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of honey or what is stronger than a lion?" So Samson became angry, and he gave the young men what he had promised, but he renounced the marriage. And her father gave the woman to another. pa1.75 Samson was enraged by this, and seizing three hundred foxes, he tied lit torches to their tails and let them loose in the fields of the Palestinians as summer was beginning, and so he burned their grain and their vines. But in return for these things, the Palestinians set fire to and burned the woman who had been his wife and her relatives. And Samson, after killing many of the foreigners, dwelt in a rock, but they marched out against the Israelites, saying "if you wish to be blameless, give Samson into our hands." And three thousand armed men went to the rock. And Samson came down and willingly gave himself over to his tribesmen, and they, having bound him, handed him over to the Palestinians. But he, breaking the bonds and seizing the jawbone of a donkey that had been thrown somewhere there, killed a thousand of the foreigners with it, and put the others to flight. Whence the place was called Jawbone from that event. Then he grew so thirsty that he was fainting from thirst, and he wept, praying to God. And God sent forth a spring of water from the crack which Samson had made when he threw the jawbone on the ground. And he went to Gaza. But the Gazites lay in wait for him, and so that he might not escape them unnoticed as he left, they closed the gates of the city. But he, rising around midnight, shouldered the gates and their posts and the doorposts and carried them up to the top of the mountain and set them down there. Having fallen in love with a Palestinian courtesan called Delilah, he was with her. And the leaders of the foreigners promised the woman many things, if she would learn from Samson what the cause of his strength was and report it to them. And she in various ways approached the man, seeking to know whence he had such great 1.76 strength, but he, fabricating different reasons at different times, told the woman. And the woman, testing his words, found them to be deceptions. But as she pressed him and begged more fervently, he revealed the secret to her, saying that by the command of God he grew his hair, who had ordered him not to cut it, and that in this his strength resided. While he was sleeping, the woman cuts his hair and hands him over weak to his enemies. They put out the man's eyes, and he who was formerly fearsome became a plaything for them. But as time went on his hair grew again and his strength returned. And when there was a drinking feast for the Palestinians, and the rulers and nobles were feasting together in a house supported by pillars, Samson was also brought to be made sport of, and a boy led him by the hand. And a crowd of about three thousand men and women had gathered by the house, so that they could see Samson being made a mockery of. And he, being mocked and struck, says to the one leading him by the hand, "Lead me to the pillars, so that I may lean on them, needing to rest." And seizing the two pillars, he pulled the house down upon himself, and both he and all those in the house perished. And such an end came to him, who had judged the people of the Hebrews for twenty years. No longer did judges lead Israel, but the high priest Eli was at their head; in his time a famine occurred, and a certain man from Bethlehem called Abimelech, with his wife and two sons, migrates to the land of Moab on account of the famine. 1.77 So he takes Moabite wives for his sons. However, within ten years both Abimelech and his sons died, and Naomi, who had lived with Abimelech, and both the wives of his sons, Orpah and Ruth, were left widows. But Naomi returned to her own country, and of her daughters-in-law, Orpah, having been urged by her mother-in-law, remained among the Moabites, but Ruth went away with Naomi. And when they had already arrived in Bethlehem, Booz, being a kinsman of Abimelech, shows them hospitality. And when the woman was addressed by name by the citizens, she said, "Do not call me Naomi, but call me Mara," for Naomi means happiness, but Mara means pain and bitterness; "for I went away full, and have returned empty." And of the harvest

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μέλιτος η τί λέοντος ἰσχυρότερον;" ὠργίσθη ουν ὁ Σαμψών, καὶ τοῖς μὲν νεανίσκοις εδωκεν α ὑπέσχετο, τὸν δὲ γάμον ἀπείπατο. καὶ εδωκεν ἑτέρῳ τὸ γύναιον ὁ πατήρ. πα1.75 ροξυνθεὶς δὲ ὁ Σαμψὼν διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ συλλαβὼν τριακοσίας ἀλώπεκας, λαμπάδας ἡμμένας ταῖς οὐραῖς ἐκείνων προσέδησε καὶ ταῖς τῶν Παλαιστηνῶν ἐπαφῆκεν ἀρούραις θέρους ἐνισταμένου, καὶ ουτω τὰ σφῶν κατέκαυσε λήια καὶ τὰς ἀμπέλους. Παλαιστηνοὶ δ' ἀντὶ τούτων τὴν γενομένην αὐτοῦ γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς αὐτῇ προσήκοντας ἐνέπρησαν καὶ κατέκαυσαν. Σαμψὼν δὲ πολλοὺς ἀποκτείνας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐν πέτρᾳ ἐκάθισεν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν ἐξεστράτευσαν λέγοντες "εἰ βούλεσθε ἀναίτιοι ειναι, δότε ἡμῖν τὸν Σαμψὼν ὑποχείριον." καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ὁπλῖται τρισχίλιοι. καταβὰς δὲ Σαμψὼν ἑκὼν τοῖς φυλέταις παρέδωκεν ἑαυτόν, κἀκεῖνοι δεδεμένον παρέδωκαν τοῖς Παλαιστηνοῖς. ὁ δὲ διαρρήξας τὰ δεσμὰ καὶ ονου σιαγόνα ἐκεῖ που ἐρριμμένην ἁρπάσας χιλίους τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν αὐτῇ, τοὺς δ' αλλους ἐτρέψατο. οθεν Σιαγὼν ἐξ ἐκείνου ὁ τόπος ἐκλήθη. ειτα ἐδίψησεν ὡς ἐκλείπειν ἀπὸ τῆς δίψης, καὶ εκλαυσε δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ θεὸς πηγὴν υδατος ἀνῆκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥήγματος ο τὴν σιαγόνα ῥίψας κατὰ γῆς πεποίηκεν ὁ Σαμψών. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Γάζαν. ἐνήδρευσαν δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ Γαζαῖοι, καὶ ινα μὴ λάθῃ αὐτοὺς ἐξιών, τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως εκλεισαν. ὁ δὲ περὶ μέσας νύκτας ἀναστὰς τάς τε πύλας καὶ τὰς φλιὰς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς παραστάδας ἐπωμισάμενος εἰς τὴν τοῦ ορους ἀνήνεγκε κορυφὴν κἀκεῖσε κατέθετο. ἐρασθεὶς δ' ἑταίρας Παλαιστηνῆς ∆αλιδᾶς καλουμένης συνῆν αὐτῇ. καὶ οἱ προύχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πολλὰ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐπηγγείλαντο, εἰ μάθοι παρὰ τοῦ Σαμψὼν τί τὸ αιτιον αὐτῷ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἀπαγγείλαι αὐτοῖς. ἡ δὲ ποικίλως μετῄει τὸν ανδρα ζητοῦσα γνῶναι οθεν αὐτῷ ἡ τοσαύτη 1.76 ἰσχύς, ἐκεῖνος δὲ αλλοτε αλλας πλαττόμενος αἰτίας τῇ γυναικὶ ελεγε. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ πειρωμένη τῶν λόγων ἀπάτας αὐτοὺς ευρισκεν. ἐγκειμένης δὲ καὶ δεομένης θερμότερον, τὸ κρύφιον αὐτῇ ἀνεκάλυψε, κατ' ἐντολὴν εἰπὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν κόμην τρέφειν, ἐντειλαμένου μὴ κείρειν αὐτήν, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ προσεῖναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἰσχύν. κείρει τὴν κόμην κοιμωμένου αὐτοῦ ἡ γυνὴ καὶ παραδίδωσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις αὐτὸν ἀσθενῆ. ἐκκόπτουσιν ἐκεῖνοι τὰ ομματα τοῦ ἀνδρός, καὶ ὁ πρὶν φοβερὸς εἰς παίγνιον κατέστη αὐτοῖς. προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ ηυξετο αυθις ἡ κόμη αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς ἐπανήρχετο. πότου δὲ τοῖς Παλαιστηνοῖς οντος, καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ μεγιστάνων εὐωχουμένων ὁμοῦ ἐν οικῳ κίοσιν ἀνεχομένῳ, ηχθη καὶ ὁ Σαμψὼν παιχθησόμενος, καὶ παιδάριον ἐχειραγώγει αὐτόν. συνήχθη δὲ παρὰ τὸν οικον πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιοι, ιν' ὁρῷεν τὸν Σαμψὼν παροινούμενον. ὁ δὲ παιζόμενός τε καὶ ῥαπιζόμενος λέγει τῷ χειραγωγοῦντι αὐτόν "ἐπάγαγέ με πρὸς τοὺς κίονας, ὡς αν αὐτοῖς ἐπιστηριχθῶ δεόμενος ἀναπαύσασθαι." δραξάμενος δὲ τῶν δύο κιόνων ἐπικατέσεισεν ἑαυτῷ τὸν οικον, καὶ αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ οικῳ πάντες ἀπώλοντο. καὶ τῷ μὲν τοιοῦτον τέλος ἐγένετο, ἐπὶ εικοσιν ετη κρίναντι τὸν τῶν ̔Εβραίων λαόν. Οὐκέτι δὲ κριταὶ ηγον τὸν ̓Ισραήλ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ̓Ηλεὶ προέστη αὐτῶν· ἐφ' ου λιμὸς γέγονε, καί τις ἀνὴρ ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ ̓Αβιμέλεχ καλούμενος σὺν τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ δύο υἱοῖς διὰ τὸν λιμὸν εἰς τὴν Μωαβῖτιν 1.77 μεταναστεύει. αγεται ουν τοῖς υἱοῖς γαμετὰς Μωαβίτιδας. ἐν δέκα μέντοι ἐνιαυτοῖς ο τε ̓Αβιμέλεχ καὶ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ τεθνήκασι, καὶ κατελείφθησαν χῆραι η τε Νοεμὶν ἡ συνοικοῦσα τῷ ̓Αβιμέλεχ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αμφω τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ, ̓Ορφά τε καὶ ̔Ρούθ. ἡ Νοεμὶν δὲ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ὑπέστρεψε, τῶν δέ γε νυμφῶν αὐτῆς ἡ μὲν ̓Ορφὰ παρακληθεῖσα παρὰ τῆς πενθερᾶς εμεινε παρὰ Μωαβίταις, ἡ δὲ ̔Ροὺθ σὺν τῇ Νοεμὶν ἀπελήλυθε. καὶ ηδη παραγενομένας εἰς Βηθλεὲμ ξενίζει Βοόζ, ̓Αβιμέλεχ ων συγγενής. προσαγορευομένη δὲ παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν ἐξ ὀνόματος ἡ γυνή "μή με Νοεμίν" ελεγεν "ἀλλὰ Μάραν καλεῖτε," Νοεμὶν δὲ εὐτυχίαν δηλοῖ, Μάρα δὲ ὀδύνην καὶ πικρασμόν· "πλήρης γὰρ πορευθεῖσα κενὴ ὑπενόστησα." ἀμήτου δὲ