1 Nowe Samson went downe to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistims, 2 And he came vp and told his father and his mother and saide, I haue seene a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistims: now therfore giue me her to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother sayde vnto him, Is there neuer a wife among the daughters of thy brethren, and among all my people, that thou must go to take a wife of the vncircumcised Philistims? And Samson sayd vnto his father, Giue mee her, for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his father and his mother knewe not that it came of the Lord, that he should seeke an occasion against the Philistims: for at that time the Philistims reigned ouer Israel. 5 Then went Samson and his father and his mother downe to Timnath, and came to ye vineyardes at Timnath: and beholde, a young Lyon roared vpon him. 6 And the Spirit of the Lord came vpon him, and he tare him, as one should haue rent a kid, and had nothing in his hand, neither told he his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman which was beautifull in the eyes of Samson. 8 And within a fewe dayes, when he returned to receiue her, he went aside to see the karkeis of the Lion: and behold, there was a swarme of bees, and hony in the body of the Lyon. 9 And he tooke therof in his handes, and went eating, and came to his father and to his mother, and gaue vnto them, and they did eate: but hee told not them, that he had taken the hony out of the body of the lyon. 10 So his father went down vnto the woman, and Samson made there a feast: for so vsed the yong men to doe. 11 And when they sawe him, they brought thirtie companions to be with him. 12 Then Samson sayd vnto them, I will nowe put forth a riddle vnto you: and if you can declare it me within seuen dayes of the feast, and finde it out, I will giue you thirty sheetes, and thirtie change of garments. 13 But if you cannot declare it mee, then shall yee giue mee thirty sheetes and thirtie change of garments. And they answered him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may heare it. 14 And he sayd vnto them, Out of the eater came meate, and out of the strong came sweetenesse: and they could not in three dayes expound the riddle. 15 And when the seuenth day was come, they said vnto Samsons wife, Entise thine husband, that he may declare vs the riddle, lest wee burne thee and thy fathers house with fire. Haue ye called vs, to possesse vs? is it not so? 16 And Samsons wife wept before him, and said, Surely thou hatest mee and louest mee not: for thou hast put forth a riddle vnto the children of my people, and hast not told it mee. And hee sayd vnto her, Beholde, I haue not told it my father, nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? 17 Then Samsons wife wept before him seuen dayes, while their feast lasted: and when the seuenth day came he tolde her, because she was importunate vpon him: so she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18 And the men of ye citie sayde vnto him the seuenth day before the Sunne went downe, What is sweeter then honie? and what is stronger then a lyon? Then sayd hee vnto them, If yee had not plowed with my heiffer, yee had not found out my riddle. 19 And the Spirite of the Lord came vpon him, and he went downe to Ashkelon, and slew thirtie men of them and spoyled them, and gaue chaunge of garments vnto them, which expounded the riddle: and his wrath was kindled, and he went vp to his fathers house. 20 Then Samsons wife was giuen to his companion, whom he had vsed as his friend.
Samson and the Woman from Timnah
1 One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he noticed a certain young Philistine woman. 2 He went back home and told his father and mother, “There is a Philistine woman down at Timnah who caught my attention. Get her for me; I want to marry her.”
3 But his father and mother asked him, “Why do you have to go to those heathen Philistines to get a wife? Can't you find someone in our own clan, among all our people?”
But Samson told his father, “She is the one I want you to get for me. I like her.”
4 His parents did not know that it was the Lord who was leading Samson to do this, for the Lord was looking for a chance to fight the Philistines. At this time the Philistines were ruling Israel.
5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. As they were going through the vineyards there, he heard a young lion roaring. 6 Suddenly the power of the Lord made Samson strong, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his parents what he had done.
7 Then he went and talked to the young woman, and he liked her. 8 A few days later Samson went back to marry her. On the way he left the road to look at the lion he had killed, and he was surprised to find a swarm of bees and some honey inside the dead body. 9 He scraped the honey out into his hands and ate it as he walked along. Then he went to his father and mother and gave them some. They ate it, but Samson did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the dead body of a lion.
10 His father went to the woman's house, and Samson gave a banquet there. This was a custom among the young men. 11 When the Philistines saw him, they sent thirty young men to stay with him. 12-13 Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. I'll bet each one of you a piece of fine linen and a change of fine clothes that you can't tell me its meaning before the seven days of the wedding feast are over.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let's hear it.”
14 He said,
“Out of the eater came something to eat;
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
Three days later they had still not figured out what the riddle meant.
15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, “Trick your husband into telling us what the riddle means. If you don't, we'll set fire to your father's house and burn you with it. You two invited us so that you could rob us, didn't you?”
16 So Samson's wife went to him in tears and said, “You don't love me! You just hate me! You told my friends a riddle and didn't tell me what it means!”
He said, “Look, I haven't even told my father and mother. Why should I tell you?” 17 She cried about it for the whole seven days of the feast. But on the seventh day he told her what the riddle meant, for she nagged him so about it. Then she told the Philistines. 18 So on the seventh day, before Samson went into the bedroom, the men of the city said to him,
“What could be sweeter than honey?
What could be stronger than a lion?”
Samson replied,
“If you hadn't been plowing with my cow,
You wouldn't know the answer now.”
19 Suddenly the power of the Lord made him strong, and he went down to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty men, stripped them, and gave their fine clothes to the men who had solved the riddle. After that, he went back home, furious about what had happened, 20 and his wife was given to the man that had been his best man at the wedding.