1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.” 3But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. 4Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels⚓ of silver.” 6So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” 7Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” 8Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. 10Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.” 11He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” 12So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. 13Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.” He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14and⚓ tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric. 15Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. 17So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” 18When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.⚓ And his strength left him. 20Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 22But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
The Death of Samson
23Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 25While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led⚓ Israel twenty years.
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Xaxoo nyob huv lub moos Kaxa
1Xaxoo moog rua huv lub moos Kaxa mas pum ib tug puj muag cev tes txawm moog nrug pw ua ke. 2Muaj tuabneeg moog has rua cov tuabneeg Kaxa tas, “Xaxoo tuaj rua huv nuav lawm.” Puab txawm vej lub tsev kws nwg nyob hab zuv ntawm rooj loog ib mos kaaj ntug. Puab nyob tuabywv zuv ib mos hab has tas, “Peb tog txug kaaj ntug le muab nwg tua pov tseg.” 3Tassws Xaxoo pw txug ib taag mo. Mas thaus ib taag mo nwg sawv tseeg lug rhu hlo txhwb qhov rooj loog hab ob tug ncej rooj hab tug laag rooj kwv hlo sau xub pwg moog rua peg lub ncov roob kws nyob ncaaj lub moos Heploo.
Xaxoo hab tug puj Ntelila
4Dhau lug rua tom qaab Xaxoo moog nyam ib tug quaspuj huv lub haav Xaule npe hu ua Ntelila. 5Filixatee cov thawj moog has rua tug puj hov tas, “Koj ca le ntxag kuas Xaxoo qha saib vem le caag nwg muaj zug luj le hov hab peb yuav ua le caag txhad kov yeej nwg hab khi tau nwg hab txu tau nwg tug zug, mas peb cov nuav ib leeg yuav muab ib txheeb ib puas lub txag nyaj rua koj.” 6Ntelila txhad has rua Xaxoo tas, “Thov koj qha rua kuv saib vem le caag koj tug zug luj le hov hab yuav ua le caag txhad khi tau koj hab txu tau koj tug zug.” 7Xaxoo has rua nwg tas, “Yog puab muab xyaa txuj hlua neev kws tseed nyoog tsw tau qhuav lug khi kuv, mas kuv yuav tsw muaj zug, tsuas zoo le lwm tug txwvneej xwb.” 8Filixatee cov thawj txhad coj xyaa txuj hlua neev kws tseed nyoog tsw tau qhuav tuaj rua Ntelila mas nwg muab Xaxoo khi. 9Nwg kuj npaaj ib co tuabneeg zuv nyob dua ib chaav tsev. Nwg txawm has rua Xaxoo tas, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Tassws Xaxoo nqug tej hlua neev tu ib yaam le tej xuv maaj raug suavtawg kub es tu. Yog le hov puab kuj tsw paub tas vem le caag nwg muaj zug. 10Ntelila txawm has rua Xaxoo tas, “Saib nej, koj daag kuv koj qha tsw tseeb rua kuv. Thov qha kuv saib yuav ua le caag txhad khi tau koj.” 11Xaxoo has rua nwg tas, “Yog puab muab cov hlua tshab kws tsw tau swv dua le khi kuv, tes kuv yuav tsw muaj zug, tsuas zoo le lwm tug txwvneej xwb.” 12Ntelila txawm muab cov hlua tshab lug khi nwg hab has rua nwg tas, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Muaj ib co tuabneeg zuv nyob huv lwm chaav tsev. Xaxoo kuj nqug tej hlua hov tu pis nrho ntawm nwg txhais teg ib yaam le tej xuv xwb. 13Mas Ntelila has rua Xaxoo tas, “Koj daag kuv lug txug nwgnuav le hab qha tsw tseeb rua kuv xwb. Ca le has rua kuv saib yuav ua le caag txhad khi tau koj.” Xaxoo has rua nwg tas, “Yog koj muab kuv xyaa qai plaubhau ntus ua txa rua huv raab ntus hab muab tug nqog npuaj kuas ceev, tes kuv yuav tsw muaj zug, tsuas zoo le lwm tug txwvneej xwb.” 14Yog le hov, thaus nwg tsaug zug Ntelila muab nwg xyaa qai plaubhau ntus ua txa rua huv raab ntus hab muab tug nqog npuaj kuas ceev, hab has rua nwg tas, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Nwg txawm sawv tseeg nqug tug nqog hab raab ntus hab cov plaubhau kws ntus rua huv cov hlaub lawm rhu hlo moog. 15Mas Ntelila has rua Xaxoo tas, “Ua caag koj laam has tas koj hlub kuv, es koj lub sab tub tsw npuab kuv? Koj daag kuv peb zag lawm, koj tub tsw qha tseeb rua kuv tas vem le caag koj muaj zug luj le kod.” 16Thaus Ntelila txob txob has taag has thab taij nub taag nub thab, tes Xaxoo txawm dhuav sab yuav tuag. 17Nwg txawm qha hlo nwg lub sab rua Ntelila huvsw has tas, “Raab chais tsw txeev nphaav kuv lub taubhau hlo le, tsua qhov kuv raug muab cais ua Naxi pub rua Vaajtswv txwj thaus nruab thab lug lawm. Yog chais kuv cov plaubhau lawm kuv tug zug yuav tawm ntawm kuv moog hab kuv yuav tsw muaj zug, tsuas zoo le lwm tug txwvneej lawm xwb.” 18Thaus Ntelila pum tas nwg qha hlo lub sab huvsw lawm, tes Ntelila txawm khaiv tuabneeg moog hu Filixatee cov thawj has tas, “Ca le rov tuaj ib zag xwb tsua qhov nwg qha hlo lub sab rua kuv lawm.” Tes Filixatee cov thawj txawm tuaj rua ntawm Ntelila hab coj nyaj tuaj. 19Ntelila txawm kuas Xaxoo pw tsaug zug rua sau nwg ncej qaab, hab nwg hu ib tug yawm tuaj chais Xaxoo xyaa qai plaubhau sau nwg taubhau. Tes Ntelila txawm zwg Xaxoo⚓, na cav nwg tsw muaj zug lawm. 20Ntelila txawm has tas, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Xaxoo tswm dheev lug has tas, “Kuv yuav tawm plawg moog yaam le txhua zag hab nti kuas dim plawg.” Nwg tsw paub tas Yawmsaub tub ncaim nwg lawm. 21Cov Filixatee txhad muab nwg nteg hab muab nwg ob lub qhov muag kaus pov tseg, hab coj nwg moog rua nraag lub moos Kaxa, puab muab saw hlau tooj lab khi nwg. Puab kuas nwg zum zeb huv lub tsev lojfaaj. 22Txwj thaus chais nwg cov plaubhau lawd, nwg cov plaubhau kuj chiv tuaj quas zug.
Xaxoo tuag
23Filixatee cov thawj tuaj txoos ua ke yuav ua kevcai luj xyeem tsaj rua puab tug daab Ntakoo, hab ua kev lomzem zoo sab tsua qhov puab has tas, “Peb tug daab muab peb tug yeeb ncuab Xaxoo rua huv peb txhais teg lawm.” 24Thaus cov pejxeem pum Xaxoo puab kuj qhuas puab tug daab tas, “Peb tug daab muab tau peb tug yeeb ncuab kws rhuav tshem peb lub tebchaws rua huv peb txhais teg, nwg tua peb tuag coob kawg le lawm.” 25Thaus puab ua lomzem zoo sab hov, puab txawm has tas, “Ca le hu Xaxoo lug dha ua sw rua peb saib.” Puab txhad moog hu Xaxoo tawm huv lub tsev lojfaaj lug, mas Xaxoo kuj lug dha ua sw rua puab saib. Puab kuas nwg sawv huv plawv cov ncej tsev. 26Xaxoo has rua tug mivnyuas tub kws tuav nwg teg tas, “Thov coj kuv moog xuas tej ncej kws txheem lub tsev nuav, kuv txhad tau chaw pheeb tej ncej hov.” 27Muaj quaspuj quasyawg puv nkaus lub tsev hov. Filixatee cov thawj suavdawg kuj nyob hov ntawd, hab tseed muaj quaspuj quasyawg peb txheeb leej nyob txheej sau saib Xaxoo dha ua sw. 28Mas Xaxoo txawm quaj thov Yawmsaub tas, “Au Vaajtswv Yawmsaub, thov ncu txug kuv. Au Vaajtswv, thov pub zug rua kuv zag nuav tuab zag xwb es kuv yuav pauj taub cov Filixatee rua kuv ob lub qhov muag ib saab.” 29Xaxoo txawm tuav ob tug ncej huv plawv tsev kws txheem lub tsev hov hab ntha teg rua ob tug ncej hov, txhais teg xws ntha ib tug txhais teg phem ntha ib tug. 30Hab Xaxoo has tas, “Thov ca kuv nrug cov Filixatee tuag lauj.” Tes nwg txawm thawb kawg nkaus nwg tug zug, mas lub tsev hov pob rhe lug tais cov thawj hab cov pejxeem kws nyob huv lub tsev txhua tug huvsw. Yog le nuav cov tuabneeg kws nwg tua tuag rua thaus nwg tuag nuav, coob dua le cov kws nwg tua tuag rua thaus nwg tseed muaj txujsa nyob. 31Tes nwg cov kwvtij hab nwg tsev tuabneeg suavdawg tuaj coj nwg lub cev tuag moog log rua huv nwg txwv Manau‑a lub qhov ntxaa kws nyob ntawm lub moos Xaula hab lub moos Etha‑oo ntu nruab nraab. Nwg ua thawj kaav cov Yixayee tau neeg nkaum xyoo.