1Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her.
2When 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.'
3But 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.
4Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5The 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.'
6So Delilah said to Samson, 'Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.'
7Samson 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.'
8So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
9With 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.
10Then Delilah said to Samson, 'You have made a fool of me and lied to me. Now tell me how you can be tied up.'
11He 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.'
12So 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.
13Delilah 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.'