JudgesChapter 14
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1One day Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a young Philistine woman. 2So he went back and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me to be my wife." 3But his father and mother said, "Can't you find a young woman among your relatives or among all our people? Do you have to go to the Philistines to get a wife? They aren't even circumcised!" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me. She looks good to me." 4(His father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD. The LORD was looking for a chance to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.) 5Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. They came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him. 6The Spirit of the LORD came on him with power. He tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as easily as tearing apart a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7Then Samson went on down and talked with the woman, because she looked good to him. 8Some time later, Samson went back to marry her. On the way, he left the road to look at the lion's dead body. Inside it was a swarm of bees and some honey. 9He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he came back to his father and mother, he gave them some, and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had taken the honey from the lion's dead body. 10Then his father went down to see the woman. Samson gave a feast there, because that was what young men getting married used to do. 11When the Philistines saw him, they chose 30 men to be with him. 12"Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "The feast lasts seven days. If you can solve it for me by then, I will give you 30 linen robes and 30 sets of clothes. 13But if you can't solve it, you must give me 30 linen robes and 30 sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it." 14So he said to them,
"Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet."
For three days they could not solve the riddle. 15On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Trick your husband into telling us the answer to the riddle. If you don't, we will burn you and your father's family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?" 16Then Samson's wife came to him crying. She said, "You hate me! You don't really love me! You told my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "Look," he said, "I haven't even told my father or mother. So why should I tell you?" 17She cried the whole seven days of the feast. She kept pushing him so hard that on the seventh day he finally told her. Then she told the answer to her people. 18On the seventh day, before the sun went down, the men of the city said to Samson,
"What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?"
Samson said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my young cow,
you would not have solved my riddle!" 19Then the Spirit of the LORD came on him with great power. He went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who had solved the riddle. Samson was burning with anger, and he went back to his father's house. 20And Samson's wife was given to one of the men who had been with him.