Samson’s Marriage 1 ULT And Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines. BSB BSB: One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman.
2 ULT And he went up and declared to his father and to his mother and said,“I saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines. And now, get her for me for a wife.” BSB BSB: So he returned and told his father and mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”
3 ULT And his father and his mother said to him,“{ Is there} not among the daughters of your brothers and among all of my people a woman, that you{ are} going to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father,“Get her for me, for she{ is} right in my eyes.” BSB BSB: But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.”
4 ULT But his father and his mother did not know that it{ was} from Yahweh, for he{ was} seeking an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines{ were} ruling over Israel. BSB BSB: (Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)
5 ULT And Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah. And they came to the vineyards of Timnah, and behold, a young lion of lions{ was} roaring to meet him. BSB BSB: Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,
6 ULT Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed on him, and he tore it as the tearing of a kid, and{ there was} not anything in his hand. And he did not declare to his father or to his mother what he had done. BSB BSB: and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
7 ULT And he went down and spoke to the woman, and she was right in the eyes of Samson. BSB BSB: Then Samson continued on his way down and spoke to the woman, because she was pleasing to his eyes.
Samson’s Riddle 8 ULT And he returned after some days to take her, and he turned to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, a swarm of bees was{ in} the body of the lion, and honey. BSB BSB: When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey.
9 ULT And he scraped it into his palms, and going, he walked, and eating, he walked, to his father and to his mother. And he gave to them, and they ate, but he did not declare to them that he had scraped the honey from the body of the lion. BSB BSB: So he scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. And when he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10 ULT And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for thus the young men would do. BSB BSB: Then his father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the bridegroom.
11 ULT And it happened, in their seeing him, that they took 30 companions, and they were with him. BSB BSB: And when the Philistines saw him, they selected thirty men to accompany him.
12 ULT And Samson said to them,“Please let me put a riddle to you. If declaring, you declare it to me{ during} the seven days of the feast and you find{ it}, then I will give to you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes. BSB BSB: “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
13 ULT But if you are not able to declare{ it} to me, then you will give to me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.” And they said to him,“Put your riddle and we will hear it.” BSB BSB: But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
14 ULT So he said to them,“From the eater came forth food, and from the strong came forth sweet.” And they were not able to declare the riddle{ for} three days. BSB BSB: So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.
15 ULT And it happened on the seventh day that they said to the wife of Samson,“Entice your husband that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and the house of your father with fire. Did you invite us to dispossess us?{ Is it} not{ so}?” BSB BSB: So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
16 ULT And the wife of Samson wept on him, and she said,“You only hate me, and you do not love me! You have put a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not declared{ it} to me.” And he said to her,“Behold, to my father and to my mother I have not declared{ it}, so will I tell{ it} to you?” BSB BSB: Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
17 ULT And she wept on him{ for} the seven days{ during} which the feast was to them. And it happened on the seventh day that he declared{ it} to her, for she had pressed him. And she declared the riddle to the sons of her people. BSB BSB: She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
18 ULT And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before the sun came in,“What{ is} sweeter than honey? And what{ is} stronger than a lion?” And he said to them,“If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found my riddle.” BSB BSB: Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
19 ULT And the Spirit of Yahweh rushed on him, and he went down{ to} Ashkelon, and he struck 30 men from them. And he took their spoils, and he gave the changes{ of clothes} to the declarers of the riddle. And his nose burned, and he went up{ to} the house of his father. BSB BSB: Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,
20 ULT And the wife of Samson became to his companion who had accompanied him. BSB BSB: and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
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