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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Judges 14 ISV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/14.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/judges/14-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ISV</a> > Judges 14</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/13.htm" title="Judges 13">◄</a> Judges 14 <a href="../judges/15.htm" title="Judges 15">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/judges/14.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Samson’s Marriage</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>A while later, Samson went down to Timnah and observed a woman in Timnah who was of Philistine origin.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:1 Lit. Timnah from the daughters of Philistines">a</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>Then he returned and told his father and mother, “In Timnah I saw a woman of Philistine origin.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:2 Lit. woman from the daughters of Philistines">b</a></span> He ordered them, “Get her for me as a wife. Now!”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:2 Or So get her">c</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>His father and mother asked him, “Isn’t there a woman suitable<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:3 The Heb. lacks suitable">d</a></span> among the daughters of your relatives or among all of our people, since you’re going to get your<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:3 Lit. a">e</a></span> wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”</p> <p class="reg">But Samson retorted to his father, “Get her for me, since she looks fine to me.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Meanwhile, his father and mother did not know that she was from the LORD, because he had been seeking a favorable opportunity concerning the Philistines, since<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:4 Lit. and">f</a></span> the Philistines were dominating Israel at that time.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then Samson went down in the direction of Timnah with his father and mother and arrived as far as the vineyards of Timnah. And—surprise!—a young lion came roaring at him! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he ripped the lion<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:6 Lit. ripped it">g</a></span> apart as one might dissect a young goat, even though he carried nothing in his hand. But he didn’t tell his father and mother what he had done. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Then he went down and talked to the woman, and she looked fine to Samson. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>When he came back later to marry<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:8 Lit. take">h</a></span> her, he turned aside to observe the lion’s carcass. Amazingly, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, complete with honey. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>So he scraped some out into his hands and went on his way, eating all the while. When he met his father and mother, he gave some<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:9 The Heb. lacks some">i</a></span> to them, and they ate it, too. But he didn’t inform them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.</p> <p class="heading">Samson’s Riddle</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Later on, when his father went down to visit<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:10 The Heb. lacks visit">j</a></span> the woman, Samson threw a party there, since young men customarily did this. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>When they saw him, they brought 30 companions to accompany him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson told them. “If you can solve it during this week-long festival, I’ll give you 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:12 Or 30 changes of clothes">k</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>But if you don’t solve it,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:13 Lit. don’t tell me">l</a></span> then you’ll give me 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:13 Or 30 changes of clothes">m</a></span> </p> <p class="reg">“Tell us your riddle and we’ll solve it,” they responded.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So he told them:</p> <p class="poetry2">From the eater came something edible;</p> <p class="poetry2 marginbot">from the strong something sweet.</p> <p class="reg">For three days they couldn’t solve the riddle.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>The next<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:15 Lit. On the fourth">n</a></span> day, they told Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband to explain the riddle or we’ll set fire to your father’s house—with you in it! You’ve invited us here to make us paupers, haven’t you?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>So Samson’s wife cried in front of him and accused him, “You only hate me. You don’t love me. You’ve told a riddle to my relatives, but you haven’t told the solution<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:16 Lit. told it">o</a></span> to me.”</p> <p class="reg">Samson responded, “Look, I haven’t told my parents,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:16 Lit. my father and my mother">p</a></span> either. Why<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:16 The Heb. lacks either. Why">q</a></span> should I tell you?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So she kept on crying in front of him for the entire seven days of the wedding party. On the seventh day he told the solution<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:17 Lit. it">r</a></span> to her because she nagged him, and then she told the solution to<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:17 The Heb. lacks the solution to">s</a></span> the riddle to her relatives.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Then the men of the city answered him just before sunset on the seventh day:</p> <p class="poetry1 margintop">“What’s sweeter than honey?</p> <p class="poetry2 marginbot">What’s stronger than lions?”</p> <p class="reg">Samson<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:18 Lit. He">t</a></span> responded,</p> <p class="poetry1 margintop">“If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer</p> <p class="poetry2 marginbot">you wouldn’t have solved my riddle.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed 30 men, took their belongings, and gave the garments to those who had told him the solution to<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:19 The Heb. lacks the solution to">u</a></span> the riddle. He remained furious, left for his father’s house, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/14-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>and Samson’s wife went to the best man at his wedding.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="14:20 Lit. wife was to an acquaintance who was his friend; cf. Judg 15:2, 7">v</a></span> </p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 14:1 Lit. <i>Timnah from the daughters of Philistines</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 14:2 Lit. <i>woman from the daughters of Philistines</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 14:2 Or <i>So get her</i><br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 14:3 The Heb. lacks <i>suitable</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 14:3 Lit. <i>a</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 14:4 Lit. <i>and</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 14:6 Lit. <i>ripped it</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 14:8 Lit. <i>take</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 14:9 The Heb. lacks <i>some</i><br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 14:10 The Heb. lacks <i>visit</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 14:12 Or <i>30 changes of clothes</i><br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 14:13 Lit. <i>don’t tell me</i><br /><span class="fnb">m</span> 14:13 Or <i>30 changes of clothes</i><br /><span class="fnb">n</span> 14:15 Lit. <i>On the fourth</i><br /><span class="fnb">o</span> 14:16 Lit. <i>told it</i><br /><span class="fnb">p</span> 14:16 Lit. <i>my father and my mother</i><br /><span class="fnb">q</span> 14:16 The Heb. lacks <i>either. Why</i><br /><span class="fnb">r</span> 14:17 Lit. <i>it</i><br /><span class="fnb">s</span> 14:17 The Heb. lacks <i>the solution to</i><br /><span class="fnb">t</span> 14:18 Lit. <i>He</i><br /><span class="fnb">u</span> 14:19 The Heb. lacks <i>the solution to</i><br /><span class="fnb">v</span> 14:20 Lit. <i>wife was to an acquaintance who was his friend</i>; cf. 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