Judges 14

14^*And Samson went down ^ato Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. ²And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore ^bget her for me to wife. ³Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of ^cthy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the ^duncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for ^†she pleaseth me well. ⁴But his father and his mother knew not that it was ^eof the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time ^fthe Philistines had dominion over Israel. ⁵Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, ^ga young lion roared ^†against him. ⁶And ^hthe Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. ⁷And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

⁸And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. ⁹And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. ¹⁰So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. ¹¹And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. ¹²And Samson said unto them, I will now ⁱput forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within ^kthe seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty ^||sheets and thirty ^lchange of garments: ¹³But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty ^||sheets and thirty ^lchange of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. ¹⁴And he said unto them,

Out of the eater came forth meat,

And out of the strong came forth sweetness.

And they could not in three days expound the riddle. ¹⁵And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, ^mEntice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, ⁿlest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us ^†to take that we have? is it not so? ¹⁶And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, ^oThou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? ¹⁷And she wept before him ^||the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because ^pshe lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. ¹⁸And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

What is sweeter than honey?

And what is stronger than a lion?

And he said unto them,

If ye had not plowed with my heifer,

Ye had not found out my riddle.

¹⁹And ^qthe Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to ^rAshkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their ^||spoil, and gave ^lchange of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. ²⁰But Samson’s wife ^swas given to his companion, whom he had ^tused as his friend.