Samson’s Weakness

1 Now Samson went to aGaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

2 When it was told to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they asurrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.”

3 Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

4 After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5 The alords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “bEntice him, and see where his great strength lies and 1how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and 1how you may be bound to afflict you.”

7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 Now she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it 1touches fire. So his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me 1how you may be bound.”

11 He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes 1which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men were lying in wait in the inner room. But he snapped 1the ropes from his arms like a thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me 1how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my 2hair with the web 3[and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”

14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his 1hair and wove them into the web]. And 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.