall lose my strength and be as any other 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.

8. The Philistine chiefs sent seven new bowstrings that had not been dried to Delilah, and she tied Samson 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.

9. With men hidden in her dwelling, she shouted, "Samson, here come the Philistines!" Samson broke the bowstrings as if they were burned flax. So they did not find out where his great strength came from.

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.

10. Then Delilah said to Samson, "You made a fool of me, and you lied to me. Tell me, how can they subdue you?"

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.

11. Samson answered her, "If they bind me this time with seven newly-braided ropes which have never been used, then I shall lose my strength and be like any other 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.

12. So Delilah bound him with seven newly-braided ropes. But when she shouted, "Here come the Philistines!" he again snapped the ropes round his arms like 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.

13. So Delilah said to him, "How long will you deceive me and lie to me? Tell me how they can subdue you." He answered her, "If you braid the seven locks of my hair in the warp of the loom and tighten it with a pin, then I shall lose my strength."

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.

14. She lulled him to sleep, and then braided the seven locks of his hair in the warp of the loom and tightened it with a pin. Then she cried, "Here come the Philistines!" Samson woke up and pulled the warp with the locks of his hair. And so, Delilah did not find out where his great strength came from.

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].

15. Then Delilah said to him, "You say that you love me, but your heart is not with me. Three times, you have deceived me and have not told me from whence your great strength comes."

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;

16. And as Delilah insisted and bothered him day after day with her questions, the time came when Samson felt he would die in disgust.

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.

17. So he told her the truth: "Never has my hair been cut for I am a Nazirite, consecrated to God from the womb of my mother. If my hair is cut, then I shall lose my strength 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.

18. Delilah understood that he had told her the truth this time, so she called the Philistine chiefs and said, "Come, because Samson has revealed his secret to me." They took the money and came to her.

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.

19. Delilah lulled Samson to sleep upon her knees and called a man to cut the seven locks of his hair. And she could immediately subdue him for his strength had left 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.

20. When Delilah shouted "Samson, the Philistines!" he awoke and thought that he could still save himself as on other occasions. But he did not know that Yahweh was no longer with 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.

21. So the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him to Gaza. There they bound him with two bronze chains and made him turn the mill in the prison.

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

22. The hair on Samson's head, however, began to grow as soon as it was cut.

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.

23. The Philistine chiefs assembled to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and had a great feast, saying, "Our god has given Samson, our enemy, into our hands!"

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.

24. and on seeing him the people praised their god saying, "Our god has put our enemy into our hands, Samson who has destroyed our country and killed our men."

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.

25. As they were very happy, they said, "Bring out Samson that he may amuse us." They brought him out of prison and he amused them. Then they had him placed between the columns

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.

26. Samson then said to the boy who held him by the hand, "Lead me where I can touch the pillars on which this house rests, so that I may lean on 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.

27. The house was full of men and women, all the Philistine chiefs were also there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson for amusement.

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.

28. Samson called on Yahweh and exclaimed, "Lord, Yahweh, please remember me and restore my strength only this once, so that I may avenge myself against the Philistines for my 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.

29. Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, leaned on them with his right arm on one pillar and his left on the other,

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.

30. and cried out, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed with all his strength and the house fell upon the chiefs and the people gathered there. Those who joined him in his own death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.

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.

31. His brothers and the whole family of his father went down to get him. They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel for twenty years.