16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was [a]vexed to death, 17 that he (A)told her all his heart, and said to her, (B)“No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19 (C)Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then [b]she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord (D)had departed from him.

21 Then the Philistines took him and [c]put out his (E)eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 16:16 Lit. impatient to the point of
  2. Judges 16:19 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX he began to be weak,
  3. Judges 16:21 Lit. bored out

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