Afterward, Samson fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek,
named Delilah. Then the rulers of the Philistines came to her and said,
"Find out by teasing him how it is that his strength is so great and
how we may overpower and bind him that we may torture him. Then we will
each one of us give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." So Delilah
said to Samson, "Tell me how it is that your strength is so great and
how you might be bound to torture you?" Samson said to her, "If they
should bind me with seven green bowstrings which have not been dried, I
would become weak like any other man."
Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven green bowstrings
which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. She had the men
lying in wait in the inner room, but when she said to him, "The
Philistines are upon you, Samson!" he snapped the bowstrings as a piece
of yarn is snapped when it comes near the fire; so they did not find out
the secret of his strength.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have deceived me and lied to me; now
tell me with what you can be bound fast." He said to her, "If they
should bind me securely with new ropes with which no work has been done,
I would become weak like any other man." So Delilah took new ropes and
bound him with them and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you,
Samson!" Men were also lying in wait in the inner room; but he snapped
the ropes from his arms like thread.
Again Delilah said to Samson, "So far you have deceived me and lied to
me; tell me now with what you can be bound fast." He said to her, "If
you should weave the seven braids on my head along with the web and beat
it into form with the weaving pin, I would become weak like any other
man." So while he was asleep, she took the seven braids of his hair and
wove it with the web and beat it into form with the pin, and said to
him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke out of his
sleep and pulled up the loom and the web.
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you do not
trust me? You have deceived me three times already and have not told me
the secret of your great strength." But in time, since she daily begged
and urged him, he was wearied to death, and told her all that he knew,
saying, "A razor has never touched my head; for I have belonged to God
from my birth. If I should be shaved, my strength would be gone, and I
would become weak like any other man."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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