Judges 13:24–14:9

24 So the woman bore a son and called his name sSamson; and tthe child grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 uAnd the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at 2Mahaneh Dan vbetween Zorah and wEshtaol.

Samson’s Philistine Wife

14 Now Samson went down ato Timnah, and bsaw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, cget her for me as a wife.”

3 Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of dyour brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the euncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for 1she pleases me well.”

4 But his father and mother did not know that it was fof the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time gthe Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah.

Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. 6 And hthe Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

7 Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. 9 He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the icarcass of the lion.