² Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly ^(A)hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.”

²⁰ And Samson’s wife ^(A)was given to his companion, who had been ^(B)his best man.

^9 (A)“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ^[a]contrary to the name of ^(B)Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁶ Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, ^(A)“You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.”

And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”

¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and ^(A)sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw ^(B)that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.