Samson’s Marriage

14 Samson^(A) went down to Timnah^(B) and saw there a young Philistine woman. ² When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”^(C)

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

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,^(G) who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;^(H) for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)^(I)

⁵ Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him^(J) so that he tore the lion apart^(K) 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.

⁸ Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. ⁹ He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

¹⁰ Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast,^(L) as was customary for young men. ¹¹ When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.

¹² “Let me tell you a riddle,^(M)” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast,^(N) I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.^{(O) 13} If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”

¹⁴ He replied,

For three days they could not give the answer.

¹⁵ On the fourth^[a] day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax^(Q) your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death.^(R) Did you invite us here to steal our property?”

¹⁶ Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me.^(S) You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”

“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” ¹⁷ She cried the whole seven days^(T) of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

¹⁸ Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,

Samson said to them,

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

In Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens^(A) and went to Corinth.^{(B) 2} There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,^(C) because Claudius^(D) had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.^{(E) 4} Every Sabbath^(F) he reasoned in the synagogue,^(G) trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas^(H) and Timothy^(I) came from Macedonia,^(J) Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.^{(K) 6} But when they opposed Paul and became abusive,^(L) he shook out his clothes in protest^(M) and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads!^(N) I am innocent of it.^(O) From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^(P)

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.^{(Q) 8} Crispus,^(R) the synagogue leader,^(S) and his entire household^(T) believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:^(U) “Do not be afraid;^(V) keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you,^(W) and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.^(X)

¹² While Gallio was proconsul^(Y) of Achaia,^(Z) the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. ¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law^(AA)—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ So he drove them off. ¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes^(AB) the synagogue leader^(AC) and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters^(AD) and sailed for Syria,^(AE) accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.^(AF) Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae^(AG) because of a vow he had taken.^{(AH) 19} They arrived at Ephesus,^(AI) where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.”^(AJ) Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea,^(AK) he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.^(AL)

²³ After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia^(AM) and Phrygia,^(AN) strengthening all the disciples.^(AO)

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos,^(AP) a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.^(AQ) He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor^[a](AR) and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.^{(AS) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila^(AT) heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia,^(AU) the brothers and sisters^(AV) encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures^(AW) that Jesus was the Messiah.^(AX)