1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
The book of Judges is the seventh book in the Old Testament of the Bible and it tells the story of the Israelites after the death of Joshua, their leader. The book of Judges is divided into three main parts: the introduction, the main narrative, and the conclusion. The main narrative of the book is about the cycle of sin, oppression, and deliverance that the Israelites went through during this time period. Chapter 16 of the book of Judges is a continuation of this cycle, focusing on the story of Samson and his downfall.
The chapter begins with the introduction of Samson, who was a judge of Israel for twenty years. Samson was a Nazirite, which meant that he was dedicated to God from birth and had certain restrictions, such as not cutting his hair and not drinking alcohol. However, Samson was known for his strength, which came from his long hair. He was also known for his love for women, which ultimately led to his downfall.
The main focus of chapter 16 is on Samson's relationship with Delilah. The Philistines, the enemies of the Israelites, offered Delilah a large sum of money to find out the secret of Samson's strength. Delilah, being tempted by the money, kept asking Samson to tell her the secret of his strength. Samson, who was in love with Delilah, gave her three false answers before finally telling her the truth.
Samson told Delilah that his strength came from his hair and if it were to be cut, he would become weak like any other man. Delilah, who was determined to find out the truth, waited for Samson to fall asleep and called for a man to cut his hair. When Samson woke up, he realized that his strength was gone and he was captured by the Philistines.
The Philistines, who were celebrating their victory over Samson, brought him to their temple to entertain them. Samson, who was now blind and weak, asked God to give him strength one last time so that he could take revenge on the Philistines for his eyes. God granted Samson's request and he pushed the pillars of the temple, causing it to collapse and killing everyone inside, including himself.
The death of Samson has a deeper meaning behind it. Samson's downfall was caused by his love for women and his disobedience to God's commandments. This ultimately led to his capture and death. The story of Samson serves as a warning to the Israelites, and to us, about the consequences of sin and disobedience to God's will.
There are several themes present in chapter 16 of the book of Judges. These themes include temptation, betrayal, and consequences of sin.
The first theme, temptation, is seen through the character of Delilah. She was tempted by the large sum of money offered to her by the Philistines and she gave in to the temptation. Temptation is a common theme throughout the Bible and it serves as a warning to us to be aware of the temptations around us and to resist them.
The second theme, betrayal, is seen through the actions of Delilah. She betrayed Samson by revealing his secret to the Philistines, despite his love for her. Betrayal is a common theme in the book of Judges, as the Israelites constantly betrayed God by turning to idols and disobeying His commandments. This theme serves as a reminder to us to remain faithful to God and not to betray His trust.
The third theme, consequences of sin, is seen through the downfall and death of Samson. His love for women and disobedience to God's commandments led to his capture and death. This theme serves as a warning to us about the consequences of our actions and the importance of following God's will.
Chapter 16 of the book of Judges is a cautionary tale about the consequences of sin and disobedience to God's will. The story of Samson and Delilah serves as a reminder to us to be aware of temptations, to remain faithful to God, and to understand the consequences of our actions. The death of Samson also serves as a foreshadowing of the Israelites' future, as they continued to fall into sin and suffer the consequences. This chapter, along with the rest of the book of Judges, shows the importance of obedience to God and the consequences of straying from His path.
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