Judges 16

Judges Chapter 16 KJV

1Samson escapeth from Gaza by carrying away the gates of the city. 4Delilah corrupted by the Philistines urgeth him to tell her where his strength lay; he thrice deceiveth her; 15but is at length prevailed upon, and his head shaven. 21The Philistines take him, and put out his eyes; but his strength is renewed as his hair groweth. 23The Philistines hold a great feast to Dagon, and send for Samson to make them sport; 26who pulleth down the house upon the heads of his enemies, and is slain with them.
1 Then went 1Samson to 2Gaza, and saw there aan harlot, and went in unto her.
2 and it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And 1they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were aquiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall 2kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and 1took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, abar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 ¶ And it came to pass afterward, that he 1loved a woman ain 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 1by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to aafflict him: and 2we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 ¶ And Delilah said to Samson, 1Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, 1If they bind me with seven agreen withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as banother man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she 1bound 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 atoucheth the fire. So his strength 1was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now 1tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, 1If they bind me fast with new ropes athat never were occupied, then 2shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore 1took 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, 1If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And 1she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and 2went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15 ¶ And she said unto him, 1How 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 1pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was avexed unto death;
17 That he told her 1all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come 2a 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 1brought money in their hand.
19 And 1she 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 2afflict 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 1the Lord was departed from him.
21 ¶ But the Philistines took him, 1and aput out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and 2bound him with fetters of brass; and he 3did grind in the prison house.
22 1Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again aafter he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto 1Dagon 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 1praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, awhich slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their 1hearts 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 athem 2sport: 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 1upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And 1Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, 2remember 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 aon which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let ame die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house 1fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So 2the 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 1buried him between 2Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And 3he judged Israel twenty years.
Judges 16