1
And Samson goeth to Gaza , and seeth there a woman , a harlot , and goeth in unto her;
2
[it is told] to the Gazathites, saying, `Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city , and keep themselves silent all the night , saying, `Till the light of the morning -- then we have slain him.'
3
And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night , and riseth in the middle of the night , and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city , and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar , and putteth on his shoulders , and taketh them up unto the top of the hill , which [is] on the front of Hebron .
4
And it cometh to pass afterwards that he loveth a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name [is] Delilah,
5
and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power [is], and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'
6
And Delilah saith unto Samson , `Declare , I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power [is], and wherewith thou art bound , to afflict thee.'
7
And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
8
And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth him with them.
9
And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson ;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire , and his power hath not been known .
10
And Delilah saith unto Samson , `Lo, thou hast played upon me, and speakest unto me lies ; now, declare , I pray thee, to me, wherewith thou art bound .'
11
And he saith unto her, `If they certainly bind me with thick bands, new ones, by which work hath not been done, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
12
And Delilah taketh thick bands, new ones, and bindeth him with them, and saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson ;' and the ambush is abiding in an inner chamber, and he breaketh them from off his arms as a thread.
13
And Delilah saith unto Samson , `Hitherto thou hast played upon me, and dost speak unto me lies ; declare to me wherewith thou art bound .' And he saith unto her, `If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.'
14
And she fixeth [it] with the pin , and saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson ;' and he awaketh out of his sleep , and journeyeth with the pin of the weaving machine, and with the web.
15
And she saith unto him, `How dost thou say , I have loved thee, and thy heart is not with me? these three times thou hast played upon me, and hast not declared to me wherein thy great power [is].'
16
And it cometh to pass, because she distressed him with her words all the days , and doth urge him, and his soul is grieved to death,
17
that he declareth to her all his heart , and saith to her, `A razor hath not gone up on my head , for a Nazarite to God I [am] from the womb of my mother ; if I have been shaven, then hath my power turned aside from me, and I have been weak, and have been as any of the human race.'
18
And Delilah seeth that he hath declared to her all his heart , and she sendeth and calleth for the princes of the Philistines , saying, `Come up this time, for he hath declared to me all his heart ;' and the princes of the Philistines have come up unto her, and bring up the money in their hand .
19
and she maketh him sleep on her knees , and calleth for a man , and shaveth the seven locks of his head , and beginneth to afflict him, and his power turneth aside from off him;
20
and she saith , `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson ;' and he awaketh out of his sleep , and saith , `I go out as time by time, and shake myself;' and he hath not known that Jehovah hath turned aside from off him.
21
And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes , and bring him down to Gaza , and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison -house .
22
And the hair of his head beginneth to shoot up, when he hath been shaven,
23
and the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god , and to rejoice; and they say , `Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy .'
24
And the people see him, and praise their god , for they said , `Our god hath given in our hand our enemy , and he who is laying waste our land , and who multiplied our wounded.'
25
And it cometh to pass, when their heart [is] glad, that they say , `Call for Samson , and he doth play before us ;' and they Call for Samson out of the prison -house , and he playeth before them, and they cause him to stand between the pillars .
26
And Samson saith unto the young man who is keeping hold on his hand , `Let me alone, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, and I lean upon them.'
27
And the house hath been full of men and of women , and thither [are] all the princes of the Philistines , and on the roof [are] about three thousand men and women , who are looking on the playing of Samson .
28
And Samson calleth unto Jehovah , and saith , `Lord Jehovah , remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this time, O God ; and I am avenged -- vengeance at once -- because of my two eyes , on the Philistines .'
29
And Samson turneth aside [to] the two middle pillars , on which the house is established, and on which it is supported, [to] the one with his right hand , and one with his left;
30
and Samson saith , `Let me die with the Philistines ,' and he inclineth himself powerfully, and the house falleth on the princes, and on all the people who [are] in it, and the dead whom he hath put to death in his death are more than those whom he put to death in his life .
31
And his brethren come down , and all the house of his father , and lift him up, and bring him up, and bury him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying-place of Manoah his father ; and he hath judged Israel twenty years.