unto her.
07:016:002 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither.
And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in
the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In
the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
07:016:003 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took
the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went
away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders,
and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before
Hebron.
07:016:004 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the
valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
07:016:005 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said
unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength
lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we
may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one
of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
07:016:006 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy
great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to
afflict thee.
07:016:007 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green
withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as
another man.
07:016:008 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven
green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with
them.
07:016:009 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the
chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken
when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
07:016:010 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and
told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou
mightest be bound.
07:016:011 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that
never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another
man.
07:016:012 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and
said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there
were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them
from off his arms like a thread.
07:016:013 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me,
and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.
And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my
head with the web.
07:016:014 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The
Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his
sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the
web.
07:016:015 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when
thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three
times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
07:016:016 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her
words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
07:016:017 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath
not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite
unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my
strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like
any other man.
07:016:018 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she
sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come
up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the
lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money
in their hand.
07:016:019 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a
man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his
head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from
him.
07:016:020 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he
awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other
times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD
was departed from him.
07:016:021 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and
brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass;
and he did grind in the prison house.
07:016:022 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was
shaven.
07:016:023 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for
to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to
rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our
enemy into our hand.
07:016:024 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they
said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the
destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
07:016:025 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they
said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they
called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them
sport: and they set him between the pillars.
07:016:026 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer
me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth,
that I may lean upon them.
07:016:027 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of
the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about
three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made
sport.
07:016:028 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God,
remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only
this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the
Philistines for my two eyes.
07:016:029 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the
house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his
right hand, and of the other with his left.
07:016:030 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed
himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords,
and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which
he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his
life.
07:016:031 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down,
and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah
and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he
judged Israel twenty years.
07:017:001 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
07:017:002 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of
silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst,
and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with
me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the
LORD, my son.
07:017:003 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver
to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the
silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven
image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto
thee.
07:017:004 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took
two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder,
who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they
were in the house of Micah.
07:017:005 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and
teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his
priest.
07:017:006 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did
that which was right in his own eyes.
07:017:007 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family
of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
07:017:008 And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to
sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount
Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
07:017:009 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto
him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn
where I may find a place.
07:017:010 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a
father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of
silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals.
So the Levite went in.
07:017:011 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the
young man was unto him as one of his sons.
07:017:012 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his
priest, and was in the house of Micah.
07:017:013 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good,
seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
07:018:001 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days
the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell
in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen
unto them among the tribes of Israel.
07:018:002 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from
their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to
spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them,
Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to
the house of Micah, they lodged there.
07:018:003 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of
the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said
unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in
this place? and what hast thou here?
07:018:004 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me,
and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
07:018:005 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God,
that we may know whether our way which we go shall be
prosperous.
07:018:006 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is
your way wherein ye go.
07:018:007 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the
people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the
manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no
magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any
thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no
business with any man.
07:018:008 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and
their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
07:018:009 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we
have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye
still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the
land.
07:018:010 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large
land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where
there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
07:018:011 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out
of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with
weapons of war.
07:018:012 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah:
wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day:
behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.
07:018:013 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the
house of Micah.
07:018:014 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of
Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is
in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image,
and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
07:018:015 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the
young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and
saluted him.
07:018:016 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war,
which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of
the gate.
07:018:017 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and
came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and
the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in
the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were
appointed with weapons of war.
07:018:018 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved
image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then
said the priest unto them, What do ye?
07:018:019 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon
thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest:
is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one
man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in
Israel?
07:018:020 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and
the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of
the people.
07:018:021 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the
cattle and the carriage before them.
07:018:022 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men
that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered
together, and overtook the children of Dan.
07:018:023 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their
faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest
with such a company?
07:018:024 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the
priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what
is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
07:018:025 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be
heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou
lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
07:018:026 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw
that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back
unto his house.
07:018:027 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest
which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at
quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the
sword, and burnt the city with fire.
07:018:028 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and
they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley
that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt
therein.
07:018:029 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of
Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name
of the city was Laish at the first.
07:018:030 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan,
the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were
priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of
the land.
07:018:031 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all
the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
07:019:001 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in
Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side
of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of
Bethlehemjudah.
07:019:002 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away
from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was
there four whole months.
07:019:003 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly
unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him,
and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's
house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced
to meet him.
07:019:004 And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and
he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and
lodged there.
07:019:005 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early
in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's
father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a
morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.
07:019:006 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them
together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be
content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart
be merry.
07:019:007 And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged
him: therefore he lodged there again.
07:019:008 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart;
and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray
thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both
of them.
07:019:009 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and
his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto
him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you
tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge
here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you
early on your way, that thou mayest go home.
07:019:010 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and
departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and
there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was
with him.
07:019:011 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the
servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us
turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
07:019:012 And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither
into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of
Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.
07:019:013 And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to
one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in
Ramah.
07:019:014 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down
upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to
Benjamin.
07:019:015 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in
Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of
the city: for there was no man that took them into his house
to lodging.
07:019:016 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the
field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he
sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
07:019:017 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in
the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest
thou? and whence comest thou?
07:019:018 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah
toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went
to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the
LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.
07:019:019 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there
is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for
the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of
any thing.
07:019:020 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all
thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
07:019:021 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the
asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
07:019:022 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of
the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about,
and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house,
the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine
house, that we may know him.
07:019:023 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and
said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so
wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not
this folly.
07:019:024 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them
I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them
what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a
thing.
07:019:025 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his
concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her,
and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the
day began to spring, they let her go.
07:019:026 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down
at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was
light.
07:019:027 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of
the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman
his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and
her hands were upon the threshold.
07:019:028 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none
answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man
rose up, and gat him unto his place.
07:019:029 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid
hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her
bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of
Israel.
07:019:030 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such
deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel
came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of
it, take advice, and speak your minds.
07:020:001 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation
was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba,
with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.
07:020:002 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of
Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of
God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
07:020:003 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of
Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of
Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
07:020:004 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain,
answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to
Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
07:020:005 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house
round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me:
and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.
07:020:006 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her
throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for
they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.
07:020:007 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice
and counsel.
07:020:008 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any
of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his
house.
07:020:009 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we
will go up by lot against it;
07:020:010 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the
tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand
out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that
they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according
to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.
07:020:011 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit
together as one man.
07:020:012 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of
Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among
you?
07:020:013 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial,
which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put
away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not
hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.
07:020:014 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out
of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the
children of Israel.
07:020:015 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of
the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside
the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred
chosen men.
07:020:016 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men
lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth,
and not miss.
07:020:017 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four
hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of
war.
07:020:018 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of
God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go
up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And
the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.
07:020:019 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and
encamped against Gibeah.
07:020:020 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and
the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against
them at Gibeah.
07:020:021 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and
destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty
and two thousand men.
07:020:022 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and
set their battle again in array in the place where they put
themselves in array the first day.
07:020:023 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD
until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go
up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my
brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)
07:020:024 And the children of Israel came near against the children of
Benjamin the second day.
07:020:025 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second
day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of
Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
07:020:026 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up,
and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before
the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
07:020:027 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark
of the covenant of God was there in those days,
07:020:028 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood
before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to
battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I
cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver
them into thine hand.
07:020:029 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
07:020:030 And the children of Israel went up against the children of
Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against
Gibeah, as at other times.