But Samson's wife was given to one of his companions that bare him company.

But it chanced, within a while after, even in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a Kid. And when he supposed to have gone in unto his wife into the chamber, her father would not suffer him to go in,

but said, "I thought that thou hadst hated her, and therefore gave I her unto one of thy companions. Howbeit her younger sister is fairer than she. Take her instead of the other."

Then the Philistines asked who had done that. And it was told them that Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to one of his companions. And the Philistines came and burnt her and her father with fire.

Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? Wherefore then hast thou served us thus?" And he answered them, "As they served me, so have I served them."

And they said unto him, "We are come to bind thee and to deliver thee into the hands of the Philistines." And Samson said unto them, "Sware unto me, that ye shall not hurt me yourselves."

And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him. And the spirit of the LORD came upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire and the bands loosed from his hands.

But God brake a great tooth that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout. And when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he was refreshed, wherefore the name thereof was called the Well of the Caller-on, which is in Lehi unto this day.

And it was told the Gazites, that Samson was come thither. And they went about and laid a wait for him all night in the gate of the city, but were still all the night, saying, "Tarry till the morning that it be day, and then let us kill him."

And Samson took his rest till midnight, and arose at midnight took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two side posts, and rent them off, bars and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill that lieth before Hebron.

And after that he loved a woman, upon the river of Sorek, called Delilah

- unto whom came the lords of the Philistines, and said unto her, "Flatter with him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may have power over him, that we may bind him, to bring him under, and we will give every man eleven hundred silverlings."

And Samson said unto her, "If men bound me with seven ropes of fresh sinews that were never dried, I should be weak and as another man."

And then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven withies that were yet green and never dried and she bound him therewith.

And he said, "If I were bound with new ropes that never were occupied, then should I be weak, and as another man."

And she said unto him, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked and went away with the nail that was in the plaiting and with the hair lace.

Then she said unto him, "How canst thou say that thou lovest me, when thine heart is not with me? For thou hast mocked me this three times, and hast not told wherein thy great strength lieth."

And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent for the Philistines saying, "Come up yet this once, for he hath showed me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came and brought the money in their hands.

And she said, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awoke out of his sleep and thought to go out as at other times before and shake himself, and knew not that the LORD was departed from him.

Howbeit, the hair of his head began to grow again after that he was shorn.

And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, "Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, that destroyed our country and slew many of us."

And Samson said unto the lad that led him by the hand, "Set me that I may touch the pillars that the house stands upon, and that I may lean to them."

And the house was full of men and women. And there was all the lords of the Philistines. And there were upon the roof a three thousand men and women, that beheld how Samson played.

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, "My Lord Jehovah think upon me, and strengthen me at this time only, O God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."

and said, "My soul die with the Philistines," and bowed them with might. And the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were therein. And so the dead which he slew at his death, were more than they which he slew in his life.

which said unto his mother, "The eleven hundred silverlings that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst and saidst in mine ears: Behold, the silver is with me for I took it away." Then said his mother, "Blessed be thou my son, in the LORD."

Then said Micah, "Now I am sure that the LORD will be good unto me, seeing I have a Levite to my priest."

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of Dan sought them an inheritance to dwell in, for unto that time there fell none inheritance unto them among the tribes of Israel.

And they said unto him, "Ask of God, I pray thee, that we may know whether the way which we go, shall be prosperous or no."

Then the five men departed and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, and after the manner of the Sidonians: still, and without casting of perils, and that no man made any trouble in the land or usurped any dominion, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no business with any nation.

And they said, "Up, and let us go unto them, for we have seen the land, that it is very good. Haste therefore and be not slothful to depart and go and conquer the land.

When ye be come, ye shall come unto a people that casteth no perils, and unto a large country: for God hath given into your hands a place wherein is no lack of anything that is in the world."

Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, "Know ye not that there is in these houses an ephod and images; and a graven image and an image of metal? Now therefore consider what ye have to do."

And the five men that went to spy out the land, went in thither and took the carved image and the ephod, the graven image, and the image of metal. And the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed unto battle,

When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses that were by Micah's house, made an outcry, and followed after the children of Dan and called unto them.

And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, "What aileth thee, that thou makest an outcry?"

And so the children of Dan went their ways. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house again.

And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and went unto Laish, even unto a people that were at rest and without mistrust, and smote them with the edge of the sword and burnt the city with fire.

And there was no man to help, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no meddling with any other nation. And the city stood in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built the city and dwelt therein.

And they set them up the carved image which Micah made, all the while that the house of God was in Shiloh.

It chanced in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite dwelling on the side of mount Ephraim, took to wife a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah:

And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, kept him that he abode with him three days and so they ate and drank and lodged there.

But his master said unto him, "We will not turn in to a strange city that are not of the children of Israel: we will go forth to Gibeah."

And the other answered him, "We come from Bethlehem Judah toward the side of mount Ephraim: from thence am I, and went to Bethlehem Judah and go now to the house of the LORD. But there is no man that receiveth me to house:

and yet I have straw and provender for our asses, and bread and wine for me and thy handmaid, and thy lad that are with thy servant, and lack nothing."

The old man said, "Peace be with thee, all that thou lackest shalt thou find with me: onely abide not in the streets all night."

And as they were making their hearts merry, the men of the city which were wicked, set the house round about, and thrust at the door, and spake to the man of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him."

But the man of the house went out to them and said unto them, "Oh, nay my brethren, do not so wickedly seeing that this man is come into mine house: do not this folly.

And all that saw it said, "There was no such deed done or seen since the children of Israel came out of Egypt unto this day. Consider the matter, give counsel and say your minds."

And there stood folk out of all quarters of all the tribes of Israel, in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew swords.

And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizphah. Then said the children of Israel, "Tell us how this wickedness happened."

And the Levite, the woman's husband that was slain, answered and said, "I came into Gibeah that is in Benjamin with my concubine to lodge all night.

And the citizens of Gibeah rose against me, and set the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and caught my concubine and forced her, that she died.

And now this is it that we shall do to Gibeah, and cast lots against it.

And we will take ten men of the hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of the thousand, and a thousand out of the ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people to make that they may go against Gibeah Benjamin, according to all the folly, that they have wrought in Israel."

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying, "What wickedness is this that is happened among you?

Now therefore deliver us the men, those wicked wretches of Gibeah that we may slay them, and put away evil from Israel." Neverthelater, the children of Benjamin would not hearken unto the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time, out of the cities: twenty six thousand men that drew swords, beside the inhabiters of Gibeah which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

And the children of Israel, beside the children of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew swords, and all men of war.

And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed in Israel that day twenty two thousand men, and brought them to the earth.

the children of Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah, the second day, and destroyed to the earth of the children of Israel once again, eighteen thousand men that drew swords every man of them.

and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron waiting upon it at that time - and they said, "Shall we go out any more to battle against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall we cease?" And the LORD said, "Go. For tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands."

For the children of Benjamin thought that the other had been beaten before them, as at the first time. But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and pluck them away from the city, unto the highways."

and came before Gibeah: ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and there was sore battle. But the other knew not that evil was so nigh them.

And the LORD plagued Benjamin before Israel, so that the children of Israel destroyed in Benjamin the same day twenty five thousand and a hundred men, that drew swords every one of them.

It seemed the children of Benjamin, that the other had been put to the worse. For the men of Israel gave room to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the layers in wait which they had laid against Gibeah.

And the men of Israel fled in the battle. And Benjamin began to smite dead of the children of Israel, about a thirty persons, for they supposed that the other had been put to the worse before them, as in the first battle.

When the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were abashed: for they saw that evil approached them.

And they turned before the men of Israel into the way that leadeth to the wilderness, the other following them at the hard heels. And beside that they of the city destroyed them in the middle of them.

So that all that were slain that same day of Benjamin were twenty five thousand men that drew swords, and all men of might.

And then the men of Israel turned back again unto the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword in the cities, both man and beast and all that came to hand, and moreover set all the cities they could come by on fire.

and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why is this chanced in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?"

And the children of Israel asked, "Who are they among all the tribes of Israel that came not with the congregation unto the LORD?" For they had made a great oath concerning them that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying that they should surely die.

what shall we do unto the remnant of them, for to get them wives, forasmuch as we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?"

Then they said, "What are they of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD?" And behold there came none of the inhabiters of Jabeshgilead unto the congregation.

And this is that ye shall do: utterly destroy all the males and the women that have lain by men."

And they found among the inhabiters of Jabeshgilead four hundred damsels; virgins that had known no man by lying with any male. And they brought them unto the host to Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan.

And the whole congregation sent and spake with the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of pomegranates, and called peaceably unto them,

and Benjamin came again at that time, and they gave them the women which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead. But they so sufficed them not.

And the people had compassion on Benjamin, because that God had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.

And they said, "There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel:

howbeit, we may not give them wives of our daughters." For the children of Israel had made an adjuration saying, 'Accursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.'

Then they said, "Behold, there is a feast of the LORD yearly in Shiloh which is on the north side of Bethel, and on the east side of the way that goeth from Bethel to Shechem and south from Lebanon."

And when ye see that the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in a row, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man a wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and get you unto the land of Benjamin."

And if their fathers or brethren come to us to complain, we will say unto them, "Have pity on them, because we reserved not to each man his wife in time of war, and thereto because that ye gave them none in due time, ye were to blame."

And the children of Israel departed thence at that time and went every man to his tribe, and to his kindred, and went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

Mahlon and Chilion died also; even both two of them, so that the wife was left desolate of her two sons and of her husband thereto.

Then she stood up with her daughters-in-law and returned from the country of Moab: for she had heard say, being in the country of Moab, how that the LORD hath visited his people and given them food.

And the LORD grant you that you may find rest, either of you in the house of her husband." And so she kissed them.

But Naomi said, "Turn again my daughters: for what cause would you go with me? Think you that there be any more children in my bowels to be your husbands?

Would ye tarry after them, till they were of age? Or would ye for them so long refrain from taking of husbands? Not so, my daughters: for it grieveth me much for your sakes, that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me."

Where thou diest, I will die, and there will be buried. The LORD do so and so to me, except that death only depart thee and me asunder."

When she saw that she would needs go with her, she left speaking unto her.

And she went and came and gathered after the harvest men, and her chance was that part of the field pertained unto Boaz which was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Then said Boaz unto the young man that had the oversight of the harvest men, "Whose damsel is this?"

And the young man that was set to oversee the harvest men answered and said, "It is the Moabitish damsel that came with Naomi out of the country of Moab,

and she said, 'Let me, I pray thee, lease and gather after the harvest men, the ears that remain.' And so she came, and hath continued even from the morning unto now, and tarried not long in the house."

Thine eyes are on a field that shall be reaped: go after the maidens therefore, for I have charged the young men, that they touch thee not. Moreover when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of that which the lads have drawn."

Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, "How is that I have found grace in thine eyes, to know me, seeing I am an alien?"

And Boaz answered and said unto her, "All is told me that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband; how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land where thou wast born, and art come unto a nation which thou knewest not in time past.