The Scriptures 1998

Judges 16:18-31 The Scriptures 1998 (ISR98)

18. And Delilah saw that he had made known to her all his heart, and she sent and called for the princes of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has made known to me all his heart.” So the princes of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.

19. And she made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head. Thus she began to humble him, and his strength left him.

20. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Shimshon!” And he awoke from his sleep, and said, “Let me go out as before, at other times, and shake myself loose!” But he did not know that יהוה had turned aside from him.

21. So the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Azzah, and bound him with bronze shackles. And he became a grinder in the prison.

22. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

23. And the princes of the Philistines gathered to offer a great slaughtering to Dag̅on their mighty one, and to rejoice. And they said, “Our mighty one has given Shimshon our enemy into our hands!”

24. And the people saw him, and praised their mighty one, for they said, “Our mighty one has given into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our land, who slew many of us.”

25. And it came to be, when their hearts were glad, that they said, “Call for Shimshon, and let him entertain us.” So they called for Shimshon from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the columns.

26. And Shimshon said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me alone and let me feel the columns which support the house, so that I lean on them.”

27. And the house was filled with men and women. And all the princes of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof who watched Shimshon entertaining.

28. And Shimshon called to יהוה, saying, “O Master יהוה, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, only this time, O Elohim, and let me avenge myself on the Philistines with vengeance for my two eyes!”

29. And Shimshon took hold of the two middle columns which supported the house, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.

30. And Shimshon said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bowed himself mightily, and the house fell on the princes and all the people in it. And the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

31. And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Tsor‛ah and Eshta’ol in the tomb of his father Manowaḥ. And he had ruled Yisra’ĕl twenty years.