Judges 16:23-31
New American Standard Bible
23 Now the governors of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to (A)Dagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said,
“Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us.”
24 When the people saw him, (B)they praised their god, for they said,
“Our god has handed our enemy over to us,
Even the destroyer of our country,
Who has killed many of us.”
25 It so happened when [a]they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he [b]entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “[c]Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the governors of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was entertaining them.
Samson Is Avenged
28 (C)Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord [d]God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once (D)take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let [e]me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. 31 Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. (E)So he had judged Israel for twenty years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 16:25 Lit their heart was pleasant
- Judges 16:25 Lit made sport before them
- Judges 16:26 Or Let go of me, and let me feel
- Judges 16:28 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Judges 16:30 Lit my soul
Judges 16:23-31
Living Bible
23-24 The Philistine leaders declared a great festival to celebrate the capture of Samson. The people made sacrifices to their god Dagon and excitedly praised him.
“Our god has delivered our enemy Samson to us!” they gloated as they saw him there in chains. “The scourge of our nation who killed so many of us is now in our power!” 25-26 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so we can have some fun with him!”
So he was brought from the prison and made to stand at the center of the temple, between the two pillars supporting the roof. Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them.”
27 By then the temple was completely filled with people. The five Philistine leaders were there as well as three thousand people in the balconies[a] who were watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord Jehovah, remember me again—please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes.”
29 Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his might.
30 “Let me die with the Philistines,” he prayed.
And the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than those he had killed during his entire lifetime. 31 Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led Israel for twenty years.
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- Judges 16:27 in the balconies, literally, “on the roof.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.