Judges 16
Smith's Literal Translation Par ▾ 

Samson Escapes Gaza

1And Samson will go to Gaza, and he will see there a woman, a harlot, and he will go in to her. 2To the Gazites, saying, Samson came here. And they will encompass, and will lie in wait for him all the night in the gate of the city, and they will be silent all the night, saying, During the light of the morning and we killed him. 3And Samson will lie till half the night, and he will rise in half the night, and he will seize the doors of the gate of the city and with the two door-posts, and will remove them with the bar, and will set upon his shoulders, and he will bring them up to the head of the mountain which is upon the face of Hebron.

Samson and Delilah

4And it will be after this, and he will love a woman in the valley of Shorek, and her name Delilah. 5And the princes of Philisteim will come up and will say to her, Persuade him, and see in what is his great strength, and in what we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him: and we give to thee each a thousand and a hundred of silver. 6And Delilah will say to Samson, Announce now to me in what is thy great strength, and in what thou shalt be bound to humble thee. 7And Samson will say to her, If they shall bind me with seven moist cords that were not dried, and I was weak and shall be as another man. 8And the princess of Philisteim will bring up to her seven moist cords which were not dried, and she will bind him with them. 9And lying in wait dwelling by her in the chamber. And she will say to him, Philisteim upon thee, Samson. And he will tear away the cords as a thread of tow will be torn away in its smelling the fire. And his strength was not known.

10And Delilah will say to Samson, Behold, thou deceivest me, and thou wilt speak to me lies: this time announce to me now in what thou shalt be bound. 11And he will say to her, If binding, they shall bind me with new cords which work was not done with them, and I was weak and was as another man. 12And Delilah will take new cords and will bind him with them, and she will say to him, Philisteim upon thee, Samson, (and the lier in wait dwelling in the chamber.) And he will tear them away from off his arms as a thread.

13And Delilah will say to Samson, Till now thou deceivedst me, and thou wilt speak to me lies: announce to me in what thou shalt be bound. And he will say to her, If thou shalt weave the seven braids of my head with the warp. 14And she will fasten with a peg, and she will say to him, Philisteim upon thee, Samson. And he will awake from his sleep, and he will tear away the peg of the braid and the warp.

Delilah Learns the Secret

15And she will say to him, Wilt thou say, I loved thee, and thy heart not with me? This three times thou didst deceive me, and didst not announce to me in what is thy great strength. 16And it will be in her pressing upon him with her words all the days, and she will urge him, and his soul will be shortened to death; 17And he will announce to her all his heart, and he will say to her, A razor came not up upon my head, for I am devoted to God from my mother's womb: if I were shaved, and my strength removed from me, and I was weak, and was as all men.

18And Delilah will see that he announced to her all his heart, and she will send and call to the princes of Philisteim, saying, Come up to me this time; for he announced to her all his heart And the princes of Philisteim will come up to her, and will bring up the silver in their hand. 19And she will cause him to sleep upon her knees; and she will call to a man, and she will shave the seven braids of his head; and she will begin to humble him, and his strength will remove from him. 20And she will say, Philisteim upon thee, Samson. And he will awake from his sleep, and say, I will go forth as once upon once, and shake myself. And he knew not that Jehovah removed from him. 21And Philisteim will seize him, and they will bore out his eyes, and will bring him down to Gaza and bind him with fetters of brass, and he will be grinding in the house of bonds. 22And the hair of his head will begin to grow as when he was shaven.

Samson’s Vengeance and Death

23And the princes of Philisteim gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice: and they will say, Our god gave into our hand Samson our enemy.

24And the people will see him and praise their god, for they said, God gave into our hand our enemy, and him destroying our land, and who multiplied our wounded.

25And it will be when their heart will be joyful, and they will say, Call to Samson, and he shall play to us. And they will call to Samson from the house of bonds and he will play before them, and they will set him between the pillars. 26And Samson will say to the boy holding him by his hand, Permit me and I shall feel the pillars which the house stood upon them, and I will lean upon them. 27And the house was filled with men and women, and there were all the princes of Philisteim, and upon the roof about three thousand men and women looking upon the sport of Samson.

28And Samson will call to Jehovah, and will say, Lord Jehovah, remember me now, and strengthen me now but this once, O God, and I will avenge myself one vengeance for my two eyes of Philisteim. 29And Samson will clasp the two pillars the midst of which the house stood upon them, and he stayed himself upon them, one with his right hand and one with his left. 30And Samson will say, My soul shall die with Philisteim. And he will bow with strength, and the house will fall upon the princes and upon all the people which are in it And the dead will be more which he killed in his death than which he killed in his life. 31And his brethren and all the house of his father will go down and will lift him up, and will bring him up, and bury him between Zorah and between Eshtaol in the grave of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.


The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

Judges 15
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