1 Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her.

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

2 When the Gazites were told, 'Samson has come here,' they surrounded the place and waited for him all night at the city gate. They remained quiet throughout the night, saying, 'At dawn, we will kill him.'

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

3 But Samson lay down until midnight. At midnight, he got up, seized the doors of the city gate along with the two doorposts, pulled them up with the bar, laid them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill facing Hebron.

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

4 Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

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

5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, 'Entice him and find out the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so that we may tie him up and subdue him. Each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.'

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

6 So Delilah said to Samson, 'Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.'

And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

7 Samson answered her, 'If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be like any other man.'

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

8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.

Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 With men hidden in the room, she called out to him, 'Samson, the Philistines are upon you!' But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

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

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, 'You have made a fool of me and lied to me. Now tell me how you can be tied up.'

And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11 He said to her, 'If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.'

And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then she called out, 'Samson, the Philistines are upon you!' But men were hiding in the room, and he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

Delilah therefore took new 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 from off his arms like a thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson, 'You have been making a fool of me and telling me lies. Now tell me how you can be bound.' He replied, 'If you weave the seven locks of my hair into the fabric on the loom and fasten it with the pin, I will become weak like any other man.'

And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.

14 While he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair, wove them into the fabric, and fastened them with the pin. Then she called to him, 'Samson, the Philistines are upon you!' But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, the loom, and the fabric.

And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15 Then Delilah said to him, 'How can you say, “I love you,” when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and have not told me the secret of your great strength.'

And she said unto him, How 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.

16 With her nagging she pressed him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

17 So he told her everything: 'No razor has ever been used on my head,' he said, 'because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.'

That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto 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 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, 'Come back once more; he has told me everything.' So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.

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 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven locks of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20 Then she called, 'Samson, the Philistines are upon you!' He awoke from his sleep and thought, 'I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

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

22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

23 The rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, 'Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.'

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, 'Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us.'

And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, 'Bring out Samson to entertain us!' So they brought Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the pillars.

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, 'Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.'

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 temple was crowded with men and women. All the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.

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, that beheld while Samson made sport.

28 Then Samson called to the LORD, 'Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.'

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on one and his left hand on the other,

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. So he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

31 Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah, his father. He had led Israel for twenty years.

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 buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.