⁴ His father and mother did not know that it was ^(A)from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. ^(B)At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

²⁰ For it was the Lord's doing ^(A)to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, ^(B)just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Birth of Samson

13 And the people of Israel again ^(A)did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them ^(B)into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

⁷ But it was ordained by^[a] God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, ^(A)he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, ^(B)whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, ^(A)which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

³³ And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the Lord! ^(A)Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for ^(A)it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which ^(B)the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, ^(A)because they had sought the gods of Edom.

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 ^(A)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.”