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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 16 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/16.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/16-1.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 16</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/15.htm" title="Judges 15">◄</a> Judges 16 <a href="../judges/17.htm" title="Judges 17">►</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/16.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Samson’s Troubles in Gaza</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Sometime later, Samson went to Gaza, saw a prostitute there, and went in to have sex with her. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>When the Gazites were informed,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:2 Lit. were told">a</a></span> “Samson has come here!” they surrounded him, intending to lay in wait for him at the city gate throughout the entire night. They kept quiet all night, telling each other,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:2 The Heb. lacks each other">b</a></span> “At first light, let’s kill him!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Meanwhile, Samson had sex until midnight, then at midnight he got up, grabbed the doors, the two door posts, and the bars of the city gate, and uprooted them. He put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the mountain opposite Hebron.</p> <p class="heading">Samson Meets Delilah</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>After this incident, he loved a woman in Sorek Valley whose name was Delilah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>The Philistine officials approached her and told her, “Entice him to discover where his great strength is, and how we can overpower him. We intend to tie him up and torture him. We’ll each pay you 1,100 silver coins.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>So Delilah asked Samson, “Please tell me the secret to<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:6 Lit. the location of">c</a></span> your great strength and how you may be tied up and tortured.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Samson replied, “If I’m tied up with seven green cords<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:7 Or bowstrings">d</a></span> that have never been dried out, then I’ll become weak and just like any other<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:7 Lit. like one">e</a></span> human being.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Then the Philistine leaders brought her seven green cords<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:8 Or bowstrings">f</a></span> that had never been dried, and she tied him up with them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Meanwhile, some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room, waiting for her signal.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:9 Lit. sitting for her">g</a></span> So she told him, “The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the cords<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:9 Or bowstrings">h</a></span> as one might break a burned candle wick.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:9 Lit. burned strand of fiber">i</a></span> So his secret<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:9 Lit. strength">j</a></span> remained undiscovered.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Some time later, Delilah told Samson, “Look here! You’ve been mocking me and lying to me. Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>He told her, “If I’m tied up securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I’ll become weak and just like any other<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:11 Lit. like one">k</a></span> human being.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So Delilah grabbed some new ropes and tied him up. Then she told him, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” because some kidnappers were hiding inside an inner room. But he snapped the ropes<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:12 Lit. snapped them">l</a></span> from his arms like thread.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Later on, Delilah told Samson, “You’re still mocking me and telling me lies! Tell me how to tie you up!”</p> <p class="reg">He answered her, “If you weave the seven locks on my head into a loom and fasten it with a peg, then I will become weak and just like any other human being.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So Delilah took the seven locks on his head and wove them into the loom while he slept.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:13-14 So LXX. MT omits and fasten it with a peg, then I will become weak and just like any other human being. So Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the loom while he slept.">m</a></span> She fastened his hair with a peg and then told him, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” But he woke up from his nap and pulled the pin from the loom and the weaving.</p> <p class="heading">Samson Tells Delilah His Secret</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Some time later, she asked him, “How can you keep saying ‘I love you!’ when your heart isn’t with me? These three times you’ve lied to me and haven’t told me where your great strength lies.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>She nagged him every day with this speech, pestering him until he<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:16 Lit. until his soul">n</a></span> was annoyed nearly<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:16 The Heb. lacks nearly">o</a></span> to death.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So he finally disclosed everything. He told her,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:17 Lit. disclosed his entire heart to her">p</a></span> “A razor has never touched my head, because I’ve been a Nazirite for God before I was born.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:17 Lit. God from my mother’s womb">q</a></span> If I am shaved, then my strength will abandon me and I will become weak like every human being.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>When Delilah realized that he had disclosed everything<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:18 Lit. disclosed his entire heart">r</a></span> to her, she sent for the Philistine officials and told them, “Hurry up and come here at once, because he has told me everything.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:18 Lit. me his entire heart">s</a></span> So the Philistine officials went to her and brought their money with them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>So she enticed him to fall asleep on her lap, called for a man to shave off his seven locks of hair<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:19 The Heb. lacks of hair">t</a></span> from his head, and so began to humiliate him. Then his strength abandoned him.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>When she cried out, “The Philistines are attacking you, Samson!” he woke from his sleep and told himself,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:20 The Heb. lacks to himself">u</a></span> “I’ll go out like I did at other times like this and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the LORD had abandoned him.</p> <p class="heading">Samson is Imprisoned by the Philistines</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then the Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, tied him up in bronze chains,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:21 The Heb. lacks chains">v</a></span> and made him grind grain in their prison.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:21 Lit. in the house of captives">w</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved off.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Some time later, the Philistine officials got together to present a magnificent sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to throw a party, because they were claiming, “Our god has given Samson into our control!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>When the people saw Samson,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:24 Lit. him">x</a></span> they praised their god, claiming:</p> <p class="poetry1 margintop">Our god has given our enemy into our control;</p> <p class="poetry2">the one who was destroying our land,</p> <p class="poetry2 marginbot">and who has killed many of us.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Because they all got good and drunk,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:25 Lit. Because their hearts were merry">y</a></span> they ordered, “Go get Samson, so he can entertain us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them while they made him stand between the pillars.</p> <p class="heading">Samson Kills Himself and 3,000 Philistines</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Then Samson told the young man who had been leading him around by the hand, “Let me touch and feel the pillars on which this building rests, and I’ll support myself against them.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Now the building was full of men, women, and all the Philistine officials, with about 3,000 men and women on the roof watching Samson while he was entertaining them.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Then Samson cried out to the LORD, “Lord GOD, please remember me. And please strengthen me this one time, God, so that I can repay the Philistines right now for my two eyes.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>Then Samson grabbed the two middle pillars upon which the house rested and braced himself against them with one pillar in his right hand and the other in his left.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He strained with all his strength until the building collapsed on the officials and every person in it. As a result, the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/16-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Afterwards, his brothers and his father’s household servants<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="16:31 The Heb. lacks servants">z</a></span> came down, took him, brought him back, and buried him in his father Manoah’s tomb between Zorah and Eshtaol. He had governed Israel for 20 years.</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> 16:2 Lit. <i>were told</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 16:2 The Heb. lacks <i>each other</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 16:6 Lit. <i>the location of</i><br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 16:7 Or <i>bowstrings</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 16:7 Lit. <i>like one</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 16:8 Or <i>bowstrings</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 16:9 Lit. <i>sitting for her</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 16:9 Or <i>bowstrings</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 16:9 Lit. <i>burned strand of fiber</i><br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 16:9 Lit. <i>strength</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 16:11 Lit. <i>like one</i><br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 16:12 Lit. <i>snapped them</i><br /><span class="fnb">m</span> 16:13-14 So LXX. MT omits <i>and fasten it with a peg, then I will become weak and just like any other human being. So Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the loom while he slept.</i><br /><span class="fnb">n</span> 16:16 Lit. <i>until his soul</i><br /><span class="fnb">o</span> 16:16 The Heb. lacks <i>nearly</i><br /><span class="fnb">p</span> 16:17 Lit. <i>disclosed his entire heart to her</i><br /><span class="fnb">q</span> 16:17 Lit. <i>God from my mother’s womb</i><br /><span class="fnb">r</span> 16:18 Lit. <i>disclosed his entire heart</i><br /><span class="fnb">s</span> 16:18 Lit. <i>me his entire heart</i><br /><span class="fnb">t</span> 16:19 The Heb. lacks <i>of hair</i><br /><span class="fnb">u</span> 16:20 The Heb. lacks <i>to himself</i><br /><span class="fnb">v</span> 16:21 The Heb. lacks <i>chains</i><br /><span class="fnb">w</span> 16:21 Lit. <i>in the house of captives</i><br /><span class="fnb">x</span> 16:24 Lit. <i>him</i><br /><span class="fnb">y</span> 16:25 Lit. <i>Because their hearts were merry</i><br /><span class="fnb">z</span> 16:31 The Heb. lacks <i>servants</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../judges/15.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Judges 15"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Judges 15" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../judges/17.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Judges 17"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Judges 17" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/judges/16-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>