The Skeptics Annotated Bible (245 page)

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 cords
, and brought him up from the rock.

(15.13)
“They bound him with two new cords.”

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

(15.14)
“The spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him,”

15
And he found a new jawbone of an ass
, and put forth his hand, and took it,
and slew a thousand men therewith.

(15.15)
“And he found a new jawbone of an ass … and slew a thousand men therewith.”

16 And
Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

(15.16)
“Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.”

(15.17-19) After Samson killed 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass, he was thirsty. So God created and filled a hollow in the very same jawbone and put water in it for Samson to drink.

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 called that place Ramath-lehi.

(15.17)
“When he had made an end of speaking … he cast away the jawbone out of his hand.”

18
And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD
, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

(15.18)
“And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD,”

19 But
God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout;
and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

(15.19)
“God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout.”

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

16
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

(16.1) After Samson finished killing 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass, he had sex with a prostitute.

(16.1)
“Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.”

2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

3 And
Samson
lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and
took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them
, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

(16.3) At midnight, he left the prostitute and ripped out the doors and gate posts of the city and carried them to the top of a hill.

(16.3)
“Samson … took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them.”

4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

(16.4) Then Samson saw and fell in love with Delilah.

(16.4)
“Afterward … he loved a woman … whose name was Delilah.”

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6 And
Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound
to afflict thee.

(16.6) Delilah was paid by the Philistines to find the magical source of Samson’s strength and to figure out how he could be restrained. So she asked Samson three times about it, while some Philistines hid in another room.

(16.6)
“Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound.”

(16.7-9) The first time he said that he’d become as week as any other man if he were tied up with bowstrings. So she did that and then shouted, “Hey Samson, the Philistines are coming!” But he broke the bowstrings as though they were burnt strings.

7 And
Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man
.

(16.7)
“Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.”

8 Then the lords of
the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

(16.8)
“The Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.”

9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And
she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire.
So his strength was not known.

(16.9)
“She said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire.”

(16.10-12) She asked again and he told her to use ropes. So she tied him with ropes and then shouted, “Hey Samson, the Philistines are coming!” But he broke the ropes like they were threads.