Samson Carries Off the Gates of Gaza
1 One day while Samson was in Gaza, he saw a prostitute and went to her house to spend the night. 2 The people who lived in Gaza found out he was there, and they decided to kill him at sunrise. So they went to the city gate and waited all night in the guardrooms on each side of the gate.
3 But Samson got up in the middle of the night and went to the town gate. He pulled the gate doors and doorposts out of the wall and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them all the way to the top of the hill that overlooks Hebron, where he set the doors down, still closed and locked.
Delilah Tricks Samson
4 Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley. 5 The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, “Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 The next time Samson was at Delilah's house, she asked, “Samson, what makes you so strong? How can I tie you up so you can't get away? Come on, you can tell me.”
7 Samson answered, “If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have never been dried, it will make me just as weak as anyone else.”
8-9 The Philistine rulers gave seven new bowstrings to Delilah. They also told some of their soldiers to go to Delilah's house and hide in the room where Samson and Delilah were. If the bowstrings made Samson weak, they would be able to capture him.
Delilah tied up Samson with the bowstrings and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson snapped the bowstrings, as though they were pieces of scorched string. The Philistines had not found out why Samson was so strong.
10 “You lied and made me look like a fool,” Delilah said. “Now tell me. How can I really tie you up?”
11 Samson answered, “Use some new ropes. If I'm tied up with ropes that have never been used, I'll be just as weak as anyone else.”
12 Delilah got new ropes, and again some Philistines hid in the room. Then she tied up Samson's arms and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson snapped the ropes as if they were threads.
13 “You're still lying and making a fool of me,” Delilah said. “Tell me how I can tie you up!”
“My hair is in seven braids,” Samson replied. “If you weave my braids into the threads on a loom and nail the loom to a wall, then I will be as weak as anyone else.”
14 While Samson was asleep, Delilah wove his braids into the threads on a loom and nailed the loom to a wall. Then she shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson woke up and pulled the loom free from its posts in the ground and from the nails in the wall. Then he pulled his hair free from the woven cloth.
15 “Samson,” Delilah said, “you claim to love me, but you don't mean it! You've made me look like a fool three times now, and you still haven't told me why you are so strong.” 16 Delilah started nagging and pestering him day after day, until he couldn't stand it any longer.
17 Finally, Samson told her the truth. “I have belonged to God ever since I was born, so my hair has never been cut. If it were ever cut off, my strength would leave me, and I would be as weak as anyone else.”
18 Delilah realized that he was telling the truth. So she sent someone to tell the Philistine rulers, “Come to my house one more time. Samson has finally told me the truth.”
The Philistine rulers went to Delilah's house, and they brought along the silver they had promised her. 19 Delilah had lulled Samson to sleep with his head resting in her lap. She signaled to one of the Philistine men as she began cutting off Samson's seven braids. And by the time she was finished, Samson's strength was gone. Delilah tied him up 20 and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson woke up and thought, “I'll break loose and escape, just as I always do.” He did not realize that the Lord had stopped helping him.
21 The Philistines grabbed Samson and poked out his eyes. They took him to the prison in Gaza and chained him up. Then they put him to work, turning a millstone to grind grain. 22 But they didn't cut his hair any more, so it started growing back.
23 The Philistine rulers threw a big party and sacrificed a lot of animals to their god Dagon. The rulers said:
Samson was our enemy,
but our god Dagon
helped us capture him!
24-25 Everyone there was having a good time, and they shouted, “Bring out Samson—he's still good for a few more laughs!”
The rulers had Samson brought from the prison, and when the people saw him, this is how they praised their god:
Samson ruined our crops
and killed our people.
He was our enemy,
but our god helped us
capture him.
They made fun of Samson for a while, then they told him to stand near the columns that supported the roof. 26 A young man was leading Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, “I need to lean against something. Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof.”
27 The Philistine rulers were celebrating in a temple packed with people and with 3,000 more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 Samson prayed, “Please remember me, Lord God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!”
29 Samson was standing between the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand. 30 Then he shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life.
31 His brothers and the rest of his family went to Gaza and took his body back home. They buried him in his father's tomb, which was located between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson was a leader of Israel for 20 years.
Simsons un Delīla
1 Simsons devās uz Gazu. Tur viņš ieraudzīja kādu mauku un iegāja pie tās. 2 Gazieši runāja: “Simsons ir atnācis šurp.” Viņi sanāca apkārt un novietojās slēpnī, lai visu nakti gaidītu viņu pilsētas vārtos. Visu nakti viņi klusu gaidīja, domādami: “Kad ausīs gaisma, mēs viņu nogalēsim.” 3 Bet Simsons gulēja līdz pusnaktij, cēlās pusnaktī, satvēra pilsētas vārtus un abus vārtu stabus, izcēla tos ar visu aizšaujamo bultu, uzvēla sev plecos un uznesa tā kalna galā, kas pret Hebronu.
4 Pēc tam viņš iemīlēja kādu sievieti Sorekas ielejā, vārdā Delīla. 5 Pie viņas atnāca filistiešu augstmaņi un sacīja: “Piedabū viņu, izdibini, kur slēpjas viņa lielais spēks un kā mēs varētu viņu pārspēt un saistīt, lai pakļautu! Mēs katrs tev dosim tūkstoš un simts sudraba gabalus.” 6 Tad Delīla teica Simsonam: “Pastāsti jel man, kur slēpjas tavs lielais spēks un kā tevi varētu saistīt, lai pakļautu.” 7 Un Simsons viņai sacīja: “Ja mani sasietu ar septiņām svaigām neizkaltētām loka stiegrām, es kļūtu vājš un būtu kā citi cilvēki.” 8 Tad filistiešu augstmaņi atnesa viņai septiņas svaigas neizkaltētas loka stiegras, un viņa ar tām viņu sasēja. 9 Un daži paslēpušies gaidīja viņas guļamistabā. Viņa tam uzsauca: “Filistieši nāk, Simson!” Viņš sarāva stiegras kā pakulu auklas, ko skārusi uguns, un viņa spēks netika izzināts. 10 Tad Delīla teica Simsonam: “Re, kā tu mani esi pievīlis, sarunājis man melus! Bet nu gan pastāsti man, ar ko tevi var sasiet.” 11 Un viņš tai teica: “Ja mani sietin sasietu ar jaunām virvēm, ar kurām vēl nekas nav darīts, es kļūtu vājš un būtu kā citi cilvēki.” 12 Tad Delīla paņēma jaunas virves, sasēja viņu ar tām un uzsauca viņam: “Filistieši nāk, Simson!” Un daži paslēpušies gaidīja guļamistabā. Bet viņš tās norāva no rokām kā diegus. 13 Un Delīla teica Simsonam: “Tu mani visu laiku izsmej un runā melus! Pastāsti man, kā tevi var sasiet!” Un viņš teica: “Ja tu ieaudīsi septiņas manu matu šķipsnas audeklā.” 14 Delīla viņu iemidzināja, ieauda septiņas viņa matu šķipsnas audeklā , nostiprināja ar mietiņu un uzsauca: “Filistieši nāk, Simson!” Viņš pamodās no miega, izrāva mietiņu, stelles un audeklu. 15 Un viņa tam teica: “Kā gan tu vari teikt: es tevi mīlu, ja tava sirds nav ar mani. Jau trešo reizi tu esi mani izsmējis un neesi pastāstījis, kur slēpjas tavs lielais spēks!” 16 Kad nu viņa diendienā tam uzmācās ar savām runām un neatlaidās, viņš bija nomocīts līdz nāvei. 17 Un viņš tai izstāstīja visu, kas tam bija uz sirds. Viņš teica: “Skujamais nazis nav nācis pār manu galvu, jo es esmu Dieva nazīrietis no mātes miesām. Ja man nodzītu matus, mans spēks atstātu mani un es kļūtu vājš un būtu kā visi citi.” 18 Delīla redzēja, ka viņš tai atklājis savu sirdi, viņa sūtīja pie filistiešu augstmaņiem un aicināja tos, sacīdama: “Nāciet nu šoreiz, jo viņš man ir atklājis savu sirdi!” Tad filistiešu augstmaņi devās pie viņas, ņemot līdzi sudrabu. 19 Viņa to iemidzināja savā klēpī un, pasaukusi kādu vīru, izcirpa Simsonam septiņas matu šķipsnas. Tā viņa sāka viņu pakļaut, un viņa spēks viņu atstāja. 20 Viņa uzsauca: “Filistieši nāk, Simson!” Viņš pamodās no miega un nodomāja: “Es tikšu sveikā kā vienmēr un izraušos.” Bet viņš nezināja, ka Kungs viņu atstājis. 21 Filistieši viņu sagrāba un izdūra tam acis. Viņi to aizveda uz Gazu, iekala važās un lika tam cietumā malt. 22 Bet viņa nocirptie mati sāka ataugt.
Simsona nāve
23 Filistiešu augstmaņi sapulcējās pienest lielu upuri savam dievam Dāgonam un līksmoties. Viņi teica:
“Mūsu dievs mums nodevis
mūsu ienaidnieku Simsonu!”
24 Kad ļaudis viņu redzēja, tie slavēja savu dievu, jo viņi sacīja:
“Mūsu dievs mums nodevis
mūsu ienaidnieku,
mūsu zemes postītāju,
kas tik daudzus nonāvējis!”
25 Kad nu viņiem metās līksmi ap sirdi, tie sacīja: “Pasauciet Simsonu, lai viņš mums uzstājas!” Tie atsauca Simsonu no cietuma, lai viņš tos uzjautrina. Tie viņu nostādīja starp stabiem. 26 Un Simsons teica puisim, kas viņu turēja pie rokas: “Palaid mani un ļauj aptaustīt stabus, uz kuriem šis nams turas, es atbalstīšos pret tiem.” 27 Bet nams bija pilns vīru un sievu, tur bija visi filistiešu augstmaņi. Uz jumta vien bija ap trīs tūkstoši vīru un sievu, kas skatījās Simsona uzstāšanos. 28 Un Simsons sauca uz Kungu: “Kungs Dievs, jel piemini mani un stiprini jel mani vēl tikai šoreiz, ak, Dievs, ka es atriebtos filistiešiem kaut par vienu no savām acīm!” 29 Un Simsons aptvēra abus vidējos stabus, uz kuriem nams turējās, un atspiedās pret tiem – pret vienu ar labo, pret otru ar kreiso roku. 30 Un Simsons teica: “Lai tad mirst mana dvēsele kopā ar filistiešiem!” Viņš grūda ar spēku, un nams sagruva pār augstmaņiem un visiem ļaudīm, kas tur bija. To, kurus viņš nonāvēja mirstot, bija daudz vairāk nekā to, kurus viņš nonāvēja dzīvojot. 31 Tad viņa brāļi un viss viņa tēva nams nāca lejā, pacēla viņu, uznesa augšā un apbedīja starp Coru un Eštāolu viņa tēva Mānoha kapā. Viņš bija Israēla soģis divdesmit gadus.
