Judges 15:1-20

1 Samson is denied his wife.

3 He burneth the Philistines corne with foxes and firebrands.

6 His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines.

7 Samson smiteth them hip and thigh.

9 He is bound by the men of Iudah and deliuered to the Philistines.

14 Hee killeth them with a iawbone.

18 God maketh the fountaine En-hakkore for him in Lehi.

1 But it came to passe within a while after, in the time of wheat haruest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid, and he said, I will goe in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to goe in.

2 And her father saide, I verily thought that thou haddest vtterly hated her, therfore I gaue her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer then she? [Note: Hebrew: let her be thine.] take her, I pray thee, in stead of her.

3 And Samson said concerning them, [Note: Or, now shall I bee blamelesse from the Philistines, though, etc.] Now shal I be more blamelesse then the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and tooke [Note: Or, torches.] firebrands, and turned taile to taile, and put a firebrand in the midst betweene two tailes.

5 And when hee had set the brands on fire, he let them goe into the standing corne of the Philistines, and burnt vp both the shockes, and also the standing corne, with the vineyards and oliues.

6 Then the Philistines saide, Who hath done this? and they answered, Samson the sonne in law of

[His iaw-bone.]

the Timnite, because hee had taken his wife, and giuen her to his companion. And the Philistines came vp, and burnt her and her father with fire.

7 And Samson said vnto them, Though ye haue done this, yet will I be auenged of you, and after that, I wil cease.

8 And he smote them hip and thigh, with a great slaughter; and hee went down and dwelt in the top of the rocke Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went vp, and pitched in Iudah, and spread themselues in Lehi.

10 And the men of Iudah said, Why are ye come vp against vs? and they answered, To bind Samson are we come vp, to doe to him, as he hath done to vs.

11 Then three thousand men of Iudah [Note: Hebrew: went downe.] went to the top of the rocke Etam, and sayd to Samson; Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers ouer vs? What is this that thou hast done vnto vs? And he said vnto them, As they did vnto me, so haue I done vnto them.

12 And they said vnto him, Wee are come downe to binde thee, that we may deliuer thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said vnto them, Sweare vnto me, that yee will not fall vpon me your selues.

13 And they spake vnto him, saying; No: but wee will binde thee fast, and deliuer thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cordes, and brought him vp from the rocke.

14 And when he came vnto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily vpon him, and the cordes that were vpon his armes became as flaxe that was burnt with fire, & his bands [Note: Hebrew: were melted.] loosed from off his hands.

15 And he found a [Note: Hebrew: moist.] new iawbone of an asse, and put foorth his hand, and tooke it, and slewe a thousand men therewith.

16 And Samson said, With the iawbone of an asse, [Note: Hebrew: an heape, two heapes.] heapes vpon heapes, with the iaw of an asse haue I slaine a thousand men.

17 And it came to passe when he had made an end of speaking, that hee cast away the iaw bone out of his hand, and called that place [Note: That is, The lifting vp of the iaw-bone, or, casting away of the iaw-bone.] Ramath-Lehi.

18 And hee was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou

[Samson and Delilah:]

hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hand of thy seruant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the vncircumcised?

19 But God claue an hollow place that was in [Note: Or, Lehi.] the iawe, and there came water thereout, & when he had drunke, his spirit came againe, and he reuiued: wherefore hee called the name thereof [Note: That is, the well of him that called or cried.] En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, vnto this day:

20 And he iudged Israel in the dayes of the Philistines twentie yeeres.