²² When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. ²³ As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”

²⁴ He replied, “You took^(A) the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

²⁵ The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” ²⁶ So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him,^(B) turned around and went back home.

²⁷ Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure.^(C) They attacked them with the sword and burned^(D) down their city.^{(E) 28} There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon^(F) and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.^(G)

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. ²⁹ They named it Dan^(H) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish.^{(I) 30} There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom,^(J) the son of Moses,^[a] and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. ³¹ They continued to use the idol Micah had made,^(K) all the time the house of God^(L) was in Shiloh.^(M)

Samson’s Marriage

14 Samson^(A) went down to Timnah^(B) and saw there a young Philistine woman. ² When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”^(C)

³ His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people?^(D) Must you go to the uncircumcised^(E) Philistines to get a wife?^(F)”

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” ⁴ (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord,^(G) who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;^(H) for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)^(I)

⁵ Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him^(J) so that he tore the lion apart^(K) with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

⁸ Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. ⁹ He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

¹⁰ Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast,^(L) as was customary for young men. ¹¹ When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.

¹² “Let me tell you a riddle,^(M)” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast,^(N) I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.^{(O) 13} If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”

¹⁴ He replied,

For three days they could not give the answer.

¹⁵ On the fourth^[a] day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax^(Q) your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death.^(R) Did you invite us here to steal our property?”

²² But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

The Death of Samson

²³ Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon^(A) their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god,^(B) saying,

²⁵ While they were in high spirits,^(D) 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, ²⁶ Samson 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.” ²⁷ Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof^(E) were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. ²⁸ Then Samson prayed to the Lord,^(F) “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge^(G) on the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹ Then 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, ³⁰ Samson 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.