Samson born.

LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell o on their faces to the ground.

JUDGES, XIV.

Samson's marriage. B. C. 1611. | 8 T And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion and behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

o Lev.9.24.
1Ch.21.16,

26.

CHAPTER XIV.

Samson desireth a wife of the Philistines.

Eze.1.28.
Mat. 17.6.

p Ex.33.20.
Deut.5.26.

22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall p surely die because we q Ps.25.14. have seen God.

27.13. Pr.3.32. Jno.15.15.

1Sa.3.19.

23 But his wife said unto him, If
the LORD were pleased to kill us,
he would not have received a burnt r Heb.11.32.
offering and a meat offering at ours
hands, q neither would he have t ch.3.10.
shewed us all these things, nor e Mahaneh-
would as at this time have told us
such things as these.

dan, as
ch.18.12.

u ch. 18.11.

24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson. r And s the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

Jos. 15.33. (CHAP. 14.) 25 And the Spirit t of the LORD a Ge.38. 13. began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorahub and Eshtoal.

Jos. 15.10.

Ge.34.1,2.
c Ge.24.3,4.
d Ge.34.14.
Ex.34.12,
16.
Deut.7.3.
is right in
mine eyes.
e Jos. 11.20.

to a

Timnath, and saw b a woman in Timnath 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 Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now, therefore, get her for me to fch.13.1.

wife.

2Kİ.6.33.

2Ch.10.15.

22.7.

25.20.

2 in meeting

him.

3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, c or among all my peo-pie, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised d Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, i 1Sa. 14.25. Get her for me; for she 1 pleaseth me well.

30. Pr.25.16.

4 But his father and his mother k Es. 1.7, &c. Ec. 10. 19. knew not that it was of the LORD, e 1 Pr. 1.6. that he sought an occasion against Eze.17.2. the Philistines: for at that time Luke 14.7. the ƒ Philistines had dominion over m Ge.29.27. Israel. 2Ch.7.8.

g ch.13.25.

1Sa. 11.6.

h 1Sa. 17.34,

35.

5 Then went Samson down, and 3 or, shirts. his father and his mother to Tim-n Ge.45.22. hath, and came to the vineyards o ch.16.5. of Timnath and behold, a young Pr. 1. 10. hon roared 2 against him. p ch.15.6. possess us, or, impoverish us.

6 And the Spirit g of the LORD came mightily upon him, and h 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 what he had done.

9

ch.16.15.

5 or, the rest
of the.

r Lu.11.8.

7 And he went down and talked 18.4.5. with the woman; and she pleaseds ver.6. Samson well.

10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; k for so used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven m days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty 3 sheets, and thirty change n of garments:

13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. 14 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 expound the riddle.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice o thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest p we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to 4 take that we have? is it not so?

16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou q 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 it thee?

17 And she wept before him 5 the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it come to pass on the seventh day that he told her becauser she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18 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 T And s the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down

Samson is denied his wife.

to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

20 But Samson's wife was given t to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

CHAPTER XV.

Samson burneth the Philistines' corn with foxes and firebrands.

B while after, in the time of

UT it came to pass within a

2

or, blameless from. 3 or, torches. b 2Sa. 14.30.

wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, 1 will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

JUDGES, XV, XVI. Samson slayeth the Philistines. B. C. 1161. are rulers ƒ over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

12 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 yourselves.

4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took 3 firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

c ch.14.15.

d ver. 19.
4 went down.

2 And her father said, I verily
thought that thou hadst utterly e ch.14.4.
hated her; therefore a I gave her
to thy companion: is not her
younger sister fairer than she?
1 take her, I pray thee, instead of

her.

3 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be 2 more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn b of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

7 And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

or, appare!. t ch.15.2.

u Jer.9.4.

14 T And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and g the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords h that were upon his arins became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands 5 loosed from off his hands.

15 And he found a new jaw-bone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

two heaps.

8

16 And Samson said, With the
i. e. the jaw-bone of an ass, 7 heaps upon
lifting up heaps, with the jaw of an ass have
of the jaw-I slain a thousand men.
Bone, or,
17 And it came to pass, when he
the casting had made an end of speaking, that
away of
he cast away the jaw-bone out of
the jaw-
his hand, and called that place
bone.
8 Ramath-lehi.

i Ps.3.7.
9 or, Lehi.

6 Then the Philistines said, k Is.44.3.
Who hath done this? And they Is.40.29.
answered, Samson, the son-in-law
of the Timnite, because he hadj
taken his wife, and given herto his
companion. And the Philistines
came up, and burnt c her and her
father with fire.

10 i, e. the
well of him
that called,
or, cried,
Ps.34.6.

8 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter. And he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9 T Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi.d

Mi.7.5.
Jno.3.29.

10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

(CHAP. 15.)

a ch.14.20.

let her be
thine.

f

g ch.14.6.

h Ps. 18.34.
s were

melted.
6 moist.
7an heap,

Ps. 106.41.

m He seems
to have
judged
South-west

Israel

during twenty years of their servitude of the Philistines, ch.13.1.

11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Know- 2 silent. est thou not that the e Philistines!

13 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 cords, and brought him up from the rock.

18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou i hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? 19 But God clave an hollow place that was in 9 the jaw, and there came k water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Wherefore he called the name thereof, 10 En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

20 And he judged m Israel, in the days of the Philistines twenty years. CHAPTER XVI.

Samson escapeth, and carrieth away the yates of Gaza.

THEN went Samson to Gaza, and saw there 1 an harlot, and went in unto her.

TH

2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed a him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were 2 quiet all the night, saying, In the morning when it is day, we shall kill him.

Delilah betrays Samson.

JUDGES, XVI. 3 And Samson lay till midnight, B. C. 1140. and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, 3 bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

b 1Ki.11.1.

4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a b woman 4 in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

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.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, c Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by: what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to 5 afflict him, and we will give thee every one of us, eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6

7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven 6 green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as 7 another man.

3 with the
bar.

7.21-27. 17 That he told e her all his heart, 1Cor.6.15- and said unto her, There hath not 18.come a razor upon mine head; for f I have been a Nazarite untó 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 g she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave

d ch.14.16.

8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green 10 shortened. off the seven locks of his head;

withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

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, Ih will go out, as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was i departed from him.

21 But the Philistines took him, and 11 put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and k bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prisonhouse.

10 And Delilah said unto Samson, thou hast mocked me,

told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

15 And she said unto him, How d 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.

c ch.14.15.

16 And it came to pass when she Pr.2. 16-19. pressed him daily with her words, 5.3-11. and urged him, so that his soul was 6.24-26. 10 vexed unto death;

4 or, by the
brook.

14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistimes be upon thee, Samson. And

or, humble.

moist, or,
new cords.

7 one.

8 smelleth.

wherewith
work hath
not been
done.

9 (Now there were men lying in wait, abidin with her in the chamber.) And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs as ag Pr.7.26. thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

Ec.7.26.

Ho.7.9.

e Pr. 12.23. Mi.7.5. fch. 13.5. Nu.6.5.

Nu. 14.42,

43. 1Sa.28.15.

11 bored out.

12

11 And he said unto her, If they k Jer.2.19. bind me fast with new ropes 9 that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. 12 Delilah therefore took new 1 1Sa.5,2,&c. 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 n Dan.5.4. from off his arms like a thread. 13 And Delilah said unto Samson, 13 and who Hitherto thou hast mocked me, multiplied and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest he bound. 0 ch.9.27. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my p Heb. 11.36. head with the web.

our slain.

or, as when.

mJob 30.9,10.

Ps.35.15, 16.
Pr.24.17,18.

Samson's imprisonment.

he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

14 before
them.

22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again 12 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: m for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 24 And when the people saw him, they praised n their god: for they said, Our God hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country; 13 which slew many of us.

25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, o that they said, Call for Samson that he may make usp sport. And they called for Samson out of the prisonhouse; and he made 14 them

Death of Samson.

JUDGES, XVII, XVIII. sport and they set him between B. C. 1120. 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, 16 my soul. that beheld while Samson made sport.

28 And Samson called q unto the
LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, re-
member me, I pray thee, and
strengthen me, I pray thee, only
this once, O God, that I may be at (CHAP. 17.)
once avenged of the Philistines for a Jos. 17.14-
my two eyes.

18.
b Ne. 13.25.
2J no. 11.
c Ge. 14.19.
Ru.3.10.

Ex. 20.4,23.
Lev. 19.4.

29 And Samson took hold of the
two middle pillars upon which the
house stood, and 15 on which it
was borne up, of the one with his
right, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let 16 me
die with the Philistines. And he
bowed himself with all his might;
and the house s fell upon the lords,
and upon all the people that were
therein. So the dead which he fch.8.27.
slew at his death were more than g Ge.31.19,
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 burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged h Israel twenty years.

Micah's idolatry.

5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephodf q Ps.91.15. and teraphim, g and consecrated La.3.31.32. one of his sons, who became his Jon.2.1,2,7. priest.

6 In those days there was no king h in Israel, but every man did that i which was right in his own eyes. 7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, k of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, 2 as he journeyed.

9 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 sojourn where I may find a place. 10 And Micah said unto him. Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went

CHAPTER XVII.

Micah hireth a Levite to be his priest.
ND there was a man of mount al
Ephraim, whose

A

name was

Micah.

r Ps.74.18-23.
Jer. 15.15.

15 or, he
leaned on
them.

$ Job 20.5.
Ps.62.3.
Ec.9.12.

t ch. 13.25.

e Is.46.6.

30.
Hos.3.4.
filled the
hand,
Ex. 29.9.

1Ki. 13.33.

13 Then said Micah. Now o know I that the LORD will do me good, seemg I have a Levite to my priest. CHAPTER XVIII. The Danites send five men to seek cut an inheritance.

No

Na those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the

A Ru.1.1,2.

his way. I ch.18.19.

2 And he said unto his mother. 2 in making tribe of the Danites & sought them The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thoub cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, be-3 an order of hold, the silver is with me: I took it. And his mother said. Blessed c be thou of the LORD, my son.

suit.

an inheritance to dwell in for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. garments. 2 And the children of Dan sent or, a double of their family five men from their coasts, men or valour, from Zoi rah,e and from Eshtaol., to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them. Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Erhram, to the house of Macah, they lodged there.

3 When they were by the house of Meah, they knew the voice of the young man the Le vite: and they turned in thither, and said unto Thm. Who brought thee hither? Fand what makest thou in this place and what hast thou here!

4 And he sad unto them, Thus land thus dealetà LLcah with me,

ch.18.1,7.

19.1. 21.3,25. Deut. 12.8. Pr. 16.2. Ec.11.9.

o Pr. 14.12.

3 And when he had restored them ver.5. eleven hundred shekels of silver ton ch.18.30. his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my (CHAP. 18. son, to make d a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I I will restore it unto thee.

a ch.17.6.

b Jos.19.47.

i sons

4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took e ch.13.25. two hundred shekels of silver, and e 16.31. gave them to the founder, who Ge.42.9. made thereof a graven image and Nu. 13.17. a molten image: and they were in Jos. 2.1. the house of Micah.

in.

11 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 m the Levite; and the young man be came n his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

Laish searched.

JUDGES, XVIII.

and hath hired me, and I am his B. C. 1120.
priest.

d Hos.4.12.

5 And they said unto him, Ask d
counsel, we pray thee, of God, that
we may know whether our way e 1Ki.22.6.
which we go shall be prosperous.
6 And the priest said unto them, ef Jos. 19.47,
Go in peace: before the LORD is
your way wherein ye go.

called

Leshem.

Then the five men departed,
and came to Laish, f and saw the
people that were therein, how they
dwelt careless, after the manner of
the Zidonians, quiet and secure; g ver.2.
and there was no 2 magistrate in the
land, that might put them to shame
in any thing; and they were far
from the Zidonians, and had no i ver.7,27.
business with any man.
8 And they came unto their bre-k Jos.2.23,24.
thren to Zorahg and Eshtaol and 1 Deut.8.9.
their brethren said unto them,
What say ye?

h Nu. 13.30.
IKI.22.3.

9 And they said, Arise, h that we
may go up against them for we
have seen the land, and behold, it

18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What or, heir of do ye?

2

possessor,

restraint.

19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay r thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be s to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

3 girded.
m1Ch. 13.5,6.

2Ch.1.4.

18 very good and are ye still? ben ch.13.25.
not slothful to go, and to enter to
possess the land.

o ch.17.5.

10 When ye go, ye shall come un-4
to a people secure, i and to a large
land; for God k hath given it into
your hands; a place where there
is no want of any thing that is in
the earth.

asked him
of peace,
Ge.43.27.
1Sa. 17.22.

p ver. 11.

11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men 3 appointed with weapons of war.

m

12 And they went up, and pitched
Kirjath-jearim, m in Judah :|
wherefore they called that place
Mahaneh-dan n unto this day:
behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim. s ch. 17. 10.
13 And they passed thence unto
mount Ephraim, and came unto t Ge.21.17.
the house of Micah.
2Ki.6.28.

Ps. 114.5.
Is.22.1.

q ver.2,14.

r Job.21.5.

29.9. 40.4. Pr.30.32. Mi.7.16.

14 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 o an ephod, and teraphim,
and a graven image, and a molten
image? now therefore consider
what ye have to do.

15 And they turned thitherward,
and came to the house of the young
man the Levite, even unto the
house of Micah, and 4 saluted v ver.1,7.
him.

16 And the p six hundred men ap-
w Nu. 13.21.
2Sa.10.6.
pointed with their weapons of war,
which were of the children of Dan, x Ge.14.14.
stood by the entering of the gate.

Jos.19.47.

17 And the five q men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the l

5 art gathered

together. bitter of soul, 2Sa.17.8.

u ver.7.10.
De.33.22.

Laish burnt.

teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

IKI, 12.29,

30. 15.20.

20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

and put the little ones and the cat-
21 So they turned and departed,

tle and the carriage before them.
22 T And 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 to-
gether, and overtook the children
of Dan.

23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What t aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?

25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest 6angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

26 And the children of Dan went

their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure and u they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

28 And there was no deliverer, v because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rebob. w And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan