Judges:16-18

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* Then went Samson to Gaza , and saw there an harlot , and went in unto her . * 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 . * 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 . * And it came to pass afterward , that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek , whose name was Delilah . * 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 . * And Delilah said to Samson , Tell me , I pray thee , wherein thy great strength lieth , and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee . * 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 . * Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried , and she bound him with them . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And it came to pass , when she pressed him daily with her words , and urged him , so that his soul was vexed unto death ; * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And there was a man of mount Ephraim , whose name was Micah . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * In those days there was no king in Israel , but every man did that which was right in his own eyes . * And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah , who was a Levite , and he sojourned there . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And the Levite was content to dwell with the man ; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons . * And Micah consecrated the Levite ; and the young man became his priest , and was in the house of Micah . * Then said Micah , Now know I that the LORD will do me good , seeing I have a Levite to my priest . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 ? * And he said unto them , Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me , and hath hired me , and I am his priest . * 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 . * And the priest said unto them , Go in peace : before the LORD is your way wherein ye go . * 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 . * And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol : and their brethren said unto them , What say ye ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And they went up , and pitched in Kirjathjearim , in Judah : wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day : behold , it is behind Kirjathjearim . * And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim , and came unto the house of Micah . * 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 . * And they turned thitherward , and came to the house of the young man the Levite , even unto the house of Micah , and saluted him . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 ? * 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 ? * 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 . * So they turned and departed , and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them . * 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 . * 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 ? * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And they set them up Micah 's graven image , which he made , all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh . * 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 .

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