1 Samfón carieth away the gates of Azzáh. 18 He was deceiued by Deliláh. 30 He pulleth downe the houſe vpon the Philiſtims, and dyeth with them.

1.THen went Samfón to ^a Azzáh, & ſawe there ^" an harlot, & ^b went in vnto her.

2.And it was tolde to the Azzathites, Samfón is come hether. And they went about, & layed wait for him all night in the gate of the citie, and were quiet all the night, ſaying, ^" Abide til the morning earely, and we ſhal kil him.

3.And Samfón ſlept til midnight, & aroſe at midnight, and toke the dores of the gates of the citie, and the two poſtes and lift them away with the barres, and put them vpon his ſhulders, and caried them vp to the top of the mountaine that is before Hebrón.

4.¶ And after this he loued a woman by y^e ^" riuer of Sorék, whoſe name was Deliláh:

5.Vnto whome came the princes of y^e Philiſtims, and ſaid vnto her, Entiſe him, and ſe wherein his great ſtrength lieth, and by what meane we may ouercome him, that we may binde him, and puniſhe him, and euerie one of vs ſhal giue thee eleuen hundreth ^c shekels of ſiluer.

6.And Deliláh ſaid to Samfón, Tel me, I pray thee, wherein thy great ſtrength lieth, and wherewith thou mighteſt be bounde, to do thee hurt.

7.Samfón then anſwered vnto her, If they binde me with ſeuen greene cordes that ^" were neuer dryed, thé ſhal I be weake, and be as an other man.

8.And the princes of y^e Philiſtims broght her ſeué greene cordes that were not drye, and ſhe bound him therewith.

9.(And ſhe had ^d men lying in wayte w^t her in y^e cháber) Then ſhe ſaid vnto him, The Philiſtims be vpon thee, Samfón. And he brake the cordes, as a thread of towe is broken, when ^e it feleth fire: ſo his ſtrégth was not knowen.

10.¶ After Deliláh ſaid vnto Samfón, Se, y^u haſt mocked me and tolde me lies. I pray thee now, ^f tel me wherewith y^u mighteſt be bound.

11.Then he anſwered her, If they binde me with newe ropes y^t neuer were occupied, then ſhal I be weake, and be as another man.

12.Deliláh therefore toke newe ropes, and bound him therewith, and ſaid vnto him, The Philiſtims be vpon thee, Samfón: (& men lay in wait in the cháber) & he brake them from his armes, as a threade.

13.¶ Afterward Deliláh ſaid to Samfón, Hetherto thou haſt beguiled me, and tolde me lies: tel me how thou mighteſt be bound. And he ſaid vnto her, If thou plat- ^g tedſt ſeuen lockes of mine head with the threades of the woufe.

14.And ſhe faſtened it with a pinne, & ſaid vnto him, The Philiſtims be vpon thee, Samfón. And he awoke out of his ſlepe, and went away with the ^" pinne of y^e webbe and the woufe.

15.Againe ſhe ſaid vnto him, How canſt thou ſay, ^h I loue thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou haſt mocked me theſe thre times, and haſt not tolde me wherein thy great ſtrength lieth.

16.And becauſe ſhe was importunate vpon him with her wordes cótinually, and vexed him, his foule was peined vnto y^e death.

17.Therefore he tolde her all his ⁱ heart, & ſaid vnto her, There neuer came rafor vpon mine head: for I am a Nazarite vnto God fró my mothers wombe: therefore if I be ſhauen, my ſtrength wil go from me, & I ſhal be weake, & be like all other men.

18.And whé Deliláh ſawe that he had tolde her all his heart, ſhe ſent, & called for the Princes of y^e Philiſtims, ſaying, Come vp once againe: for he hathe ſhewed me all his heart. Then the princes of the Philiſtims came vp vnto her, and broght the money in their hands.

19.And ſhe made him ſlepe vpó her knees, & ſhe called a man, & made him to ſhaue of y^e ſeuen lockes of his head, & ſhe begá to vexe hi, & his ſtrength was ^k gone fró hi.

20.Then ſhe ſaid, The Philiſtims be vpó thee, Sáfón. And he awoke out of his ſlepe, and thoght, I wil go out now as at other times, & ſhake my ſelfe, but he knewe not that the Lord was departed from him.

21.Therefore the Philistims toke him, and put out his eies, and broght him downe to Azzáh, and bound him with fetters: and he did grinde in the priſon houſe.

22.And the heere of his head begã to ^l growe againe after that it was ſhauen.

23.Then the princes of the Philistims gathered them together for to offer a great ſacrifice vnto Dagón their god, and to reioyce: for they ſaid, Our god hathe deliuered Samſón our enemie into our hãds.

24.Alſo when the people ſaw him, they praiſed their god: for they ſaid, Our god hath deliuered into our hands our enemie and deſtroier of our countrey, w^c hathe ſlaine manie of vs.

25.And when their heartes were mery, they ſaid, Call Samſón, that he may make vs paſtime. So they called Samſón out of the priſon houſe, and he ^m was a laughing ſtocke vnto them, and they ſet him betwene the pillers.

26.Then Samſón ſaid vnto the ſeruant that led him by the hand, Lead me, that I may touche the pillers that the houſe ſtandeth vpon, and that I may leane to them.

27.(Now the houſe was ful of men & women, and there were all the princes of the Philistims: alſo vpon the roofe were about thre thouſand men & women that behelde while Samſón ^" played)

28.Then Samſón called vnto the Lord, and ſaid, ô Lord God, I pray thee, thinke vpon me: ô God, I beſeche thee, ſtrengthen me at this time onely, that I maye be ⁿ at once ^" auenged of the Philistims for my two eyes.

29.And Samſón layed holde on the two middle pillers whereupõ the houſe ſtode, and on which it was borne vp: on the one with his right hand, and on the other with his left.

30.Then ſaid Samſón, ^o Let me loſe my life with the Philistims: and he bowed him w^t all his might, and the houſe fel vpon the princes, and vpon all the people that were therein. ſo the dead which he ſlue at his death were mo then they which he had ſlayne in his life.

31.Then his brethren, and all the houſe of his father came downe and toke him, and broght him vp & buryed him betwene Zoráh and Eſhtaól, in the ſepulchre of Manóah his father: now he had iudged Iſraél twentie yeres.

Judges 16

Notes