Judges 14

¹ Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman there, one of the Philistine women.

² He went up and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the Philistine women. Now get her for me as a wife.”

³ His father and mother said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among your brothers’ daughters or among all our people, that you have to go and take a wife from those uncircumcised Philistines?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, because she pleases me.”

⁴ His father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, because he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

⁵ Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When they came to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came roaring toward him.

⁶ The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one tears apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

⁷ He went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.

⁸ Some time later, he returned to take her, and turned aside from the path to look at the lion’s carcass. There was a swarm of bees in the lion’s body, and honey.

⁹ He scraped the honey into his hands and went along eating it. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s body.

¹⁰ His father went down to the woman, and Samson held a feast there, as young men customarily did.

¹¹ When they saw him, they brought thirty companions, and they stayed with him.

¹² Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle for you. If you can explain it to me and solve it within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.

¹³ But if you cannot explain it to me, you will give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” They said to him, “Pose your riddle, and we’ll hear it.”

¹⁴ He said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they could not explain the riddle.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband into telling us the riddle. Otherwise, we’ll burn you and your father’s household. Did you invite us here to rob us?”

¹⁶ Samson’s wife wept before him and said, “You only hate me; you don’t love me! You posed a riddle to my people, but you haven’t explained it to me.” He said to her, “Look, I haven’t explained it even to my father or mother. Why should I explain it to you?”

¹⁷ She wept before him throughout the seven days of the feast. On the seventh day he explained it to her, because she kept pressing him, and she explained the riddle to her people.

¹⁸ On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” He said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.”

¹⁹ The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, took their belongings, and gave the changes of clothes to those who had explained the riddle. He burned with anger and went up to his father’s house.

²⁰ Samson’s wife became the wife of his companion, who had been his friend.

Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app