Study Desk

And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals."

Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hands of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,

Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?

Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.

For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite, set apart to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

Then the woman went and said to her husband, "A Man of God came to me. His appearance was like the Angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask Him where He came from, and He did not tell me His name.

But He said to me, 'Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.'"

Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, "Please, O Lord, let the Man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born."

And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.

"We are going to die," he said to his wife, "for we have seen God!"

So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, and it remains in Lehi to this day.

Samson told her all that was in his heart: "My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man."

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, "Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands."

And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead."

Then Samson called out to the LORD: "O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes."

Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey."

When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has given it into your hands. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking."

So they set up for themselves Micah's graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, "Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" "Judah will be first," the LORD replied.