4 It came to pass after this, that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came to her and said, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, so that we may bind him and afflict him. Every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."
6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you can be bound to afflict you."
7 And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have never been dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh cords, which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he broke the cords as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me how you can be bound."
11 So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
12 Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And men were lying in wait in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, "Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be bound." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web."
14 So she fastened it with the pin and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.
15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me where your great strength lies."
16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, that his soul was vexed to death,
17 that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand.
19 Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
20 She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.