3. But Samson got up in the middle of the night and went to the town gate. He pulled the gate doors and doorposts out of the wall and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them all the way to the top of the hill that overlooks Hebron, where he set the doors down, still closed and locked.
4. Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley.
5. The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, “Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
6. The next time Samson was at Delilah's house, she asked, “Samson, what makes you so strong? How can I tie you up so you can't get away? Come on, you can tell me.”
7. Samson answered, “If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have never been dried, it will make me just as weak as anyone else.”
24-25. Everyone there was having a good time, and they shouted, “Bring out Samson—he's still good for a few more laughs!”The rulers had Samson brought from the prison, and when the people saw him, this is how they praised their god:Samson ruined our cropsand killed our people.He was our enemy,but our god helped uscapture him.They made fun of Samson for a while, then they told him to stand near the columns that supported the roof.
26. A young man was leading Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, “I need to lean against something. Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof.”
27. The Philistine rulers were celebrating in a temple packed with people and with three thousand more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him.
28. Samson prayed, “Please remember me, Lord God. The Philistines put out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!”
29. Samson was standing between the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand.
30. Then he shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life.
31. His brothers and the rest of his family went to Gaza and took his body back home. They buried him in his father's tomb, which was between Zorah and Eshtaol.Samson was a leader of Israel for twenty years.