Samson’s Riddle

14 Samson went down to Timnah(A) and saw a young Philistine woman there. He went back and told his father and his mother, “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” Now his father and mother did not know this was from the Lord,(B) who wanted the Philistines to provide an opportunity for a confrontation.[a] At that time, the Philistines were ruling Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 14:4 for a confrontation supplied for clarity

Samson’s Marriage

14 Then Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came [a]back and told his father and [b]mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; so now, get her for me as a wife.” But his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your (A)relatives, or among all [c]our people, that you go to (B)take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” Yet Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, because she is right [d]for me.” However, his father and mother did not know that (C)this was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. And at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 14:2 Lit up
  2. Judges 14:2 Lit mother, and said,
  3. Judges 14:3 Lit my
  4. Judges 14:3 Lit in my eyes