Samson Defeats the Philistines

15 After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with ^(A)a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in. ² And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, ^(B)so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” ³ And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” ⁴ So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. ⁵ And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. ⁶ Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife ^(C)and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and ^(D)burned her and her father with fire. ⁷ And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” ⁸ And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the ^(E)cleft of the rock of Etam.

⁹ Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and ^(F)made a raid on ^(G)Lehi. ¹⁰ And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” ¹¹ Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that ^(H)the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” ¹² And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” ¹³ They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two ^(I)new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. ^(J)Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. ¹⁵ And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, ^(K)and with it he struck 1,000 men. ¹⁶ And Samson said,

¹⁷ As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place ^(L)was called Ramath-lehi.^[a]

¹⁸ And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, ^(M)“You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” ¹⁹ And God split open the hollow place that is ^(N)at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, ^(O)his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore;^[b] it is at Lehi to this day. ²⁰ And he judged Israel ^(P)in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Samson and Delilah

16 Samson went to ^(Q)Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. ² The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they ^(R)surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” ³ But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

⁴ After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. ⁵ And ^(S)the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, ^(T)“Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to ^(U)humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” ⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could ^(V)subdue you.”

⁷ Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, ^(W)then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” ⁸ Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. ⁹ Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” ¹¹ And he said to her, “If they bind me with ^(X)new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” ¹² So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

¹³ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” ¹⁴ So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web.^[c] And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

¹⁵ And she said to him, ^(Y)“How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” ¹⁶ And ^(Z)when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. ¹⁷ And he told her all his heart, and said to her, ^(AA)“A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, 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 the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought ^(AB)the money in their hands. ¹⁹ She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began ^(AC)to torment him, and his strength left him. ²⁰ And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that ^(AD)the Lord had left him. ²¹ And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. ^(AE)And he ground at the mill in the prison. ²² But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

10 Brothers,^[a] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that ^(A)they have a zeal for God, ^(B)but not according to knowledge. ³ For, being ignorant of ^(C)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ For ^(D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[b]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵ For ^(E)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(F)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶ But ^(G)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(H)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the ^(I)abyss?’” (that is, ^(J)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(K)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if ^(L)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(M)believe in your heart ^(N)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(O)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ^12 (P)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(Q)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(R)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For ^(S)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(T)of whom they have never heard?^[c] And how are they to hear ^(U)without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(V)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But ^(W)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(X)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So ^(Y)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

²¹ But of Israel he says, ^(AF)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(AG)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(AH)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[d] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2 (AI)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(AJ)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ^3 (AK)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God's reply to him? ^(AL)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is ^(AM)a remnant, chosen by grace. ^6 (AN)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? ^(AO)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(AP)were hardened, ⁸ as it is written,

⁹ And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(AT)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[e] mean!

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(AU)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(AV)thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means ^(AW)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ^16 (AX)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ But if ^(AY)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(AZ)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[f] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(BA)stand fast through faith. So ^(BB)do not become proud, but ^(BC)fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(BD)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(BE)you too will be cut off. ²³ And ^(BF)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

^25 (BG)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^{[g] (BH)}a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(BI)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

²⁸ As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(BN)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and ^(BO)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as ^(BP)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[h] receive mercy. ³² For God ^(BQ)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(BR)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(BS)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁶ For ^(BW)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(BX)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(BY)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[i] by the mercies of God, ^(BZ)to present your bodies ^(CA)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[j] 2 (CB)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[k] but be transformed by ^(CC)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(CD)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[l]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(CE)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(CF)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(CG)each according to ^(CH)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(CI)as in one body we have many members,^[m] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(CJ)though many, ^(CK)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(CL)members one of another. ^6 (CM)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(CN)prophecy, ^(CO)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(CP)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(CQ)the one who leads,^[n] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(CR)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (CS)Let love be genuine. ^(CT)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (CU)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(CV)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(CW)be fervent in spirit,^{[o] (CX)}serve the Lord. ^12 (CY)Rejoice in hope, ^(CZ)be patient in tribulation, ^(DA)be constant in prayer. ^13 (DB)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(DC)seek to show hospitality.

^14 (DD)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (DE)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (DF)Live in harmony with one another. ^(DG)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[p] (DH)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (DI)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(DJ)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(DK)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(DL)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[q] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(DM)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(DN)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.