⁴ Some time later, he fell in love^(A) with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.^{(B) 5} The rulers of the Philistines^(C) went to her and said, “See if you can lure^(D) him into showing you the secret of his great strength^(E) and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels^[a] of silver.”^(F)

⁶ So Delilah^(G) said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”

¹⁶ With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

¹⁷ So he told her everything.^(A) “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite^(B) dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines^(C), “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.^(D)