(א) וַיְהִ֨י מִיָּמִ֜ים בִּימֵ֣י קְצִיר־חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּפְקֹ֨ד שִׁמְשׁ֤וֹן אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ֙ בִּגְדִ֣י עִזִּ֔ים
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר: "אָבֹ֥אָה אֶל־אִשְׁתִּ֖י הֶחָ֑דְרָה"
וְלֹֽא־נְתָנ֥וֹ אָבִ֖יהָ לָבֽוֹא׃
(ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֗יהָ: "אָמֹ֤ר אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ כִּי־שָׂנֹ֣א שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ הֲלֹ֨א אֲחֹתָ֤הּ הַקְּטַנָּה֙ טוֹבָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נָּה תְּהִי־נָ֥א לְךָ֖ תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃"
(ג) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן
"נִקֵּ֥יתִי הַפַּ֖עַם מִפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים
כִּֽי־עֹשֶׂ֥ה אֲנִ֛י עִמָּ֖ם רָעָֽה׃"
(ד) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן וַיִּלְכֹּ֖ד שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת שׁוּעָלִ֑ים
וַיִּקַּ֣ח לַפִּדִ֗ים וַיֶּ֤פֶן זָנָב֙ אֶל־זָנָ֔ב וַיָּ֨שֶׂם לַפִּ֥יד אֶחָ֛ד בֵּין־שְׁנֵ֥י הַזְּנָב֖וֹת בַּתָּֽוֶךְ׃
(ה) וַיַּבְעֶר־אֵשׁ֙ בַּלַּפִּידִ֔ים וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח בְּקָמ֣וֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים
וַיַּבְעֵ֛ר מִגָּדִ֥ישׁ וְעַד־קָמָ֖ה וְעַד־כֶּ֥רֶם זָֽיִת׃
(ו) וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּים֮:
"מִ֣י עָ֣שָׂה זֹאת֒?"
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ:
"שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ חֲתַ֣ן הַתִּמְנִ֔י
כִּ֚י לָקַ֣ח אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַֽיִּתְּנָ֖הּ לְמֵרֵעֵ֑הוּ"
וַיַּעֲל֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיִּשְׂרְפ֥וּ אוֹתָ֛הּ וְאֶת־אָבִ֖יהָ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃
(ז) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן:
"אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן כָּזֹ֑את
כִּ֛י אִם־נִקַּ֥מְתִּי בָכֶ֖ם וְאַחַ֥ר אֶחְדָּֽל׃"
(ח) וַיַּ֨ךְ אוֹתָ֥ם שׁ֛וֹק עַל־יָרֵ֖ךְ מַכָּ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיֵּ֣רֶד וַיֵּ֔שֶׁב בִּסְעִ֖יף סֶ֥לַע עֵיטָֽם׃ (ס)
(ט) וַיַּעֲל֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּיהוּדָ֑ה
וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ בַּלֶּֽחִי׃
(י) וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה:
"לָמָ֖ה עֲלִיתֶ֣ם עָלֵ֑ינוּ?"
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ:
"לֶאֱס֤וֹר אֶת־שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ עָלִ֔ינוּ
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת ל֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר עָ֥שָׂה לָֽנוּ׃"
(יא) וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן: "הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֙נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ?"
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם:
"כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם׃"
(יב) וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙:
"לֶאֱסָרְךָ֣ יָרַ֔דְנוּ לְתִתְּךָ֖ בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים"
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן:
"הִשָּׁבְע֣וּ לִ֔י פֶּֽן־תִּפְגְּע֥וּן בִּ֖י אַתֶּֽם׃"
(יג) וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּ ל֣וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר:
"לֹ֚א כִּֽי־אָסֹ֤ר נֶֽאֱסָרְךָ֙ וּנְתַנּ֣וּךָ בְיָדָ֔ם
וְהָמֵ֖ת לֹ֣א נְמִיתֶ֑ךָ"
וַיַּאַסְרֻ֗הוּ בִּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙ עֲבֹתִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים
וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּהוּ מִן־הַסָּֽלַע׃
(יד) הוּא־בָ֣א עַד־לֶ֔חִי וּפְלִשִׁתִּ֖ים הֵרִ֣יעוּ לִקְרָאת֑וֹ וַתִּצְלַ֨ח עָלָ֜יו ר֣וּחַ יְהוָ֗ה וַתִּהְיֶ֨ינָה הָעֲבֹתִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־זְרוֹעוֹתָ֗יו כַּפִּשְׁתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּעֲר֣וּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּמַּ֥סּוּ אֱסוּרָ֖יו מֵעַ֥ל יָדָֽיו׃
(טו) וַיִּמְצָ֥א לְחִֽי־חֲמ֖וֹר טְרִיָּ֑ה וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָדוֹ֙ וַיִּקָּחֶ֔הָ וַיַּךְ־בָּ֖הּ אֶ֥לֶף אִֽישׁ׃
(טז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן:
"בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר חֲמ֖וֹר חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם
בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר הִכֵּ֖יתִי אֶ֥לֶף אִֽישׁ׃"
(יז) וַֽיְהִי֙ כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ לְדַבֵּ֔ר וַיַּשְׁלֵ֥ךְ הַלְּחִ֖י מִיָּד֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֛א לַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא רָ֥מַת לֶֽחִי׃
(יח) וַיִּצְמָא֮ מְאֹד֒ וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶל־יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר: "אַתָּה֙ נָתַ֣תָּ בְיַֽד־עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
וְעַתָּה֙ אָמ֣וּת בַּצָּמָ֔א וְנָפַלְתִּ֖י בְּיַ֥ד הָעֲרֵלִֽים׃"
(יט) וַיִּבְקַ֨ע אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הַמַּכְתֵּ֣שׁ אֲשֶׁר־בַּלֶּ֗חִי וַיֵּצְא֨וּ מִמֶּ֤נּוּ מַ֙יִם֙ וַיֵּ֔שְׁתְּ וַתָּ֥שָׁב רוּח֖וֹ וַיֶּ֑חִי עַל־כֵּ֣ן ׀ קָרָ֣א שְׁמָ֗הּ עֵ֤ין הַקּוֹרֵא֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּלֶּ֔חִי עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
(כ) וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בִּימֵ֥י פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃ (פ)
(1) Some time later in the season of the wheat harvest, Samson came to visit his wife bringing a kid as a gift.
He said,
“Let me go into the chamber to my wife.”
But her father would not let him go in.
(2) “I was sure,” said her father,
“that you had taken a dislike to her, so I gave her to your wedding companion. But her younger sister is more beautiful than she; let her become your wife instead.”
(3) Thereupon Samson declared,
“Now the Philistines can have no claim against me for the harm I shall do them.”
(4) Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches and, turning [the foxes] tail to tail, he placed a torch between each pair of tails.
(5) He lit the torches and turned [the foxes] loose among the standing grain of the Philistines, setting fire to stacked grain, standing grain, vineyards, [and] olive trees.
(6) The Philistines asked, “Who did this?”
And they were told,
“It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, who took Samson’s wife and gave her to his wedding companion.”
Thereupon the Philistines came up and put her and her father to the fire.
(7) Samson said to them,
“If that is how you act, I will not rest until I have taken revenge on you.”
(8) He gave them a sound and thorough thrashing. Then he went down and stayed in the cave of the rock of Etam.
(9) The Philistines came up, pitched camp in Judah and spread out over Lehi.
(10) The men of Judah asked,
“Why have you come up against us?”
They answered,
“We have come to take Samson prisoner, and to do to him as he did to us.”
(11) Thereupon three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave of the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson,
“You knew that the Philistines rule over us; why have you done this to us?”
He replied,
“As they did to me, so I did to them.”
(12) “We have come down,” they told him, “to take you prisoner and to hand you over to the Philistines.”
“But swear to me,” said Samson to them, “that you yourselves will not attack me.”
(13) “We won’t,” they replied.
“We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them; we will not slay you.”
So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
(14) When he reached Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him.
Thereupon the spirit of Hashem gripped him, and the ropes on his arms became like flax that catches fire; the bonds melted off his hands.
(15) He came upon a fresh jawbone of an donkey and he picked it up; and with it he killed a thousand men.
(16) Then Samson said: “With the jaw of an donkey, heaps upon heaps! With the jaw of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”
(17) As he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away; hence that place was called Ramath-lehi.
(18) He was very thirsty and he called to Hashem,
“You Yourself have granted this great victory through Your servant;
and must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
(19) So God split open the hollow which is at Lehi, and the water gushed out of it;
he drank, regained his strength, and revived. That is why it is called to this day “En-hakkore of Lehi.”
(20) He led Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.