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 hauv lub moos Kaxa
1Xaxoo mus rau hauv lub moos Kaxa mas pom ib tug poj muag cev ces txawm mus nrog pw ua ke. 2Muaj neeg mus hais rau cov neeg Kaxa tias, “Xaxoo tuaj rau hauv no lawm.” Lawv txawm vij lub tsev uas nws nyob thiab zov ntawm rooj loog ib hmos kaj ntug. Lawv nyob twjywm zov ib hmos thiab hais tias, “Peb tos txog kaj ntug li muab nws tua pov tseg.” 3Tiamsis Xaxoo pw txog ib tag hmo. Mas thaum ib tag hmo nws sawv tsees los rho kiag txhib qhov rooj loog thiab ob tug ncej rooj thiab tus las rooj kwv kiag saum xub pwg mus rau pem lub ncov roob uas nyob ncaj lub moos Heploo.
Xaxoo thiab tus pojniam Delila
4Dhau los rau tom qab Xaxoo mus nyiam ib tug pojniam hauv lub hav Xaule npe hu ua Delila. 5Filixatee cov thawj mus hais rau tus pojniam ntawd tias, “Koj cia li ntxias kom Xaxoo qhia saib vim li cas nws muaj zog loj li ntawd thiab peb yuav ua li cas thiaj kov yeej nws thiab khi tau nws thiab txo tau nws lub zog, mas peb cov no ib leeg yuav muab ib txhiab ib puas lub txiag nyiaj rau koj.” 6Delila thiaj hais rau Xaxoo tias, “Thov koj qhia rau kuv saib vim li cas koj lub zog loj li ntawd thiab yuav ua li cas thiaj khi tau koj thiab txo tau koj lub zog.” 7Xaxoo hais rau nws tias, “Yog lawv muab xya txoj hlua hneev uas tseem nyoos tsis tau qhuav los khi kuv, mas kuv yuav tsis muaj zog, tsuas zoo li lwm tus txivneej xwb.” 8Filixatee cov thawj thiaj coj xya txoj hlua hneev uas tseem nyoos tsis tau qhuav tuaj rau Delila mas nws muab Xaxoo khi. 9Nws kuj npaj ib co neeg zov nyob dua ib chav tsev. Nws txawm hais rau Xaxoo tias, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Tiamsis Xaxoo rub tej hlua hneev tu ib yam li tej xov maj raug hluavtaws kub es tu. Yog li ntawd lawv kuj tsis paub tias vim li cas nws muaj zog. 10Delila txawm hais rau Xaxoo tias, “Saib nej, koj dag kuv koj qhia tsis tseeb rau kuv. Thov qhia kuv saib yuav ua li cas thiaj khi tau koj.” 11Xaxoo hais rau nws tias, “Yog lawv muab cov hlua tshiab uas tsis tau siv dua li khi kuv, ces kuv yuav tsis muaj zog, tsuas zoo li lwm tus txivneej xwb.” 12Delila txawm muab cov hlua tshiab los khi nws thiab hais rau nws tias, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Muaj ib co neeg zov nyob hauv lwm chav tsev. Xaxoo kuj rub tej hlua ntawd tu pes nrho ntawm nws txhais tes ib yam li tej xov xwb. 13Mas Delila hais rau Xaxoo tias, “Koj dag kuv los txog nimno li thiab qhia tsis tseeb rau kuv xwb. Cia li hais rau kuv saib yuav ua li cas thiaj khi tau koj.” Xaxoo hais rau nws tias, “Yog koj muab kuv xya qais plaubhau ntos ua txia rau hauv rab ntos thiab muab tus nqos npuaj kom ceev, ces kuv yuav tsis muaj zog, tsuas zoo li lwm tus txivneej xwb.” 14Yog li ntawd, thaum nws tsaug zog Delila muab nws xya qais plaubhau ntos ua txia rau hauv rab ntos thiab muab tus nqos npuaj kom ceev, thiab hais rau nws tias, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Nws txawm sawv tsees rub tus nqos thiab rab ntos thiab cov plaubhau uas ntos rau hauv cov hlaub lawm rho kiag mus. 15Mas Delila hais rau Xaxoo tias, “Ua cas koj lam hais tias koj hlub kuv, es koj lub siab twb tsis npuab kuv? Koj dag kuv peb zaug lawm, koj twb tsis qhia tseeb rau kuv tias vim li cas koj muaj zog loj li kod.” 16Thaum Delila txob txob hais tag hais thiab taij hnub tag hnub thiab, ces Xaxoo txawm dhuav siab yuav tuag. 17Nws txawm qhia kiag nws lub siab rau Delila huvsi hais tias, “Rab chais tsis txeev nphav kuv lub taubhau kiag li, rau qhov kuv raug muab cais ua Naxi pub rau Vajtswv txij thaum nruab thiab los lawm. Yog chais kuv cov plaubhau lawm kuv lub zog yuav tawm ntawm kuv mus thiab kuv yuav tsis muaj zog, tsuas zoo li lwm tus txivneej lawm xwb.” 18Thaum Delila pom tias nws qhia kiag lub siab huvsi lawm, ces Delila txawm txib neeg mus hu Filixatee cov thawj hais tias, “Cia li rov tuaj ib zaug xwb rau qhov nws qhia kiag lub siab rau kuv lawm.” Ces Filixatee cov thawj txawm tuaj rau ntawm Delila thiab coj nyiaj tuaj. 19Delila txawm kom Xaxoo pw tsaug zog rau saum nws ncej qab, thiab nws hu ib tug yawg tuaj chais Xaxoo xya qais plaubhau saum nws taubhau. Ces Delila txawm zes Xaxoo,⚓ ua ciav nws tsis muaj zog lawm. 20Delila txawm hais tias, “Xaxoo, cov Filixatee tuaj lawm lauj!” Xaxoo tsim dheev los hais tias, “Kuv yuav tawm plaws mus yam li txhua zaus thiab nti kom dim plaws.” Nws tsis paub tias Yawmsaub twb ncaim nws lawm. 21Cov Filixatee thiaj muab nws ntes thiab muab nws ob lub qhov muag kaus pov tseg, thiab coj nws mus rau nram lub moos Kaxa, lawv muab saw hlau tooj liab khi nws. Lawv kom nws zom zeb hauv lub tsev lojfaj. 22Txij thaum chais nws cov plaubhau lawd, nws cov plaubhau kuj pib tuaj ntev zuj zus.
Xaxoo tuag
23Filixatee cov thawj tuaj txoos ua ke yuav ua kevcai loj xyeem tsiaj rau lawv tus dab Dakoo, thiab ua kev lomzem zoo siab rau qhov lawv hais tias, “Peb tus dab muab peb tus yeeb ncuab Xaxoo rau hauv peb txhais tes lawm.” 24Thaum cov pejxeem pom Xaxoo lawv kuj qhuas lawv tus dab tias, “Peb tus dab muab tau peb tus yeeb ncuab uas rhuav tshem peb lub tebchaws rau hauv peb txhais tes, nws tua peb tuag coob kawg li lawm.” 25Thaum lawv ua lomzem zoo siab ntawd, lawv txawm hais tias, “Cia li hu Xaxoo los dhia ua si rau peb saib.” Lawv thiaj mus hu Xaxoo tawm hauv lub tsev lojfaj los, mas Xaxoo kuj los dhia ua si rau lawv saib. Lawv kom nws sawv hauv nruab nrab cov ncej tsev. 26Xaxoo hais rau tus menyuam tub uas tuav nws tes tias, “Thov coj kuv mus xuas tej ncej uas txheem lub tsev no, kuv thiaj tau chaw pheeb tej ncej ntawd.” 27Muaj pojniam txivneej puv nkaus lub tsev ntawd. Filixatee cov thawj sawvdaws kuj nyob qhov ntawd, thiab tseem muaj pojniam txivneej peb txhiab leej nyob txheej saud saib Xaxoo dhia ua si. 28Ces Xaxoo txawm quaj thov Yawmsaub tias, “Au Vajtswv Yawmsaub, thov nco txog kuv. Au Vajtswv, thov pub zog rau kuv zaum no tib zaug xwb es kuv yuav pauj cov Filixatee rau kuv ob lub qhov muag ib sab.” 29Xaxoo txawm tuav ob tug ncej hauv nruab nrab tsev uas txheem lub tsev ntawd thiab nthia tes rau ob tug ncej ntawd, txhais tes xis nthia ib tug txhais tes laug nthia ib tug. 30Thiab Xaxoo hais tias, “Thov cia kuv nrog cov Filixatee tuag lauj.” Ces nws txawm thawb kawg nkaus nws lub zog, mas lub tsev ntawd pob rhe los tais cov thawj thiab cov pejxeem uas nyob hauv lub tsev txhua tus huvsi. Yog li no cov neeg uas nws tua tuag rau thaum nws tuag no, coob dua li cov uas nws tua tuag rau thaum nws tseem muaj txojsia nyob. 31Ces nws cov kwvtij thiab nws tsev neeg sawvdaws tuaj coj nws lub cev tuag mus log rau hauv nws txiv Manau‑a lub qhov ntxa uas nyob ntawm lub moos Xaula thiab lub moos Etha‑oo ntu nruab nrab. Nws ua thawj kav cov Yixayee tau nees nkaum xyoo.