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The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked the Philistines, “Why are you attacking us?”

The Philistines replied, “We’ve come to capture Samson. We’ve come to pay him back for what he did to us.”

11 So 3,000 men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, “Don’t you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?”

But Samson replied, “I only did to them what they did to me.”

12 But the men of Judah told him, “We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”

“All right,” Samson said. “But promise that you won’t kill me yourselves.”

13 “We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines,” they replied. “We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists. 15 Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it. 16 Then Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
    I’ve piled them in heaps!
With the jawbone of a donkey,
    I’ve killed a thousand men!”

17 When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.[a]

18 Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?” 19 So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,”[b] and it is still in Lehi to this day.

20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:17 Hebrew Ramath-lehi.
  2. 15:19 Hebrew En-hakkore.

Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah and spread out in Lehi. 10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” And they said, “We have come up to bind Samson in order 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 (A)that 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 I have done to them.” 12 And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you so that we may give you into the hand of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you yourselves will not [a]kill me.” 13 So they said to [b]him, “No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely we will not put you to death.” Then they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And (B)the Spirit of Yahweh [c]came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds [d]dropped from his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he sent forth his hand and took it and struck down (C)1,000 men with it. 16 Then Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
[e]Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have struck down 1,000 men.”

17 Now it happened that when he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place [f]Ramath-lehi. 18 Then he became very thirsty, and he (D)called to Yahweh and said, “You have given this great salvation by the hand of Your slave, but now [g]shall I die of thirst [h]and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi and water came out of it. Then he drank, (E)and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he named it [i]En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20 And (F)he judged Israel twenty years in (G)the days of the Philistines.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 15:12 Lit fall upon me
  2. Judges 15:13 Lit him, saying
  3. Judges 15:14 Lit succeeded, rushed upon
  4. Judges 15:14 Lit were melted
  5. Judges 15:16 Lit Heap, two heaps; Heb is same root as donkey
  6. Judges 15:17 Lit the high place of the jawbone
  7. Judges 15:18 Or I shall...uncircumcised
  8. Judges 15:18 Or or
  9. Judges 15:19 Lit the spring of him who called