Samson’s Marriage

1And Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2And he went up and declared to his father and mother and said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. And now, get her for me as a wife.”

3And his father and mother said to him, “Is there not among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, a woman, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” 4(And his father and mother did not know that it was of YHWH, that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. And for that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.)

5And Samson and his father and mother went down to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion of lions came roaring against him. 6And the Spirit of YHWH came mightily upon him, and he tore it as the tearing of a young goat, and not anything was in his hand. He did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7And he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in the eyes of Samson.

Samson’s Riddle

8And he returned after some time to get her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees was in the carcass of the lion, and honey. 9And He took some of it in his hands and went on, going and eating, and he came to his father and to his mother, and he gave some to them and they ate, and he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

10And his father went down to the woman, and Samson gave there a feast; for thus the young men would do. 11And it came to pass in their seeing him, that they took thirty companions, and they were with him.

12And Samson said to them, “Please let me pose a riddle to you⁺. If you⁺ surely declare it to me in the seven days of the feast, and have found it out, then I will give to you⁺ thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. 13But if you⁺ are not able to explain it to me, then you⁺ shall give to me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”

And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”

14And he said to them,

“Out of the eater came something to eat,

and out of the strong came something sweet.”

And they could not explain the riddle in three days. 15And it came to pass on the fourth† day that they said to the wife of Samson, “Entice your husband, that he may explain to us the riddle, or else we will burn you and the house of your father with the fire. Have you⁺ not called us here to dispossess us?”

16And the wife of Samson wept on him and said, “you have only hated me, and you have not loved me. You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, and to me you have not explained it.”

And he said to her, “Behold, to my father and to my mother I have not explained it, and to you should I explain it?”

17And she wept on him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And it came to pass on the seventh day that he told her, because she had pressed him so much, and she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.

18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

“What is sweeter than honey?

And what is stronger than a lion?”

And he said to them,

“If you⁺ had not plowed with my heifer,

You⁺ would not have solved my riddle.”

19And the Spirit of YHWH came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men and took their apparel, and he gave the changes to those who had explained the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to the house of his father. 20And the wife of Samson was unto his companion who had attended to him.