Judges 15:1-8

New International Version

Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

15 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest,^(A) Samson^(B) took a young goat^(C) and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.”^(D) But her father would not let him go in.

² “I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion.^(E) Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”

³ Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” ⁴ So he went out and caught three hundred foxes^(F) and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch^(G) to every pair of tails, ⁵ lit the torches^(H) and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks^(I) and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

⁶ When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.^(J)”

So the Philistines went up and burned her^(K) and her father to death.^{(L) 7} Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” ⁸ He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock^(M) of Etam.^(N)