Study Desk

So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?"

So the Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up.

She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. So they still did not know the secret of his strength.

So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. Then she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" The men were waiting in another room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.

So she said to him, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it? You've made a fool of me three times, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong."

She kept on asking him, day after day. He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about it

They were enjoying themselves, and so they said, "Call Samson, and let's make him entertain us!" When they brought Samson out of the prison, they made him entertain them and made him stand between the columns. When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: "Our god has given us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!"

Then Samson prayed, "Sovereign Lord , please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes."

So Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. Putting one hand on each column, he pushed against them

He gave the money back to his mother, and she said, "To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself am solemnly dedicating the silver to the Lord . It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. So now I will give the pieces of silver back to you."

So the people of Dan chose five qualified men out of all the families in the tribe and sent them from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instructions to explore the land and spy on it. When they arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they stayed at Micah's house.

While they were there, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked, "What are you doing here? Who brought you here?"

So the five men left and went to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone; they had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had no dealings with any other people.

So six hundred men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready for battle.

So they went into Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and asked the Levite how he was getting along.

This made the priest very happy, so he took the sacred objects and went along with them.

Then the Danites went on. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.

The father insisted that he stay, and so he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there.

So the two men sat down and ate and drank together. Then the woman's father told him, "Please spend the night and enjoy yourself."

The Levite got up to go, but the father urged him to stay, so he spent another night there.