Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 82
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
16:1-14
One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night
with a prostitute. Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of
Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept
quiet during the night, saying to themselves, “When the light of morning
comes, we will kill him.”
But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took
hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them
up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way
to the top of the hill across from Hebron.
Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who
lived in the valley of Sorek. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and
said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can
be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100
pieces of silver.”
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and
what it would take to tie you up securely.”
Samson replied, “If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have
not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she
tied Samson up with them. She had hidden some men in one of the inner
rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have
come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of
string snaps when it is burned by a fire. So the secret of his strength was
not discovered.
Afterward Delilah said to him, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
Samson replied, “If I were tied up with b rand-new ropes that had never
been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were
hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson!
The Philistines have come to capture you!” But again Samson snapped the
ropes from his arms as if they were thread.
Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies!
Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into
the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the
fabric. Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out,
“Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke