strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let 15 her observe. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, 'that we may make 16 ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt make ready a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was 'the angel of 17 the LORD. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy words come to (18 pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my 19 name, seeing it is wonderful? So Manoah took the kid with the meal' offering, and offered it upon 'the' rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and (20 his wife looked on. °For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar and Manoah and his wife looked on; and 'they' fell on 21 their faces to the ground. But the

angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah lor to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel 22 of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, (23 because we have seen God. °But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a 'meal' offering at our 'hand', neither I would he have shewed us all these things, nor would at this time have 24 told such things as these. And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, (25 and the LORD blessed him. And the spirit of the LORD began to move him in Mahaneh'-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

141 And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in 'Timnah' of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 °And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in 'Timnah' of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get 3 her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there

never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me 4 well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule' over Israel.

5

Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to 'Timnah', and came to the vineyards of Timnah and, behold, a young lion roared 6 against him. And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother 7 what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman; 8) and she pleased Samson well. And after a while he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the 'body' of 9) the lion, and honey. And he took lit into his hands, and went on, eating las he went, and he came to his father and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey 10 out of the body of the lion. And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for 11 so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions (12 to be with him. And Samson said

unto them, 'Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: if 'yel can declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty 13 changes of Iraiment but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment'. And they said unto him. Put forth thy 14 riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them,

Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness.

And they could not in three days 15 declare the riddle. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they

said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us? is it (16 not so? And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee? 17) And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she 'pressed' him sore and she told the riddle to the 18 children of her people. And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them,

If ye had not plowed with my heifer,

Ye had not found out my riddle. 19 And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and 'smotel thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he 20 went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

15(1) But it came to pass after a while,

in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father 2 would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion : is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead (3 of her. °And Samson said unto1 them, 'This time shall I be blameless in regard of the Philistines, 4 when I do them a mischief. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. 5) And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing

1 Or, take that we have 2 Or, apparel

corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards'. 6 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they said', Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her 7) father with fire. And Samson said unto them, 'If ye do after this 'manner, surely! I will be avenged of 8 you, and after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock lof Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread them10 selves in Lehi. "And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they said', To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him 11 as he hath done to us. "Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so 12 have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me 13 yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new Iropes', and brought him up from the (14 rock. When he came unto Lehi, the

Philistines shouted as they met him: and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the 'ropes! that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped' from off his hands. 15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and 'smotel a thousand men there16 with. And Samson said,

With the jawbone of an ass, 'heaps
upon heaps,

With the jawbone of an ass have
I 'smitten' a thousand men.

17) And it came to pass, when he had

made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called 'Ramath18 lehi. And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the 19) hand of the uncircumcised. °But

God clave 'the' hollow place that lis in Lehi1, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore the name thereof Iwas called "En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, 20 unto this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

161) And Samson went to Gaza, and

saw there an harlot, and went in 2 unto her. 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, Let be till morning light, 3 then we will kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked' them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.

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 hun6 dred pieces of silver. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to 7 afflict thee. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven 'green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as 8 another man. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had liers' in wait abiding in

1 Or, he called that place

That is, The hill of the jawbone. Or, the jawbone

4 Or, he called the name thereof

the inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a 'string' of tow is broken when it 10toucheth the fire. So his 10 strength was not known. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith 11 thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done', then shall I 'become 12) weak, and be as another man. Sol Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And the liers in wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And

he brake them from off his arms like 13 a thread. 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 'plucked' away the pin of the beam, and 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 (16 strength lieth. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul 17 was vexed unto death. And he

told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazirite' 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 told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought 'the' money in 19 their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for 12a man, and 'shaved' off the seven locks

Or, new bowstrings❘

10 Heb. smelleth.

1 Or, according to another reading, he had told her

1a Or, the men

XVI. 1 Then..a; 2 In the.. when

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, and shake myself. But he wist not that the LORD 21 was departed from him. And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in 22 the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

23

And 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 in24 to our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which hath 25) slain many of us. 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 sport 'before' them and they set him between the 26 pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house 'resteth, that I may 27 lean upon them. 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 1be at once avenged of the (29 Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house 'rested', and leaned upon' $[them', the one with his right hand, and the other 30 with his left. 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

1 Or, be avenged...for one of my

two eyes

31 in his life. 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.

17 1

And there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was (2) Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter 2a curse', and 'didst also 'speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my 3 son of the LORD. And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, I'verily dedicate the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore 4 it unto thee. And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the 5 house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and 'he' made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his (6 priest. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he so8 journed there. And the man departed out of the city, 'out of Beth-lehemjudah, to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of 9 Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to so10 journ where I may find a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite 11 went in. And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. 12 And Micah consecrated the Levite,

and the young man became his

priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. 18 (1 In those days there was no king in Israel and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. 2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: 'and' they came to the hill country of Ephraim, Junto the house of Micah, 'and' lodged 3 there. When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned 'aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and 4 what hast thou here? And he said unto them, Thus and thus 'hath Micah 'dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest. 5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel,

we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go 6 shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; 'for' there was 'none' in the land, 'possessing authority', that might put them to shame in any thing, and they were far from the Židonians, and had no 8 'dealings with any man. And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said 9 unto them, What say ye? And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to en10) ter in' to possess the land. When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large for God hath given it into your hand'; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.

of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men 'girt with weapons of war. 12 And they went up, and encamped' in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan, unto this day: behold, it is behind 13 Kiriath1-jearim. And they passed thence unto the hill country of Ephraim, and came unto the house 14 of Micah. Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have 15 to do. And they turned 'aside thither', and came to the house of the young Iman the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and 'asked him of his wel16 fare. And the six hundred men 'girt! with their weapons of war, 'who were of the children of Dan, stood by the 17 entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entering of the gate with the six hundred men 18) girt with weapons of war. ° And

when these went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto (19 them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the 21 midst of the people. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the 'goods before (22 them. When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and 23 overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

Heb. that thou art gathered together.