Judges 16

1 Καὶ ἐπορεύθη Σαμψὼν εἰς Γάζαν, καὶ εἶδεν ἐκεῖ γυναῖκα πόρνην, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν.

2 Καὶ ἀνηγγέλη τοῖς Γαζαίοις, λέγοντες, ἥκει Σαμψὼν ὧδε. καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν, καὶ ἐνήδρευσαν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τῆς πόλεως· καὶ ἐκώφευσαν ὅλην τὴν νύκτα, λέγοντες, ἕως διαφαύσῃ ὁ ὄρθρος, καὶ φονεύσωμεν αὐτόν.

3 Καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Σαμψὼν ἕως μεσονυκτίου, καὶ ἀνέστη ἐν ἡμίσει τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ ἐπελάβετο τῶν θυρῶν τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως σὺν τοῖς δυσὶ σταθμοῖς, καὶ ἀνεβάσταζεν αὐτὰς σὺν τῷ μοχλῷ, καὶ ἔθηκεν ἐπὶ ὤμων αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ Χεβρῶν, καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὰ ἐκεῖ.

4 Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τοῦτο, καὶ ἠγάπησε γυναῖκα ἐν Ἀλσωρήχ· καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῇ Δαλιδά.

5 Καὶ ἀνέβησαν πρὸς αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῇ, ἀπάτησον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἴδε ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ ἐν τίνι δυνησόμεθα αὐτῷ, καὶ δήσομεν αὐτὸν τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι αὐτόν· καὶ ἡμεῖς δώσομέν σοι ἀνὴρ χιλίους καὶ ἑκατὸν ἀργυρίου.

6 Καὶ εἶπε Δαλιδὰ πρὸς Σαμψὼν, ἀπάγγειλον δή μοι ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ τοῦ ταπεινωθῆναί σε.

7 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν Σαμψὼν, ἐὰν δήσωσί με ἐν ἑπτὰ νευραῖς ὑγραῖς μὴ διεφθαρμέναις, καὶ ἀσθενήσω καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων.

8 Καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν αὐτῇ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἑπτὰ νευρὰς ὑγρὰς μὴ διεφθαρμένας, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν αὐταῖς.

9 Καὶ τὸ ἔνεδρον αὐτῇ ἐκάθητο ἐν τῷ ταμείῳ· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σὲ Σαμψών· καὶ διέσπασε τὰς νευρὰς ὡς εἴ τις ἀποσπάσοι στρέμμα στυππίου ἐν τῷ ὀσφρανθῆναι αὐτὸ πυρὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώσθη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ.

10 Καὶ εἶπε Δαλιδὰ πρὸς Σαμψὼν, ἰδοὺ ἐπλάνησάς με, καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς μὲ ψευδῆ· νῦν οὖν ἀνάγγειλόν μοι ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ.

11 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἐὰν δεσμεύοντες δήσωσί με ἐν καλωδίοις καινοῖς οἷς οὐκ ἐγένετο ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔργον, καὶ ἀσθενήσω καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων.

12 Καὶ ἔλαβε Δαλιδὰ καλώδια καινὰ, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἔνεδρα ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ταμείου· καὶ εἶπεν, ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σὲ Σαμψών· καὶ διέσπασεν αὐτὰ ἀπὸ βραχιόνων αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ σπαρτίον.

13 Καὶ εἶπε Δαλιδὰ πρὸς Σαμψὼν, ἰδοὺ ἐπλάνησάς με, καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς μὲ ψευδῆ· ἀνάγγειλον δή μοι ἐν τίνι δεθήσῃ· καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἐὰν ὑφάνῃς τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς μου σὺν τῷ διάσματι, καὶ ἐγκρούσῃς τῷ πασσάλῳ εἰς τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθενής.

14 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κοιμᾶσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔλαβε Δαλιδὰ τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὕφανεν ἐν τῷ διάσματι, καὶ ἔπηξεν τῷ πασσάῳ εἰς τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ εἶπεν, ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σὲ Σαμψών· καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξῇρε τὸν πάσσαλον τοῦ ὑφάσματος ἐκ τοῦ τοίχου.

15 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς Σαμψὼν Δαλιδὰ, πῶς λέγεις, ἠγάπηκά σε, καὶ ἡ καρδία σου οὐκ ἔστι μετʼ ἐμοῦ; τοῦτο τρίτον ἐπλάνησάς με καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι ἐν τίνι ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἡ μεγάλη.

16 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐξέθλιψεν αὐτὸν ἐν λόγοις αὐτῆς πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐστενοχώρησεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησεν ἕως τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν.

17 Καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν αὐτῇ πᾶσαν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, σίδηρος οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, ὅτι ἅγιος Θεοῦ ἐγώ εἰμι ἀπὸ κοιλίας μητρός μου· ἐὰν οὖν ξυρήσωμαι, ἀποστήσεται ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ ἡ ἰσχύς μου καὶ ἀσθενήσω, καὶ ἔσομαι ὡς πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι.

18 Καὶ εἶδε Δαλιδὰ, ὅτι ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῇ πᾶσαν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀπέστειλε καὶ ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, λέγουσα, ἀνάβητε ἔτι τὸ ἅπαξ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἀπήγγειλέ μοι πᾶσαν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀνέβησαν πρὸς αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν τὸ ἀργύριον ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν.

19 Καὶ ἐκοίμισε Δαλιδὰ τὸν Σαμψὼν ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἐξύρησε τὰς ἑπτὰ σειρὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἤρξατο ταπεινῶσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.

20 Καὶ εἶπε Δαλιδά, ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σὲ Σαμψών. καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν, ἐξελεύσομαι ὡς ἅπαξ καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ ἐκτιναχθήσομαι· καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔγνω ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἀπέστη ἀπάνωθεν αὐτοῦ.

21 Καὶ ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ἐξέκοψαν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατήνεγκαν αὐτὸν εἰς Γάζαν, καὶ ἐπέδησαν αὐτὸν ἐν πέδαις χαλκείαις· καὶ ἦν ἀλήθων ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου.

22 Καὶ ἤρξατο θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ βλαστάνειν καθὼς ἐξυρήσατο.

23 Καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων συνήχθησαν θυσαιάσαι θυσίασμα μέγα τῷ Δαγὼν θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐφρανθῆναι, καὶ εἶπαν, ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν χειρὶ ἡμῶν τὸν Σαμψὼν τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν.

24 Καὶ εἶδον αὐτὸν ὁ λαὸς, καὶ ὕμνησαν τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν, ὅτι παρέδωκεν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν ἐν χειρὶ ἡμῶν, τὸν ἐρημοῦντα τὴν γῆν ἡμῶν, καὶ ὃς ἐπλήθυνε τοὺς τραυματίας ἡμῶν.

25 Καὶ ὅτε ἠγαθύνθη ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν, καὶ εἶπαν, καλέσατε τὸν Σαμψὼν ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς, καὶ παιξάτω ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τὸν Σαμψὼν ἐξ οἴκου δεσμωτηρίου, καὶ ἔπαιζεν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐῤῥάπιζον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔστησαν αὐτὸν ἀναμέσον τῶν κιόνων.

26 Καὶ εἶπε Σαμψὼν πρὸς τὸν νεανίαν τὸν κρατοῦντα τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, ἄφες με, καὶ ψηλαφήσω τοὺς κίονας ἐφʼ οἷς ὁ οἶκος ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπιστηριχθήσομαι ἐπʼ αὐτούς.

27 Καὶ ὁ οἶκος πλήρης τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν, καὶ ἐκεῖ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ δῶμα ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιοι ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες οἱ θεωροῦντες ἐν παιγνίαις Σαμψών.

28 Καὶ ἔκλαυσε Σαμψὼν πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ εἶπεν, ἀδωναϊὲ Κύριε μνήσθητι δή μου, καὶ ἐνίσχυσόν με ἔτι τὸ ἅπαξ τοῦτο Θεὲ, καὶ ἀνταποδώσω ἀνταπόδοσιν μίαν περὶ τῶν δύο ὀφθαλμῶν μου τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις.

29 Καὶ περιέλαβε Σαμψὼν τοὺς δύο κίονας τοῦ οἴκου ἐφʼ οὓς ὁ οἶκος εἱστήκει, καὶ ἐπεστηρίχθη ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκράτησεν ἕνα τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕνα τῇ ἀριστερᾷ αὐτοῦ.

30 Καὶ εἶπε Σαμψὼν, ἀποθανέτω ψυχή μου μετὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων· καὶ ἐβάσταξεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ· καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ οἶκος ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἦσαν οἱ τεθνηκότες οὓς ἐθανάτωσε Σαμψὼν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ, πλείους ἢ οὓς ἐθανάτωσεν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ.

31 Καὶ κατέβησαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔλαβον αὐτόν· καὶ ἀνέβησαν καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἀναμέσον Σαραὰ καὶ ἀναμέσον Ἐσθαὸλ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ Μανωὲ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ αὐτὸς ἔκρινε τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἴκοσι ἔτη.

1 And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.

2 And it was reported to the Gazites, saying, Sampson is come hither: and they compassed him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and they were quiet all the night, saying, Let us wait till the dawn appear, and we will slay him.

3 And Sampson slept till midnight, and rose up at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city with the two posts, and lifted them up with the bar, and laid them on his shoulders, and he went up to the top of the mountain that is before Chebron, and laid them there.

4 And it came to pass after this that he loved a woman in Alsorech, and her name was Dalida.

the brook of Sorech.

5 And the princes of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength is , and wherewith we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each eleven hundred pieces of silver.

a man.

6 And Dalida said to Sampson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein is thy great strength, and wherewith thou shalt be bound that thou mayest be humbled.

7 And Sampson said to her, If they bind me with seven moist cords that have not been spoiled, then shall I be weak and be as one of ordinary men.

8 And the princes of the Philistines brought to her seven moist cords that had not been spoiled, and she bound him with them.

9 And the liers in wait remained with her in the chamber; and she said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he broke the cords as if any one should break a thread of tow when it has touched the fire, and his strength was not known.

ambush, singular.

smelt.

10 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast cheated me, and told me lies; now then tell me wherewith thou shalt be bound.

11 And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes with which work has not been done, then shall I be weak, and shall be as another man.

12 And Dalida took new ropes, and bound him with them, and the liers in wait came out of the chamber, and she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he broke them off his arms like a thread.

13 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me lies; tell me, I intreat thee, wherewith thou mayest be bound: and he said to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and shouldest fasten them with the pin into the wall, then shall I be weak as another man.

14 And it came to pass when he was asleep, that Dalida took the seven locks of his head, and wove them with the web, and fastened them with the pin into the wall, and she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep, and carried away the pin of the web out of the wall.

15 And Dalida said to Sampson, How sayest thou, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? this third time thou hast deceived me, and hast not told me wherein is thy great strength.

16 And it came to pass as she pressed him sore with her words continually, and straitened him, that his spirit failed almost to death.

17 Then he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come upon my head, because I have been a holy one of God from my mother's womb; if then I should be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I shall be weak, and I shall be as all other men.

18 And Dalida saw that he told her all his heart, and she sent and called the princes of the Philistines, saying, Come up yet this once; for he has told me all his heart. And the chiefs of the Philistines went up to her, and brought the money in their hands.

19 And Dalida made Sampson sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and he shaved the seven locks of his head, and she began to humble him, and his strength departed from him.

This word in LXX. seems generally to have the signification of “to afflict.”

20 And Dalida said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at former times, and shake myself; and he knew not that the Lord was departed from him.

21 And the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he ground in the prison-house.

cut out.

22 And the hair of his head began to grow as before it was shaven.

as he was shaven.

23 And the chiefs of the Philistines met to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to make merry; and they said, God has given into our hand our enemy Sampson.

24 And the people saw him, and sang praises to their god; for our god, said they , has delivered into our hand our enemy, who wasted our land, and who multiplied our slain.

25 And when their heart was merry, then they said, Call Sampson out of the prison-house, and let him play before us: and they called Sampson out of the prison-house, and he played before them; and they smote him with the palms of their hands, and set him between the pillars.

26 And Sampson said to the young man that held his hand, Suffer me to feel the pillars on which the house rests , and I will stay myself upon them.

27 And the house was full of men and women, and there were all the chiefs of the Philistines, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women looking at the sports of Sampson.

28 And Sampson wept before the Lord, and said, O Lord, my Lord, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, O God, yet this once, and I will requite one recompense to the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Sampson took hold of the two pillars of the house on which the house stood, and leaned on them, and laid hold of one with his right hand, and the other with his left.

30 And Sampson said, Let my life perish with the Philistines: and he bowed himself mightily; and the house fell upon the princes, and upon all the people that were in it: and the dead whom Sampson slew in his death were more than those whom he slew in his life.

bore; some read ἔκλινεν.

31 And his brethren and his father's house went down, and they took him; and they went up and buried him between Saraa and Esthaol in the sepulchre of his father Manoë; and he judged Israel twenty years.