1   Bvt within a while after, in the time of wheate haruest, Samson visited his wife with a kid, saying, I wil ^note go in to my wife into the chamber: but her father would not suffer him to goe in.

2   And her father sayde, I thought that thou hadst hated her: therefore gaue I her to thy companion. Is not her yonger sister fayrer then shee? take her, I pray thee, in stead of the other.

3   Then Samson saide vnto them, Nowe am I more ^note blamelesse then the Philistims: therefore will I doe them displeasure.

4   ¶2; And Samson went out, and tooke three hundreth foxes, and tooke firebrands, and turned them taile to taile, and put a firebrand in þe; middes betweene two tailes.

5   And when he had set the brandes on fire, he sent them out into the standing corne of the Philistims, and burnt vp both the ^note rickes and the standing corne with the vineyardes and oliues.

6   Then the Philistims sayde, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson the sonne in law of the ^note Timnite, because hee had taken his wife, and giuen her to his companion. Then the Philistims came vp and ^note burnt her and her father with fire.

7   And Samson saide vnto them, Though yee haue done this, yet wil I be auenged of you, and then I wil cease.

8   So hee smote them ^note hippe and thigh with a mightie plague: then hee went and dwelt in the top of the rocke Etam.

9   ¶2; Then the Philistims came vp, and pitched in Iudah, and ^note were spred abroad in Lehi.

10   And the men of Iudah sayde, Why are yee come vp vnto vs? And they answered, To ^note binde Samson are we come vp, and to do to him as hee hath done to vs.

11   Then three thousande men of Iudah went to the top of the rocke Etam, and sayde to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistims are rulers ouer vs? ^noteWherefore then hast thou done thus vnto vs? And he answered them, As they did vnto me, so haue I done vnto them.

12   Againe they sayd vnto him, Wee are come to binde thee, and to deliuer thee into the hande

Samsons iawebone. Delilahs falshood. of the Philistims. And Samson sayde vnto them, Sweare vnto me, that yee will not fall vpon me your selues.

13   And they answered him, saying, No, but we will bynde thee and ^note deliuer thee vnto their hande, but we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two newe cordes, & brought him from the rocke.

14   When hee came to Lehi, the Philistims shouted against him, and the Spirite of the Lord came vpon him, and the cordes that were vpon his armes, became as flaxe that was burnt with fire: for the bandes loosed from his handes.

15   And he found a ^note new iawebone of an asse, and put forth his hand, and caught it, and slewe a thousand men therewith.

16   Then Samson sayd, With the iaw of an asse are heapes vpon heapes: with the iawe of an asse haue I slaine a thousand men.

17   And when he had left speaking, hee cast away the iawebone out of his hande, and called that place, ^note Ramath-Lehi.

18   And he was sore a thirst, and ^note called on the Lorde, and sayde, Thou hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hand of thy seruaunt: and nowe shall I dye for thirst, and fall into the handes of the vncircumcised?

19   Then God brake the cheeke tooth, that was in the iawe, and water came thereout: and when he had drunke, his Spirit came againe, and he was reuiued: wherefore the name therof is called, ^note Enhakkore, which is in Lehi vnto this day.

20   And hee iudged Israel in the dayes of the Philistims twentie yeeres.

Previous section

Next section