15. On the fourth day, the men came to Samson’s wife. They said, “Did you invite us here just to make us poor? You must trick your husband into telling us the answer to the riddle. If you don’t get the answer for us, we will burn you and everyone in your father’s house to death.”
16. So Samson’s wife went to him and began crying. She said, “You just hate me! You don’t really love me! You told my people a riddle, and you will not tell me the answer.” Samson said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father and mother. So why should I tell you?”
17. Samson’s wife cried for the rest of the seven days of the party. So he finally gave her the answer to the riddle on the seventh day. He told her because she kept bothering him. Then she went to her people and told them the answer to the riddle.
18. So before the sun went down on the seventh day of the party, the Philistine men had the answer. They came to Samson and said, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Then Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my cow, you would not have solved my riddle!”
19. Samson was very angry. The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson with great power. He went down to the city of Ashkelon and killed 30 Philistine men. He took all the clothes and property from the dead bodies and gave them to the men who had answered his riddle. Then he went to his father’s house.
20. So Samson’s wife was given to his best man.