Add parallel Print Page Options

Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah, and made a raid on Lehi. 10 And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.” 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know 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 have I done to them.” 12 And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves.” 13 They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands; we will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes which were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put out his hand and seized it, and with it he slew a thousand men. 16 And Samson said,

“With the jawbone of an ass,
    heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of an ass
    have I slain a thousand men.”

17 When he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ra′math-le′hi.[a]

18 And he was very thirsty, and he called on the Lord and said, “Thou hast granted this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and shall I now die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and there came water from it; and when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkor′e;[b] it is at Lehi to this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Judges 15:17 That is The hill of the jawbone
  2. Judges 15:19 That is The spring of him who called

Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. 12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands [a]dropped from off his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. 16 And Samson said,

With the jawbone of an ass, [b]heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.

17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and [c]that place was called [d]Ramath-lehi. 18 And he was sore athirst, and called on Jehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. 19 But God clave the hollow place that is in [e]Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore [f]the name thereof was called [g]En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, unto this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Judges 15:14 Hebrew were melted.
  2. Judges 15:16 Hebrew heap, two heaps.
  3. Judges 15:17 Or, he called that place
  4. Judges 15:17 That is, The hill of the jawbone.
  5. Judges 15:19 Or, the jawbone
  6. Judges 15:19 Or, he called the name thereof
  7. Judges 15:19 That is, The spring of him that called.