SAMSON'S FINAL VICTORY

 

Judges 16:4-31

4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the

valley of Sorek, whose name [was] 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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]. 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; 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 22 Howbeit the hair of his head

began to grow again after he was shaven. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.


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