Old/New Testament
Delilah Betrays Samson
16 Once Samson went to Gaza and eyed a prostitute there, so he went to her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded him, lay in ambush for him all night at the gate of the city, and kept quiet all night saying, “When morning light comes, then we kill him.” 3 But Samson lay in bed till midnight, got up at midnight, grabbed the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts and pulled them up bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is near Hebron.
4 It came about afterward that he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 So the Philistine lords came up to her and said to her, “Coax him, see where his great strength comes from and by what we may overpower him, so we may bind him to subdue him—then we’ll each of us give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me please, where does your great strength come from? How could you be bound to subdue you?”
7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have never been dried, then I would be weak and be like any other man.” 8 So the Philistine lords brought up to her seven fresh cords that had never been dried, and she bound him with them, 9 while an ambush was waiting in an inner room.
“The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” she said to him. But he broke the cords just as a strand of straw snaps when it touches fire. So his strength remained unknown.
10 Delilah said to Samson, “Oh, you deceived me! You lied to me! Now tell me please, how you can be bound?”
11 He told her, “If they only bind me with new ropes never used for work, then I will be weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Yet while the ambush was waiting in the inner room, he snapped them from his arms like a thread.
13 So Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you’ve mocked me and told me lies! Tell me how you can be bound!”
He told her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web of a loom.” 14 So she pinned it with a pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin of the loom and the web.
15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she said to him, “when your heart is not with me? This is three times you’ve deceived me and not told me where your great strength comes from.”
16 Now it came about when she nagged him daily with her speeches and kept bothering him, his soul was annoyed to death. 17 So he divulged to her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever been upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I will be weak and be like any other man.”
18 Now when Delilah realized that he had confided to her all his heart, she sent and called for the Philistine lords saying, “Come up this time, for he has told me all his heart.” So the Philistine lords came up to her and brought the silver in their hand. 19 Then she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man and had the seven locks of his head shaved off. She even began to humiliate him while his strength departed from him. 20 Then she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” When he awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I’ll go out as at other times, and shake myself off.” He did not comprehend that Adonai had departed from him.
21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.
Samson Avenged
23 Now the Philistine lords gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, as they said, “Our god has given our enemy Samson into our hand.”
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, as they said, “Our god has given into our hand our enemy and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us.”
25 Now it came about when their hearts were merry that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he did make them laugh, when they made him stand between the pillars.
26 Then Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the temple rests, so I may lean on them.” 27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine lords were there and about 3,000 men and women on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them.
28 Then Samson called out to Adonai and said, “My Lord Adonai, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, so that I may this once take revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the temple rested and leaned on them, one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bent with all his might so that the temple fell on the lords and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his life.
31 Then his kinsmen and all his father’s household came down, lifted him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. For he had judged Israel 20 years.
Micah’s Idols
17 Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 2 And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, which you also repeated it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son of Adonai.” 3 And he returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to Adonai for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore. I will return it to you.” 4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made it into a graven image and a molten image; and they were kept in the house of Micah. 5 Now the man Micah had a shrine of gods, and he made an ephod and household idols, and consecrated one of his sons to become his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. 7 Now there was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah—of the clan of Judah—who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. 8 Then the man departed from the town, from Bethlehem of Judah, to sojourn wherever he could find a place; and as he journeyed he arrived to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. 9 And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he replied to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem of Judah, and I am travelling to stay wherever I may find a place.” 10 So Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, and a suit of apparel, and your provision.” So the Levite went in. 11 And the Levite was content to stay with the man, and the young man became to him as one of his sons. 12 So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that Adonai will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.”
The Danites Seek a New Home
18 In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of Dan was seeking an inheritance for itself to settle in, for to that day no territory had fallen to them for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. 2 So the children of Dan sent five men from their clan, out of their entire population, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it, and said to them, “Go, explore the land.”
When they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 3 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite. So they turned aside there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”
4 He said to them, “Thus and thus Micah did for me—he hired me and I became his priest.”
5 “Please inquire of God,” they said to him, “so we may know whether our way that we are going will be successful.”
6 “Go in peace,” the priest said to them. “The way that you are going has Adonai’s approval.”
7 Then the five men left and came to Laish, and saw the people there living securely, like the Zidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. For there was no humiliation or anything oppressive in the land. Moreover, they were distant from the Zidonians and had no dealings with anybody.
8 When they came back to their kinsmen at Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, “What do you say?”
9 “Arise, let’s go up against them!” they said. “For we have seen the land—see, it’s very good. Yet you’re sitting still! Don’t be sluggish! Go enter, possess the land! 10 When you get there, you will come to unsuspecting people. The land is spacious. For God has put it in your hand—a place where there is no lack of anything on the earth.”
11 So from the Danite clan from Zorah and Eshtaol, 600 men set out, armed with weapons of war. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahaneh-Dan to this day—behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
14 Then the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish said to their kinsmen, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household idols, a carved image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you have to do.”
15 So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s house, and asked him about his welfare. 16 Now the 600 men of the children of Dan, armed with their weapons of war, were standing by the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land went up and entered there. They took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols and the molten image, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.
18 Now after these had gone into Micah’s house and taken the carved image, the ephod, the household idols and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 “Be quiet!” they said to him. “Put your hand on your mouth and go with us and be to us a father and a priest! Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man or to be priest to a tribe and a clan in Israel?” 20 So the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the household idols and the carved image, and went along among the people.
21 So they turned and set off, and placed the little ones and the cattle and the goods in front of them. 22 When they were at a good distance from Micah’s house, the men that were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered and caught up with the children of Dan. 23 They called out to the children of Dan, who turned their faces around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you have called them out?”
24 “You have taken away my gods which I made,” he said, “and the priest, and walked away! What do I have left? And how then do you say to me, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”
25 But the children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest bitter fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” 26 Then the children of Dan went on their way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and came to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and struck them with the edge of the sword, and they burned the town with fire. 28 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in the valley near Beth-rehob.
Then they rebuilt the town and lived in it. 29 So they called the name of the town Dan, after the name of their father Dan born to Israel; however, the former name of the town was Laish. 30 The children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image. Jonathan son of Gershom son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the exile from the land. 31 So they set them up Micah’s carved image that he had made, all the time that the House of God was in Shiloh.
A Centurion’s Faith at Capernaum
7 When Yeshua finished all His drash in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 Now a certain centurion had a valued slave, who was ill and about to die. 3 When he heard about Yeshua, he sent Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save his slave. 4 When they came to Yeshua, they begged Him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this, 5 for he loves our people and even built our synagogue.”
6 Now Yeshua started to go with them; and when He wasn’t far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to Him, “Master, do not trouble Yourself, for I’m not worthy for You to come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t consider myself worthy to come to You. But say the word and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9 Now when Yeshua heard this, He was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
An Amazing Report Spreads throughout all Judea
11 The next day Yeshua traveled to a town called Nain, and coming along with Him were His disciples and a large crowd. 12 Just as He came near the town gate, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, a widow. A considerable crowd from the town was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then He came up and touched the coffin, and the pallbearers came to a standstill. He said, “Young man! I tell you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began speaking, and Yeshua gave him to his mother.[a]
16 Fear took hold of them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us, and God has visited His people.” 17 This report concerning Him spread throughout all Judea and the surrounding region.
John Seeks Confirmation from Prison
18 John’s disciples reported to him about all these things. Calling two of his disciples, 19 John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for another?”
20 When they appeared before Him, the men said, “John the Immerser sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”
21 At this very hour He was healing many of diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind. 22 And answering, He said to them, “Go report to John what you saw and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, those with tzara’at are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. [b] 23 Blessed is he who is not led to stumble because of Me.”
24 And after John’s messengers left, He began to speak about John to the crowds. “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 No? So what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine garments? Look, those who wear finery and live in luxury are in the palaces of kings! 26 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, even more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger before You,
who will prepare Your way before You.’[c]
28 I say to you, there is no one greater than John among those born of women; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 And when all the people heard, even the tax collectors, they affirmed God’s justice, because they had been immersed with John’s immersion. 30 But the Pharisees and Torah lawyers, not having been immersed by John, declared God’s purpose invalid for themselves.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.