Judges 15 – Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Samson Strikes Down the Philistines

1 Now it happened ^H1961 that after ^H4480 a while ^H3117, in the time ^H3117 of the wheat ^H2406 harvest ^H7105, Samson ^H8123 visited ^H6485 his wife ^H802 with a young ^H1423 goat ^H5795 and said ^H559, “I will go ^H935 in to my wife ^H802 in her room ^H2315.” But her father ^H1 did not let ^H5414 him enter ^H935.

2 And her father ^H1 said ^H559, “I really ^H559 thought ^H559 that you hated ^H8130 her intensely ^H8130; so I gave ^H5414 her to your companion ^H4828. Is not her younger ^H6996 sister ^H269 better ^H2896 than ^H4480 she? Please ^H4994 let her be yours [fn]instead ^H8478.” 3 Samson ^H8123 then said ^H559 to them, “This ^H6471 time ^H6471 I shall be ^H5352 innocent ^H5352 in regard ^H4480 to the Philistines ^H6430 when ^H3588 I do ^H6213 them harm ^H7451.” 4 So Samson ^H8123 went ^H1980 and caught ^H3920 300 ^H7969 H3967 foxes ^H7776 and took ^H3947 torches ^H3940 and turned ^H6437 the foxes tail ^H2180 to tail ^H2180 and put ^H7760 one ^H259 torch ^H3940 in the middle ^H8432 between ^H996 two ^H8147 tails ^H2180. 5 Then he set ^H1197 fire ^H784 to the torches ^H3940 and sent ^H7971 [fn]the foxes into the standing ^H7054 grain ^H7054 of the Philistines ^H6430. So he caused both ^H4480 the shocks ^H1430 and the standing ^H7054 grain ^H7054, along ^H5704 with the vineyards ^H3754 and groves ^H2132, to burn ^H1197. 6 Then the Philistines ^H6430 said ^H559, “Who ^H4310 did ^H6213 this ^H2088?” And they said ^H559, “Samson ^H8123, the son-in-law ^H2860 of the Timnite ^H8554, because ^H3588 [fn]he took ^H3947 his wife ^H802 and gave ^H5414 her to his companion ^H4828.” So the Philistines ^H6430 came ^H5927 up ^H5927 and burned ^H8313 her and her father ^H1 with fire ^H784. 7 Then Samson ^H8123 said ^H559 to them, “If ^H518 you act ^H6213 like this ^H2088, then I will surely ^H3588 H518 take ^H5358 revenge ^H5358 on you, but after ^H310 that I will cease ^H2308.” 8 And he struck ^H5221 them [fn]ruthlessly ^{H7785 H5921 H3409} with a great ^H1419 slaughter ^H4347; and he went ^H3381 down ^H3381 and lived ^H3427 in the cleft ^H5585 of the rock ^H5553 of Etam ^H5862.

9 Then the Philistines ^H6430 went ^H5927 up ^H5927 and camped ^H2583 in Judah ^H3063 and spread ^H6566 out ^H6566 in Lehi ^H3896. 10 So the men ^H376 of Judah ^H3063 said ^H559, “Why ^H4100 have you come ^H5927 up ^H5927 against ^H5921 us?” And they said ^H559, “We have come ^H5927 up ^H5927 to bind ^H631 Samson ^H8123 in order to do ^H6213 to him as he did ^H6213 to us.” 11 Then 3,000 ^H7969 H505 men ^H376 of Judah ^H3063 went ^H3381 down ^H3381 to the cleft ^H5585 of the rock ^H5553 of Etam ^H5862 and said ^H559 to Samson ^H8123, “Do you not know ^H3045 that the Philistines ^H6430 are rulers ^H4910 over us? What ^H4100 then is this ^H2088 that you have done ^H6213 to us?” And he said ^H559 to them, “As they did ^H6213 to me, so ^H3651 I have done ^H6213 to them.” 12 And they said ^H559 to him, “We have come ^H3381 down ^H3381 to bind ^H631 you so that we may give ^H5414 you into the hand ^H3027 of the Philistines ^H6430.” And Samson ^H8123 said ^H559 to them, “Swear ^H7650 to me that you yourselves will not [fn]kill ^H6293 me.” 13 So they said ^H559 to [fn]him, “No ^H3808, but we will bind ^H631 you fast ^H631 and give ^H5414 you into their hands ^H3027; yet surely ^H4191 we will not put ^H4191 you to ^H4191 death ^H4191.” Then they bound ^H631 him with two ^H8147 new ^H2319 ropes ^H5688 and brought ^H5927 him up ^H5927 from the rock ^H5553.

14 When he came ^H935 to Lehi ^H3896, the Philistines ^H6430 shouted ^H7321 as they met ^H7122 him. And the Spirit ^H7307 of Yahweh ^H3068 [fn]came ^H6743 upon him mightily ^H6743 so that the ropes ^H5688 that were on his arms ^H2220 were as flax ^H6593 that is burned ^H1197 with fire ^H784, and his bonds ^H612 [fn]dropped ^H4549 from his hands ^H3027. 15 And he found ^H4672 a fresh ^H2961 jawbone ^H3895 of a donkey ^H2543, so he sent ^H7971 forth his hand ^H3027 and took ^H3947 it and struck ^H5221 down ^H5221 1,000 ^H505 men ^H376 with it. 16 Then Samson ^H8123 said ^H559,

“With the jawbone ^H3895 of a donkey ^H2543,

[fn]Heaps ^H2565 upon heaps ^H2565,

With the jawbone ^H3895 of a donkey ^H2543

I have struck ^H5221 down ^H5221 1,000 ^H505 men ^H376.”

17 Now it happened ^H1961 that when he had finished ^H3615 speaking ^H1696, he threw ^H7993 the jawbone ^H3895 from his hand ^H3027; and he named ^H7121 that place ^H4725 [fn]Ramath-lehi ^H7437. 18 Then he became ^H6770 very ^H3966 thirsty ^H6770, and he called ^H7121 to Yahweh ^H3068 and said ^H559, “You have given ^H5414 this ^H2088 great ^H1419 salvation ^H8668 by the hand ^H3027 of Your slave ^H5650, but now ^H6258 [fn]shall I die ^H4191 of thirst ^H6772 [fn]and fall ^H5307 into the hands ^H3027 of the uncircumcised ^H6189?” 19 So God ^H430 split ^H1234 the hollow ^H4388 place that is in Lehi ^H3896 and water ^H4325 came ^H3318 out ^H3318 of it. Then he drank ^H8354, and his spirit ^H7307 returned ^H7725, and he revived ^H2421. Therefore ^H5921 H3651 he named ^H7121 H8034 it [fn]En-hakkore ^H5875, which ^H834 is in Lehi ^H3896 to this ^H2088 day ^H3117. 20 And he judged ^H8199 Israel ^H3478 twenty ^H6242 years ^H8141 in the days ^H3117 of the Philistines ^H6430.