Judges 15:9-20

International Standard Version

⁹ In response, the Philistines went up, encamped in the territory of^[a] Judah, and raided^[b] Lehi.

¹⁰ The leading^[c] men of Judah asked, “Why have you invaded us?”

They replied, “We’re here to arrest Samson. Then we’re going to do to him what he did to us.”

¹¹ In response, 3,000 soldiers from the tribe of Judah went down to the caves of the rock of Etam and asked Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines have us in their control? What have you done to us?”

“I did to them what they did to me,” he answered.

¹² They responded, “We’ve come here to arrest you and transfer you to the custody of the Philistines.”

Samson told them, “Promise me that you won’t kill me.”

¹³ So they said, “No, we won’t. But we’re going to tie you up securely and transfer you to their custody. But we won’t kill you.” Then they bound him with two ropes and brought him up from the caves.^[d]

Samson Kills 1,000 Philistines

¹⁴ When Samson^[e] arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, so that the ropes that bound him were like flax that’s been burned by fire, and his bonds dissolved. ¹⁵ He happened upon a jawbone from a putrefying donkey, reached out to grab it, and killed 1,000 men with it. ¹⁶ Then Samson declared,

¹⁷ When he finally finished bragging, he discarded the jawbone and named that place “Jawbone Heights.”^[g]

¹⁸ Aferward, he became thirsty, called out to the Lord, and told him, “So, you provided this great deliverance at the hands^[h] of your servant, but now I’m to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” ¹⁹ So God split a hollow place that’s in Lehi, and water sprang out of it. After he had taken a drink, his strength returned, and he revived. That’s why it was named “En-hakkore,”^[i] which is in Lehi to this day. ²⁰ Samson^[j] governed Israel for twenty years during the Philistine domination.