Judges Chapter 16

Judges Chapter 16
1 Then went Samson to Azzah, and saw
there an harlot, and went in unto her. 2
And it was told to the Azzahites, Samson
is come hither. And they went about, and
laid wait for him all night in the gate of
the city, and were quiet all the night,
saying, Abide till the morning early, and
we shall kill him. 3 And Samson slept
till midnight, and arose at midnight, and
took the doors of the gates of the city,
and the two posts and lift them away
with the bars, and put them upon his
shoulders, and carried them up to the top
of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 And after this he loved a woman by the
river of Sorek, whose name was
Delilah:
5 Unto whom came the princes of the
Philistines, and said unto her, Entice
him, and see wherein his great strength
lieth, and by what means we may
overcome him, that we may bind him,
and punish him, and every one of us
shall give thee eleven hundred shekels
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 do thee hurt. 7 Samson then
answered unto her, If they bind me with
seven green cords, that were never
dried, then shall I be weak, and be as
another man. 8 And the princes of the
Philistines brought her seven green
cords that were not dry, and she bound
him therewith.
9 (And she had men lying in wait with
her in the chamber) Then she said unto
him, The Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he brake the cords, as a
thread of two is broken, when it feeleth
fire: so his strength was not known. 10
After Delilah said unto Samson, See,
thou hast mocked me and told me lies. I
pray thee now, tell me wherewith thou
mightest be bound. 11 Then he answered
her, If they bind me 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 men lay in wait in the
chamber) and he brake them from his
arms, as a thread.
13 Afterward Delilah said to Samson,
Hitherto thou hast beguiled me, and told
me lies: tell me how thou mightest be
bound. And he said unto her, If thou
plattedst seven locks of mine head with
the threads of the weave. 14 And she
fastened it with a pin, and said unto him,
The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.
And he awoke out of his sleep, and went
away with the pin of the web and the
weave.
15 Again 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 because she was importunate
upon him with her words continually,
and vexed him, his soul was pained unto
the death.
17 Therefore he told her all his heart,
and said unto her, There never came
razor upon mine head: for I am a
Nazarite unto God from my mother's
womb: therefore if I be shaven, my
strength will go from me, and I shall be
weak, and be like all other men.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had
told her all his heart, she sent, and called
for the princes of the Philistines, saying,
Come up once again: for he hath showed
me all his heart. Then the princes of the
Philistines came up unto her, and brought
the money in their hands.
19 And she made him sleep upon her
knees, and she called a man, and made
him to shave off the seven locks of his
head, and she began to vex him, and his
strength was gone from him.
20 Then she said, The Philistines be
upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of
his sleep, and thought, I will go out now
as at other times, and shake myself, but
he knew not that the Lord was departed
from him.
21 Therefore the Philistines took him,
and put out his eyes, and brought him
down to Azzah, and bound him with
fetters: and he did grind in the prison
house.
22 And the hair of his head began to
grow again after that it was shaven. 23
Then the princes 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
hands.
24 Also when the people saw him, they
praised their god: for they said, Our god
hath delivered into our hands our enemy
and destroyer of our country, which hath
slain many of us.
25 And when their hearts were merry,
they said, Call Samson, that he may
make us pastime. So they called Samson
out of the prison house, and he was a
laughing stock unto them, and they set
him between the pillars. 26 Then
Samson said unto the servant that led
him by the hand, Lead me, that I may
touch the pillars that the house standeth
upon, and that I may lean to them.
27 (Now the house was full of men and
women, and there were all the princes of
the Philistines: also upon the roof were
about three thousand men and women
that beheld while Samson played)
28 Then Samson called unto the Lord,
and said, O Lord God, I pray thee, think
upon me: O God, I beseech thee,
strengthen me at this time only, that I may
be at once avenged of the Philistines for
my two eyes.
29 And Samson laid hold on the two
middle pillars whereupon the house
stood, and on which it was borne up: on
the one with his right hand, and on the
other with his left.
30 Then Samson said, Let me lose my
life with the Philistines: and he bowed
him with all his might, and the house fell
upon the princes, and upon all the people
that were therein. so the dead which he
slew at his death were more than they
which he had slain 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
sepulchre of Manoah his father: now he
had judged Israel twenty years.