The Book of Judges, Chapter 15שפטים 15

וַיְהִ֨י מִיָּמִ֜ים בִּימֵ֣י קְצִיר חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּפְקֹ֨ד שִׁמְשׁ֤וֹן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ֙ בִּגְדִ֣י עִזִּ֔ים וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָבֹ֥אָה אֶל אִשְׁתִּ֖י הֶחָ֑דְרָה וְלֹֽא נְתָנ֥וֹ אָבִ֖יהָ לָבֽוֹא

And after some time, in the days of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a kid of the goats, and he said, I will go in to my wife, to the chamber. And her father would not let him go in.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֗יהָ אָמֹ֤ר אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ כִּי שָׂנֹ֣א שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ הֲלֹ֨א אֲחֹתָ֤הּ הַקְּטַנָּה֙ טוֹבָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נָּה תְּהִי נָ֥א לְךָ֖ תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ

And her father said, I said, I said that you hated her, and I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please let her be yours instead.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן נִקֵּ֥יתִי הַפַּ֖עַם מִפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים כִּֽי עֹשֶׂ֥ה אֲנִ֛י עִמָּ֖ם רָעָֽה

And Samson said to them, This time I am innocent regarding the Philistines when I do them harm.

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן וַיִּלְכֹּ֖ד שְׁלֹשׁ מֵא֣וֹת שׁוּעָלִ֑ים וַיִּקַּ֣ח לַפִּדִ֗ים וַיֶּ֤פֶן זָנָב֙ אֶל זָנָ֔ב וַיָּ֨שֶׂם לַפִּ֥יד אֶחָ֛ד בֵּין שְׁנֵ֥י הַזְּנָב֖וֹת בַּתָּֽוֶךְ

And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and he took torches and turned tail to tail and put one torch between two tails, in the middle.

וַיַּבְעֶר אֵשׁ֙ בַּלַּפִּידִ֔ים וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח בְּקָמ֣וֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וַיַּבְעֵ֛ר מִגָּדִ֥ישׁ וְעַד קָמָ֖ה וְעַד כֶּ֥רֶם זָֽיִת

And he set fire to the torches and sent them into the standing grain of the Philistines, and he burned from shocks to standing grain to olive orchard.

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּים֮ מִ֣י עָ֣שָׂה זֹאת֒ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ חֲתַ֣ן הַתִּמְנִ֔י כִּ֚י לָקַ֣ח אֶת אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַֽיִּתְּנָ֖הּ לְמֵרֵעֵ֑הוּ וַיַּעֲל֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיִּשְׂרְפ֥וּ אוֹתָ֛הּ וְאֶת אָבִ֖יהָ בָּאֵֽשׁ

And the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion. And the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן אִֽם תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן כָּזֹ֑את כִּ֛י אִם נִקַּ֥מְתִּי בָכֶ֖ם וְאַחַ֥ר אֶחְדָּֽל

And Samson said to them, If you do like this, surely I will avenge myself on you, and afterward I will stop.

וַיַּ֨ךְ אוֹתָ֥ם שׁ֛וֹק עַל יָרֵ֖ךְ מַכָּ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיֵּ֣רֶד וַיֵּ֔שֶׁב בִּסְעִ֖יף סֶ֥לַע עֵיטָֽם

And he struck them hip and thigh, a great blow, and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

וַיַּעֲל֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּיהוּדָ֑ה וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ בַּלֶּֽחִי

And the Philistines went up and encamped in Judah and spread out in Lehi.

וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה לָמָ֖ה עֲלִיתֶ֣ם עָלֵ֑ינוּ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ לֶאֱס֤וֹר אֶת שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ עָלִ֔ינוּ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת ל֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר עָ֥שָׂה לָֽנוּ

And the men of Judah said, Why have you come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson we have come up, to do to him as he has done to us.

וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֨עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֨נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם

And 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 ruling over us? What is this you have done to us? And he said to them, As they did to me, so I have done to them.

וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ לֶאֱסָרְךָ֣ יָרַ֔דְנוּ לְתִתְּךָ֖ בְּיַד פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן הִשָּׁבְע֣וּ לִ֔י פֶּֽן תִּפְגְּע֥וּן בִּ֖י אַתֶּֽם

And they said to him, To bind you we have come down, to give you into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me.

וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּ ל֣וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר לֹ֚א כִּֽי אָסֹ֤ר נֶֽאֱסָרְךָ֙ וּנְתַנּ֣וּךָ בְיָדָ֔ם וְהָמֵ֖ת לֹ֣א נְמִיתֶ֑ךָ וַיַּאַסְרֻ֗הוּ בִּשְׁנַ֨יִם֙ עֲבֹתִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּהוּ מִן הַסָּֽלַע

And they said to him, saying, No, but we will bind you indeed and give you into their hand, and we will not put you to death. And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

הוּא בָ֣א עַד לֶ֔חִי וּפִלְשִׁתִּ֖ים הֵרִ֣יעוּ לִקְרָאת֑וֹ וַתִּצְלַ֨ח עָלָ֜יו ר֣וּחַ יְהוָ֗ה וַתִּהְיֶ֨ינָה הָעֲבֹתִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל זְרוֹעוֹתָ֗יו כַּפִּשְׁתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּעֲר֣וּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּמַּ֥סּוּ אֱסוּרָ֖יו מֵעַ֥ל יָדָֽיו

He came as far as Lehi, and the Philistines shouted to meet him. And the Spirit of YHWH rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted from off his hands.

וַיִּמְצָ֥א לְחִֽי חֲמ֖וֹר טְרִיָּ֑ה וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָדוֹ֙ וַיִּקָּחֶ֔הָ וַיַּךְ בָּ֖הּ אֶ֥לֶף אִֽישׁ

And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and he reached out his hand and took it and struck with it a thousand men.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר חֲמ֖וֹר חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר הִכֵּ֖יתִי אֶ֥לֶף אִֽישׁ

And Samson said, With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.

וַֽיְהִי֙ כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ לְדַבֵּ֔ר וַיַּשְׁלֵ֥ךְ הַלְּחִ֖י מִיָּד֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֛א לַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא רָ֥מַת לֶֽחִי

And when he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand, and he called that place Ramath-lehi.

וַיִּצְמָא֮ מְאֹד֒ וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶל יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר אַתָּה֙ נָתַ֣תָּ בְיַֽד עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את וְעַתָּה֙ אָמ֣וּת בַּצָּמָ֔א וְנָפַלְתִּ֖י בְּיַ֥ד הָעֲרֵלִֽים

And he was very thirsty, and he called to YHWH and said, You have given by the hand of your servant this great salvation, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

וַיִּבְקַ֨ע אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת הַמַּכְתֵּ֣שׁ אֲשֶׁר בַּלֶּ֗חִי וַיֵּצְא֨וּ מִמֶּ֤נּוּ מַ֨יִם֙ וַיֵּ֔שְׁתְּ וַתָּ֥שָׁב רוּח֖וֹ וַיֶּ֑חִי עַל כֵּ֣ן קָרָ֣א שְׁמָ֗הּ עֵ֤ין הַקּוֹרֵא֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּלֶּ֔חִי עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה

And God split the hollow that is in Lehi, and water came out from it, and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he lived. Therefore he called its name En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.

וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בִּימֵ֥י פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה

And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.