Y Sansón fue a Gaza^a, y allí vio a una ramera y se llegó a ella. 2 Entonces fue dicho¹ a los de Gaza: Sansón ha venido acá. Y ellos cercaron el lugar y se apostaron a la puerta de la ciudad toda la noche, acechándolo^a. Y estuvieron callados toda la noche, diciendo: Esperemos hasta que amanezca², entonces lo mataremos. 3 Pero Sansón permaneció acostado hasta la medianoche, y a la medianoche se levantó, y tomando las puertas de la ciudad con los dos postes, las arrancó junto con las trancas; entonces se las echó sobre los hombros y las llevó hasta la cumbre del monte que está frente a Hebrón.

4 Después de esto sucedió que se enamoró de una mujer del¹ valle de Sorec, que se llamaba Dalila. 5 Y los príncipes de los filisteos^a fueron a ella y le dijeron: Persuádelo^b, y ve dónde está su gran fuerza, y cómo¹ podríamos dominarlo para atarlo y castigarlo². Entonces cada uno de nosotros te dará mil cien piezas de plata. 6 Dijo, pues, Dalila a Sansón: Te ruego que me declares dónde está tu gran fuerza y cómo¹ se te puede atar para castigarte². 7 Y Sansón le dijo: Si me atan con siete cuerdas frescas que no se hayan secado, me debilitaré y seré como cualquier otro hombre. 8 Los príncipes de los filisteos le llevaron siete cuerdas frescas que no se habían secado, y Dalila lo ató con ellas. 9 Y tenía ella hombres al acecho en un aposento interior. Entonces le dijo: ¡Sansón, los filisteos se te echan encima¹! Pero él rompió las cuerdas como se rompe un hilo de estopa cuando toca² el fuego. Y no se descubrió el secreto de su fuerza.

10 Entonces Dalila dijo a Sansón: Mira, me has engañado y me has dicho mentiras; ahora pues, te ruego que me declares cómo¹ se te puede atar. 11 Y él le respondió: Si me atan fuertemente con sogas nuevas que no se hayan usado¹, me debilitaré y seré como cualquier otro hombre. 12 Dalila tomó sogas nuevas, lo ató con ellas, y le dijo: ¡Sansón, los filisteos se te echan encima¹! Pues los hombres estaban al acecho en el aposento interior. Pero él rompió las sogas² de sus brazos como un hilo.

13 Entonces Dalila dijo a Sansón: Hasta ahora me has engañado y me has dicho mentiras; declárame, ¿cómo¹ se te puede atar? Y él le dijo: Si tejes siete trenzas de mi cabellera² con la tela ³y la aseguras con una clavija, entonces me debilitaré y seré como cualquier otro hombre. 14 Y mientras él dormía Dalila tomó las siete trenzas de su cabellera¹ y las tejió con la tela, y la aseguró con la clavija, y le dijo: ¡Sansón, los filisteos se te echan encima²! Pero él despertó de su sueño y arrancó la clavija del telar y la tela.

15 Entonces ella le dijo: ¿Cómo puedes decir: «Te quiero», cuando tu corazón no está conmigo^a? Me has engañado estas tres veces y no me has declarado dónde reside tu gran fuerza. 16 Y¹ como ella le presionaba diariamente con sus palabras y le apremiaba, su alma se angustió hasta² la muerte. 17 Él le reveló¹, pues, todo lo que había en su corazón, diciéndole: Nunca ha pasado navaja sobre mi cabeza, pues he sido nazareo para Dios desde el vientre de mi madre^a. Si me cortan el cabello², mi fuerza me dejará y me debilitaré y seré como cualquier otro hombre.

18 Viendo Dalila que él le había declarado todo lo que había en su corazón, mandó llamar a los príncipes de los filisteos, diciendo: Venid una vez más, porque él me ha declarado todo lo que hay en su corazón. Entonces los príncipes de los filisteos vinieron a ella y trajeron el dinero en sus manos. 19 Y ella lo hizo dormir sobre sus rodillas, y mandó llamar a un hombre que le rasuró las siete trenzas de su cabellera¹. Luego ella comenzó a afligirlo y su fuerza lo dejó. 20 Ella entonces dijo: ¡Sansón, los filisteos se te echan encima¹! Y él despertó de su sueño, y dijo: Saldré como las otras veces y escaparé². Pero no sabía que el SEÑOR se había apartado de él^a. 21 Los filisteos lo prendieron y le sacaron los ojos; y llevándolo a Gaza, lo ataron con cadenas de bronce y lo pusieron a girar el molino¹ en la prisión. 22 Pero el cabello de su cabeza comenzó a crecer de nuevo después de rasurado.

23 Y los príncipes de los filisteos se reunieron para ofrecer un gran sacrificio a su dios Dagón^a, y para regocijarse, pues decían:Nuestro dios ha entregado a nuestro enemigo Sansón en nuestras manos. 24 Y cuando la gente lo vio, alabaron a su dios^a, pues decían:Nuestro dios ha entregado en nuestras manos a nuestro enemigo^b,al que asolaba nuestra tierra,y multiplicaba nuestros muertos. 25 Y sucedió que cuando estaban alegres¹, dijeron: Llamad a Sansón para que nos divierta. Llamaron, pues, a Sansón de la cárcel, y él los divertía². Y lo pusieron de pie entre las columnas. 26 Entonces Sansón dijo al muchacho que lo tenía de la mano: Déjame palpar las columnas sobre las que el edificio¹ descansa, para apoyarme en ellas. 27 Y el edificio estaba lleno de hombres y mujeres, y todos los príncipes de los filisteos estaban allí. Y sobre la azotea había como tres mil hombres y mujeres mirando mientras Sansón los divertía.

28 Sansón invocó al SEÑOR^a y dijo: Señor DIOS¹, te ruego que te acuerdes de mí, y te suplico que me des fuerzassolo esta vez, oh Dios, para vengarme ahora de los filisteos por mis dos ojos^b. 29 Y Sansón asió las dos columnas del medio sobre las que el edificio descansaba y se apoyó contra ellas, con su mano derecha sobre una y con su mano izquierda sobre la otra. 30 Y dijo Sansón: ¡Muera yo con los filisteos! Y se inclinó con todas sus fuerzas y el edificio se derrumbó sobre los príncipes y sobre todo el pueblo que estaba en él. Así que los¹ que mató al morir fueron más que los que había matado durante su vida. 31 Entonces descendieron sus hermanos y toda la casa de su padre, y tomándolo, lo llevaron y lo sepultaron entre Zora y Estaol en la tumba de Manoa, su padre. Él había juzgado a Israel veinte años^a.

Then Samson went to ^aGaza and saw a prostitute there, and went in to her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they ^asurrounded the place and waited all night at the gate of the city to ambush him. They kept quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is light, we will kill him.” 3 But Samson lay resting until midnight, then at midnight he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two door-posts, and pulled them up, security bar and all, and he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the hill which is opposite Hebron.

4 After this he fell in love with a Philistine woman living in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 So the five ^alords (governors) of the Philistines came to her and said to her, “^bPersuade him, and see where his great strength lies and find out how we may overpower him so that we may bind him to subdue him. And each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies and with what you may be bound and subdued.” 7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords (¹tendons) that have not been dried, then I will be weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the Philistine lords brought her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he broke the cords as a ¹string of tow breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “See now, you have mocked me and told me lies; now please tell me truthfully how you may be bound.” 11 He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes that have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like sewing thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies; tell me truthfully with what you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair with the web [¹and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks (braids) of his hair and wove them into the web]. And she fastened it with the pin of the loom and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the weaver’s loom and the web.

15 Then she said to him, “^aHow can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 When she pressured him day after day with her words and pleaded with him, he was annoyed to death. 17 Then finally he told her everything that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never been used on my head, for I have been a ^aNazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 Then Delilah realized that he had told her everything in his heart, so she sent and called for the Philistine lords, saying, “Come up this once, because he has told me everything in his heart.” Then the Philistine lords came up to her and brought the money they had promised in their hands. 19 She made Samson sleep on her knees, and she called a man and had him shave off the seven braids of his head. Then she began to abuse Samson, and his strength left him. 20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as I have time after time and shake myself free.” For Samson did not know that ^athe LORD had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with two bronze chains; and he was forced to be a grinder of grain into flour at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved off.

23 Now the Philistine lords gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to ^aDagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said,“Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands!” 24 When the people saw Samson, ^athey praised their god, for they said,“Our god has handed over our enemy to us,The ravager of our country,Who has killed many of us.” 25 Now when they were in high spirits, they said, “Call for Samson, so that he may amuse us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the roof of the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women; all the Philistine lords were there, and on the flat roof were about three thousand men and women who looked on while Samson was entertaining them.

28 ^aThen Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this one time, O God, and let me take ^bvengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Samson took hold of the two middle support pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he stretched out with all his might collapsing the support pillars, and the house fell on the lords and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31 Then his brothers and his father’s entire tribal household came down, took him, and brought him up; and they buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father, which was between Zorah and Eshtaol. ^aSo Samson had judged Israel for twenty years. Judg 17:6; Heb 11:32

Now Samson went to ^aGaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her. 2 When it was reported to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they ^asurrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let’s wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.” 3 Now Samson lay asleep until midnight, and at midnight he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts, and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

4 After this it came about that he was in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 So the ^agovernors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “^bEntice him, and see where his great strength lies and ¹how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and ¹how you can be bound to humble you.” 7 And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh ¹animal tendons that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the governors of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh ¹animal tendons that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men prepared for an ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he tore the tendons to pieces just like a thread of flax is torn apart when it ¹comes too close to fire. So his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have toyed with me and told me lies; now please tell me ¹how you may be bound.” 11 Then he said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes ¹which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men in the ambush were waiting in the inner room. But he tore ¹the ropes from his arms like thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have toyed with me and told me lies; tell me ¹how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my ²hair with the ³web ⁴[and fasten it with the pin, then I will be weak like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven locks of his ¹hair with the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.

15 Then she said to him, “^aHow can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have toyed with me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.” 16 And it came about, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was ¹annoyed to death. 17 So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a ^aNazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent word and called the governors of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the governors of the Philistines came up to her and brought up the money in their hands. 19 And she made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to humble him, and his strength left him. 20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that ^athe LORD had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and restrained him with bronze chains, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.

23 Now the governors of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to ^aDagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said,“Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us.” 24 When the people saw him, ^athey praised their god, for they said,“Our god has handed our enemy over to us,Even the destroyer of our country,Who has killed many of us.” 25 It so happened when ¹they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he ²entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “¹Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the governors of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was entertaining them.

28 ^aThen Samson called to the LORD and said, “Lord ¹GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once ^btake vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let ¹me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. 31 Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. ^aSo he had judged Israel for twenty years.