Judges 16:16–31

¹⁶Because she nagged him day after day and pleaded with him until she wore him out, ^j17he told her the whole truth and said to her, “My hair has never been cut, ^kbecause I am a Nazirite ^lto God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

¹⁸When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: “Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the money with them.

¹⁹Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way, she made him helpless, ^mand his strength left him. ²⁰Then she cried, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” ⁿWhen he awoke from his sleep, he said, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. ^o

Samson’s Defeat and Death

²¹The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison. ²²But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved.

²³Now the Philistine leaders gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. ^pThey rejoiced and said:

Our god has handed over

our enemy Samson to us.

²⁴When the people saw him, they praised their god ^qand said:

Our god has handed over to us

our enemy who destroyed our land

and who multiplied our dead.

²⁵When they were drunk, ^rthey said, “Bring Samson here to entertain us.” So they brought Samson from prison, and he entertained them. They had him stand between the pillars.

²⁶Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.” ²⁷The temple was full of men and women; all the leaders of the Philistines were there, and about 3,000 men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them. ²⁸He called out to the Lord: “Lord God, please remember me. ^sStrengthen me, God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left. ³⁰Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. And the dead he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life.

³¹Then his brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he judged Israel 20 years.