Study Desk

He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who traveled on seventy donkeys. He ruled Israel for eight years.

The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

Then the angel of the Lord came to the woman and said to her, "See, you have not been able to have any children. But the Lord will make it possible for you to have a child and you will give birth to a son.

But he said to me, ‘See, it will be possible for you to have a child and give birth to a son. Do not drink wine or strong drink or eat anything that is unclean. For the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born to the time he dies.'"

Then Manoah asked the Lord, saying, "O Lord, let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again. Let him teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "We ask of you, stay with us. So we may get a young goat ready for you to eat."

The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "I will stay, but I will not eat your food. But if you get a burnt gift ready, then give it to the Lord." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.

For the fire went up from the altar toward heaven. And the angel of the Lord went up in the fire of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces on the ground.

So Manoah said to his wife, "We will die for sure. For we have seen God."

He returned and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah. She is one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now get her for me as a wife."

But his father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your family or among all our people? Must you take a wife from the Philistines who have not gone through the religious act of the Jews?" Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me."

His father and mother did not know that it was the Lord's leading. For He was planning a way to go against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

But she cried in front of him for seven days while their special supper lasted. On the seventh day Samson told her the answer because she begged him so much. Then she told the answer to her people.

Samson said to them, "For sure I will punish you for acting like this. After that I will stop."

Samson ruled Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." So they gathered around the place and waited for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait until the morning light. Then we will kill him."

So he told her all that was in his mind. He said to her, "My hair has never been cut. For I have been a Nazirite to God from the time I was born. If my hair is cut, my strength will leave me. I will become weak and be like any other man."

Delilah saw that Samson had told her the truth. She sent and called the leaders of the Philistines, saying, "Come once again. For he has told me all he knows." So the leaders of the Philistines came to her. And they brought the money in their hands.

She made Samson sleep on her knees. Then she called for a man to cut off the seven parts of Samson's hair. She began to hurt Samson, and his strength left him.

Now the leaders of the Philistines gathered to give a large gift to their god Dagon. They were happy, for they said, "Our god has given us Samson, the man who has fought against us."