jps Judges:16:23-31 SEEK
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And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together 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 .'
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And when the people saw him ,
they praised their god ;
for they said : '
Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy ,
and the destroyer of our country ,
who hath slain many of us .'
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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 sport before them ;
and they set him between the pillars .
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And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand : '
Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth ,
that I may lean upon them .'
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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 .
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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 this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes .'
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And Samson took fast hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested ,
and leaned upon them ,
the one with his right hand ,
and the other with his left .
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And Samson said : '
Let me die with the Philistines .'
And he bent with all his might ;
and the house fell upon the lords ,
and upon all the people that were therein .
So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life .
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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 burying-place of Manoah his father .
And he judged Israel twenty years .