²⁶ Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.^(A) He was loved by his God,^(B) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.^(C)

¹⁹ After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^[a] And his strength left him.^(A)

²⁰ Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”^(B)

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.^(C)

²¹ Then the Philistines^(D) seized him, gouged out his eyes^(E) and took him down to Gaza.^(F) Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain^(G) in the prison.

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,^(A) or we will become a laughingstock.^(B) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”^(C)

²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”^(D)

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,^(E) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.^(F)” And he did not sleep with her again.