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having guided the rule for years, he died. And the Ammonites with the Palestinians afterwards plundered the country. And when the Ammonites were plundering Gilead, the inhabitants chose Jephthah as their leader. who, when he was about to engage the enemy, made a vow that, if he were victorious, he would sacrifice whatever first met him on his return. And engaging in battle, he conquers; but on his return his little daughter met him, being his only child and still a virgin. And he cried aloud, but so that he might not break his promise, he sacrificed the girl and offered her as a burnt offering. And when the tribe of Ephraim was angry with him because he did not take them with him to the war against the Ammonites, since he did not persuade them with his excuses, he killed many who fought against him. And having held the leadership for six years, he ended his life. And Amesa, being from the tribe of Judah, takes over the rule, and having judged Israel for a period of seven years, he died. And after him Labdon, who came from the tribe of Ephraim, was appointed leader, and he died at an old age, having ruled for eight years. 1.73 Then the Palestinians rule over the Israelites and held them as tributaries for forty years. Then Samson was born, whose name is significant of strength, and he attacked the Palestinians; and the course of his life was as follows. Manoah, being of the tribe of Dan, lived with a barren wife and asked God that a child be given to them. Accordingly, a tall and beautiful young man once appeared to the wife when she was alone, announcing to her the birth of a son, and he commanded her not to drink wine or strong drink, nor to cut the hair of the child; for he said the child was to be a Nazirite to the Lord, that is, holy, and that Israel would be saved through him from the hand of the foreigners. And she reported these things to her husband. And he begged God that the one who appeared to his wife might appear to him also. Therefore the angel came again to the wife; but Manoah was again absent. And the wife urged him to wait for her husband's arrival. And when Manoah came, he asked the angel what they should do when the child was born. And he said, "He shall not drink wine or strong drink, and he shall eat nothing unclean, and his hair shall not be shaven." And Manoah sought to learn the name of the one speaking to him, but he, saying that it was wonderful, fell silent. And Manoah, having brought a kid, sacrificed it and offered loaves. And he commanded him to place the meat and the loaves upon the rock, and when they were placed, he touches them with his staff, and fire, flaring up from there, consumed them, and the angel ascended to heaven through the flame, as Manoah and his wife watched. 1.74 Therefore after these things the boy is born to them and is named Samson, and he grew strong and the spirit of the Lord went with him. And seeing in Timnah, a city of the Palestinians, a foreign girl, he falls in love with the child. But though his parents objected to the marriage with the foreign woman, he prevails in marrying her. And while frequently visiting the girl's parents, he encounters a lion, and carrying nothing for defense, he tore the beast apart with his hands, and turning from the road, he threw it into the woods. And after some days, going again to his betrothed, he found a swarm of bees gathered in the mouth of the lion. And taking a honeycomb from there, he ate it and brought some to his father and mother. And having gone to the foreigners, he puts forth a riddle to the thirty young men who were feasting with him at the wedding. and if they should find the solution within seven days, he agreed to give a linen garment and a robe to each of them, but if they could not solve the riddle, he demanded that a robe and a linen sheet be given to him by each. And when the young men also agreed, he put forth the question, saying "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." But they, being unable to understand the riddle, begged the girl to learn it from her husband and report it to them. But Samson, when the girl urged him to tell her the meaning of the riddle, at first resisted, but when she wept he told her everything; and she reported it to the young men. And on the seventh day they said to Samson, "What is sweeter

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ἐνιαυτοὺς ἰθύνας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐτελεύτησεν. ̓Αμμανῖται δὲ σὺν Παλαιστηνοῖς εἰσέπειτα τὴν χώραν διήρπαζον. ληιζομένων δὲ τὴν Γαλαδηνὴν τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν, ἡγεμόνα τὸν ̓Ιεφθάε οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ειλοντο. ος συμμίξαι μέλλων τοῖς πολεμίοις εὐχὴν ἐποιήσατο, εἰ νικήσει, πᾶν ο πρῶτον αὐτῷ συναντήσει ἐπανιόντι τοῦτο ἱερουργήσειν. καὶ συμβαλὼν νικᾷ· ἀναστρέφοντι δ' ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ τὸ θυγάτριον, μονογενὲς ον αὐτῷ καὶ ετι παρθενευόμενον. ὁ δ' ἀνῴμωξεν, ινα δὲ μὴ ψεύσηται τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, εθυσε τὴν παῖδα καὶ ὡλοκαύτωσε. τῶν δὲ τῆς ̓Εφραῒμ φυλῆς ὀργιζομένων αὐτῷ οτι μὴ συμπαρέλαβεν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν πόλεμον, ἐπεὶ μὴ επειθεν αὐτοὺς παραιτούμενος, πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλε μαχεσαμένους αὐτῷ. εξ δὲ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀνύσας ἐνιαυτοὺς κατέλυσε τὴν ζωήν. παραλαμβάνει δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ̓Αμεσὰ ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιούδα τυγχάνων φυλῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ χρόνον ἑπταετῆ κρίνας τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ τετελεύτηκε. καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον Λαβδὼν τῆς ̓Εφραῒμ προελθὼν φυλῆς ἡγεμὼν ἀπεδείχθη, καὶ τέθνηκε γηραιὸς αρξας ετη ὀκτώ. 1.73 Ειτα Παλαιστηνοὶ κρατοῦσι τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν καὶ ὑποφόρους εσχον αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς τεσσαράκοντα. τότε δὲ γεννηθεὶς ὁ Σαμψών, ἰσχύος δὲ ἡ κλῆσις σημαντική, τοῖς Παλαιστηνοῖς ἐπετίθετο· ἡ δ' εἰς τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ πρόοδος τοιαύτη ἐγένετο. Μανωὲ τῆς φυλῆς ὑπάρχων τοῦ ∆ὰν συνῴκει γυναίῳ στειρεύοντι καὶ ῃτει τὸν θεὸν παῖδα δοθῆναι αὐτοῖς. ωφθη γοῦν ποτε μόνῃ ουσῃ τῇ γυναικὶ νεανίας μέγας τε καὶ καλός, τόκον παιδὸς αὐτῇ εὐαγγελιζόμενος, καὶ μὴ πιεῖν οινον η μέθυσμα αὐτῇ ἐνετείλατο, μηδὲ τὴν κόμην ἀποθρίξαι τὴν τοῦ παιδός· Ναζιραῖον γὰρ ελεγεν ειναι τῷ κυρίῳ τὸν παῖδα, αγιον δηλαδή, καὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ σωθήσεσθαι δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων χειρός. ἡ δὲ τῷ ἀνδρὶ κατήγγειλε ταῦτα. καὶ ος ὀφθῆναι καὶ αὐτῷ τὸν φανέντα τῇ γυναικὶ ἐδέετο τοῦ θεοῦ. αυθις ουν ηλθε πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα ὁ αγγελος· ἀπῆν δὲ αυθις ὁ Μανωέ· καὶ ἡ γυνὴ προσμεῖναι παρεκάλει αὐτὸν τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παρουσίαν. ἐλθὼν δὲ Μανωὲ ἠρώτα τὸν αγγελον τί αν τοῦ παιδὸς γεννηθέντος ποιήσειαν. ὁ δέ "οινον" εφη "οὐ πίεται οὐδὲ μέθυσμα, καὶ ἀκάθαρτόν τι οὐ φάγεται καὶ τὴν κόμην οὐ ξυρηθήσεται." καὶ ὁ Μανωὲ τὸ ονομα τοῦ ὁμιλοῦντος αὐτῷ ἐζήτει μαθεῖν, ὁ δὲ θαυμαστὸν ειναι τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἀπεσιώπησεν. ὁ δὲ Μανωὲ εριφον ἐνεγκὼν εθυσε καὶ αρτους προσήνεγκεν. ὁ δὲ θεῖναι τὰ κρέα καὶ τοὺς αρτους ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν προσέταξεν, τεθέντων δὲ τῇ ῥάβδῳ αὐτοῦ απτεται τούτων, καὶ πῦρ ἐξαφθὲν ἐκεῖθεν κατέκαυσεν αὐτά, καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν διὰ τῆς φλογὸς ἀνῄει ὁ αγγελος, ὁρώντων τοῦ Μανωὲ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικός. τίκτε1.74 ται ουν αὐτοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ παῖς καὶ Σαμψὼν ὀνομάζεται, ἡδρύνετό τε καὶ πνεῦμα κυρίου συνεπορεύετο αὐτῷ. ἰδὼν δ' ἐν Θαμνᾷ πόλει τῶν Παλαιστηνῶν κόρην τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ἐρᾷ τῆς παιδός. παραιτουμένων δὲ τῶν γονέων αὐτοῦ τὸν γάμον τῆς ἀλλοφύλου, ἐκνικᾷ γῆμαι αὐτήν. συχνάζων δὲ πρὸς τοὺς τῆς κόρης γονεῖς συναντᾷ λέοντι, καὶ μή τι φέρων εἰς αμυναν ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ θηρίον συνέτριψε, καὶ ἐκκλίνας τῆς ὁδοῦ ερριψε πρὸς τὸ ὑλῶδες αὐτό. καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας αυθις πρὸς τὴν μνηστὴν πορευόμενος σμῆνος μελισσῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι συνηγμένον τοῦ λέοντος ευρηκε. καὶ λαβὼν ἐκεῖθεν μέλιτος κηρίον εφαγε καὶ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ ἀπεκόμισεν. ἀπελθὼν δ' εἰς τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους πρόβλημα τοῖς αὐτῷ συνεστιωμένοις ἐν τοῖς γάμοις τριάκοντα νεανίσκοις προτίθησι· καὶ εἰ ευροιεν ἐφ' ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ τὴν λύσιν, δοῦναι συνέθετο σινδόνα καὶ στολὴν ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν, εἰ δὲ μὴ λῦσαι δυνηθεῖεν τὸ πρόβλημα, αὐτῷ δοθῆναι παρ' ἑκάστου στολὴν καὶ ὀθόνην ἀπῄτησε. συνθεμένων δὲ καὶ τῶν νεανίσκων προεβάλετο τὸ ἐρώτημα εἰπών "ἐξ εσθοντος ἐξῆλθε βρῶσις, καὶ ἀπὸ ἰσχυροῦ γλυκύ." οἱ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενοι νοῆσαι τὸ πρόβλημα, τὴν κόρην ἱκέτευσαν μαθεῖν παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἀπαγγεῖλαι αὐτοῖς. ὁ Σαμψὼν δέ, παρακαλούσης αὐτὸν τῆς κόρης εἰπεῖν αὐτῇ τὸ τοῦ προβλήματος νόημα, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντεῖχε, δακρυούσης δ' ἐκείνης ἐξεῖπε τὸ πᾶν· ἡ δὲ τοῖς νεανίσκοις ἀπήγγειλε. καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν ειπον ἐκεῖνοι τῷ Σαμψών "τί γλυκύτερον