Judg 14
1
And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters
of the Observe, allofuloi here and elsewhere is rendered Philistines Philistines.
2
And he went up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in
Thamnatha of the daughters of the Phylistines; and now take her to me for a wife.
3
And his father and his mother said to him, Are there no daughters of your brethren,
and is there not a woman of all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised
Philistines? And Sampson said to his father, Take her for me, for she is right in
my eyes.
4
And his father and his mother knew not that it Gr. is was of the Lord, that he sought to be revenged on the Philistines: and
at that time
the Philistines lorded it over Israel.
5
And Sampson and his father and his mother went down to Thamnatha, and he came to the
vineyard of Thamnatha; and behold, a young lion roared Or, against him in meeting him.
6
And the spirit of the Lord Gr. leaped; Heb. xlut came powerfully upon him, and he crushed him as he Gr. will crush would have
crushed a kid of the goats, and there was nothing in his hands: and he
told not his father and his mother what he had done.
7
And they went down and spoke to the woman, Or, the thing was right and she was pleasing in the eyes of Sampson.
8
And after Gr. days some time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the
lion; and behold, a swarm of bees, and honey were in the mouth of the lion.
9
And he took it into his hands, and went on eating, and he went to his father and his
mother, and gave to them, and they did eat; but he told them not that he took the
honey out of the mouth of the lion.
10
And his father went down to the woman, and Sampson made there a i. e., in the original sense of the word, a drinking party
banquet for seven days, for so the young men are used to do.
11
And it came to pass when they saw him, that they took thirty guests, and they were
with him.
12
And Sampson said to them, I propound you a riddle: if you will indeed tell it me,
and discover it within the seven days of the feast, I will you give thirty sheets
and thirty changes of raiment.
13
And if you cannot tell it me, you shall give me thirty napkins and thirty Gr. changeable or changing robes changes of apparel:
and they said to him, Propound your riddle, and we will hear
it.
14
And he said to them, Meat came forth of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong:
and they could not tell the riddle for three days.
15
And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they said to the wife of Sampson, Deceive
now your husband, and let him tell you the riddle, lest we burn you and your father’s
house with fire: did you invite us to do us violence?
16
And Sampson’s wife wept before him, and said, You do but hate me, and love me not;
for the riddle which you have propounded to the children of my people you have not
told me: and Sampson said to her, If I have not told it to my father and my mother,
shall I tell it to you?
17
And she wept before him the seven days, during which their banquet lasted: and it
came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she troubled him; and she
told it to the children of her people.
18
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What is sweeter
than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? and Sampson said to them, If you had
not ploughed with my heifer, you would not have known my riddle.
19
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him powerfully, and he went down to Ascalon,
and destroyed of the Gr. them inhabitants thirty men, and took their garments, and gave the changes of raiment
to them that told the riddle; and Sampson was very angry, and went up to the house
of his father.
20
And the wife of Sampson was given to one of his friends, with whom he was on terms
of friendship.