³ His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people?^(A) Must you go to the uncircumcised^(B) Philistines to get a wife?^(C)”

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” ⁴ (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord,^(D) who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;^(E) for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)^(F)

⁶ The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him^(A) so that he tore the lion apart^(B) with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

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.

¹⁴ As he approached Lehi,^(A) the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.^(B) The ropes on his arms became like charred flax,^(C) and the bindings dropped from his hands. ¹⁵ Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.^(D)