Judges 16 (NET)

Judges 16:1¹Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept with her.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Josh 15:47Gen 38:16-18Ezra 9:1-2Gen 10:19

Judges 16:2²The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. They relaxed all night, thinking, “He will not leave until morning comes; then we will kill him!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ps 118:10-121 Sam 23:26Acts 9:241 Sam 19:112 Cor 11:32-33Acts 23:15Judg 15:18Matt 21:38Matt 27:1

Judges 16:3³Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle of the night and left. He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Acts 2:24Ps 107:16Isa 63:1-5Mic 2:13

Judges 16:4⁴After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 22:141 Cor 10:6Prov 23:271 Kgs 11:1Neh 13:26Prov 26:11Prov 27:22

Judges 16:5⁵The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate him. Each one of us will give you 1,100 silver pieces.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Josh 13:3Judg 14:151 Tim 6:9-101 Cor 6:15-181 Sam 29:6Gen 33:16Judg 17:2Judg 3:3Matt 26:15Mic 7:3

Judges 16:6⁶So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Mic 7:2Ps 12:2Jer 9:2-5Mic 7:5Prov 22:14Prov 26:28Prov 6:26Prov 7:21

Judges 16:7⁷Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Col 3:9Gal 6:7Prov 12:191 Sam 19:171 Sam 21:2-31 Sam 27:10Judg 16:10Prov 17:7Rom 3:8

Judges 16:8⁸So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 7:26

Judges 16:9⁹They hid in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. The secret of his strength was not discovered.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ps 58:9

Judges 16:10¹⁰Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you deceived me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezek 33:31Judg 16:13Luke 22:48Prov 24:28Judg 16:15-17Judg 16:7Prov 23:7-8

Judges 16:11¹¹He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eph 4:25Prov 13:3Prov 29:25Judg 15:13Prov 13:5

Judges 16:12¹²So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.) But he tore the ropes from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Judges 16:13¹³Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on the loom and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Judges 16:14¹⁴So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ezra 9:13-14Ps 106:43

Judges 16:15¹⁵She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you will not share your secret with me? Three times you have deceived me and have not told me what makes you so strong.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Judg 14:161 John 2:15-16John 15:10Prov 23:262 Cor 5:14-15John 14:15Prov 5:3-14Song 8:6-71 John 5:31 Sam 15:13-14

Judges 16:16¹⁶She nagged him every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 7:21-23Job 21:4Jonah 4:9Luke 11:8Luke 18:5Mark 14:24Prov 7:26-27

Judges 16:17¹⁷Finally he told her his secret. He said to her, “My hair has never been cut, for I have been dedicated to God from the time I was conceived. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak and be just like all other men.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Mic 7:5Judg 13:5Prov 12:23Num 6:5Acts 18:18Num 6:2Prov 29:12

Judges 16:18¹⁸When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, she sent for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me his secret.” So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:1 Tim 6:10Matt 26:15Jer 9:4-6Judg 16:51 Kgs 21:20Eph 5:5Num 22:7Prov 18:8Ps 62:9

Judges 16:19¹⁹She made him go to sleep on her lap and then called a man in to shave off the seven braids of his hair. She made him vulnerable and his strength left him.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 7:26-27Eccl 7:26Prov 7:21-23Prov 23:33-34

Judges 16:20²⁰She said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Num 14:42-431 Sam 16:141 Sam 18:122 Chr 15:2Isa 59:1-2Josh 7:121 Sam 28:14-162 Cor 3:5Hos 7:9Isa 42:24

Judges 16:21²¹The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 2:19Prov 14:14Exod 11:5Isa 47:2Matt 24:412 Chr 33:112 Kgs 25:7Prov 5:22Ps 107:10-12Ps 149:8

Judges 16:22²²His hair began to grow back after it had been shaved off.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Lev 26:44Ps 106:44-45Ps 107:13-14Deut 32:36

Judges 16:23²³The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 24:171 Sam 5:2-51 Chr 10:101 Cor 8:4-5Jer 2:11Job 30:9-10Mic 4:5Ps 35:15-16Rom 1:23-251 Cor 10:20

Judges 16:24²⁴When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Dan 5:41 Sam 31:9Rev 11:101 Chr 10:9Dan 5:23Deut 32:27Ezek 20:14Hab 1:16Isa 37:20Judg 15:16

Judges 16:25²⁵When they really started celebrating, they said, “Call for Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained them. They made him stand between two pillars.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:2 Sam 13:28Heb 11:36Judg 19:6Judg 9:27Ps 35:15-161 Kgs 20:12Dan 5:2-3Esth 3:15Isa 22:13Job 30:9-10

Judges 16:26²⁶Samson said to the young man who held his hand, “Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple. Then I can lean on them.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Judges 16:27²⁷Now the temple was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were 3,000 men and women on the roof watching Samson entertain.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Deut 22:82 Sam 11:2Josh 2:8Judg 9:51

Judges 16:28²⁸Samson called to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me! Strengthen me just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge against the Philistines for my two eyes!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Jer 15:15Lam 3:31-32Ps 143:12Ps 91:15Rev 6:10Ps 50:15Ps 58:10-112 Tim 4:14Jonah 2:1-2Ps 74:18-23

Judges 16:29²⁹Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AI

Judges 16:30³⁰Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard, and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Matt 16:25Phil 2:81 Thess 5:2Acts 21:13Matt 24:38-39Phil 2:17Acts 20:24Col 2:15Eccl 9:12Gen 3:15

Judges 16:31³¹His brothers and all his family went down and brought him back. They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel for twenty years.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Judg 15:20John 19:39-42Judg 13:2Judg 13:25Josh 19:41