So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and [a]how you can be bound to humble you.” And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh [b]animal tendons that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” Then the governors of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh [c]animal tendons that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men prepared for an ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he tore the tendons to pieces just like a thread of flax is torn apart when it [d]comes too close to fire. So his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have toyed with me and told me lies; now please tell me [e]how you may be bound.” 11 Then He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes [f]which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men in the ambush were waiting in the inner room. But he tore [g]the ropes from his arms like thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have toyed with me and told me lies; tell me [h]how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my [i]hair with the [j]web [k][and fasten it with the pin, then I will be weak like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven locks of his [l]hair with the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 16:6 Lit by what
  2. Judges 16:7 I.e., of a butchered animal, that shrink and hold when drying
  3. Judges 16:8 See note v 7
  4. Judges 16:9 Lit smells
  5. Judges 16:10 Lit by what
  6. Judges 16:11 Lit with which work has not been done
  7. Judges 16:12 Lit them
  8. Judges 16:13 Lit by what
  9. Judges 16:13 Lit head
  10. Judges 16:13 I.e., in weaving, the warp of a loom
  11. Judges 16:13 The passage in brackets is found in LXX but not in any Heb mss
  12. Judges 16:14 Lit head

So Delilah(A) said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”

Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. With men hidden in the room,(B) she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(C) 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.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me;(D) you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”

11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes(E) that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

12 So 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!”(F) But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

13 Delilah 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 14 and[a] tightened it with the pin.

Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(G) He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 16:14 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew replied, “I can if you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom.” 14 So she