Judges 14:19-15:8

New International Version

¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.^(A) He went down to Ashkelon,^(B) struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger,^(C) he returned to his father’s home. ²⁰ And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions^(D) who had attended him at the feast.

Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

15 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest,^(E) Samson^(F) took a young goat^(G) and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.”^(H) But her father would not let him go in.

² “I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion.^(I) Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”

³ Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” ⁴ So he went out and caught three hundred foxes^(J) and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch^(K) to every pair of tails, ⁵ lit the torches^(L) and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks^(M) and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

⁶ When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.^(N)”

So the Philistines went up and burned her^(O) and her father to death.^{(P) 7} Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” ⁸ He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock^(Q) of Etam.^(R)