Judges 13-15; Psalms 74

Judges 13

The Birth of Samson

13Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.H1121H3478H6213H7451H3254H5869H3068H3068H5414H3027H6430H705H81412In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.H259H376H6881H4940H1839H8034H4495H802H6135H32053The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.H4397H3068H7200H802H559H6135H3205H2029H3205H11214So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food

.H8104H8354H3196H7941H398H29315You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines."H2030H3205H1121H4177H5927H7218H5288H5139H430H990H2490H3467H3478H3027H64306The woman ran and told her husband, "A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God's angels, terrifying to see. I didn't ask where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name.H802H935H559H376H559H376H430H935H4758H4758H4397H430H3966H3372H7592H5046H80347But he told me, 'You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.'"H559H2030H3205H1121H7941H3196H8354H398H2932H5288H5139H430H990H3117H41948Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, saying, "Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born."H4495H6279H3068H559H994H136H4994H376H430H7971H935H3384H6213H5288H32059God answered Manoah's prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her.H430H8085H6963H4495H4397H430H935H802H3427H7704H4495H37610So she quickly ran and told her husband, "The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!"H802H4116H7323H5046H376H559H376H7200H935H311711Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day?" "Yes," he replied, "I am."H4495H6965H3212H310H802H935H376H559H376H1696H802H55912So Manoah asked him, "When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy's life and work?"H4495H559H1697H935H4941H5288H463913The angel of the LORD replied, "Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her.H4397H3068H559H4495H559H802H810414She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food."H398H3318H1612H8354H3196H7941H398H2932H6680H810415Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat."H4495H559H4397H3068H6113H6213H1423H5795H644016"I will stay," the angel of the LORD replied, "but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the LORD." (Manoah didn't realize it was the angel of the LORD.)H4397H3068H559H4495H6113H398H3899H518H6213H5930H5927H3068H4495H3045H4397H306817Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, "What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you."H4495H559H4397H3068H8034H1697H935H351318"Why do you ask my name?" the angel of the LORD replied. "It is too wonderful for you to understand."H4397H3068H559H7592H8034H6383H638319Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did an amazing thing.H4495H3947H1423H5795H4503H5927H6697H3068H6213H6381H4495H802H720020As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.H3851H5927H8064H4196H4397H3068H5927H3851H4196H4495H802H7200H5307H6440H77621The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the LORD,H4397H3068H3254H7200H4495H802H4495H3045H4397H306822and he said to his wife, "We will certainly die, for we have seen God!"H4495H559H802H4191H4191H7200H43023But his wife said, "If the LORD were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles."H802H559H3863H3068H2654H4191H3947H5930H4503H3027H7200H6256H8085H206324When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up.H802H3205H1121H7121H8034H8123H5288H1431H3068H128825And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol.H7307H3068H2490H6470H4264H1835H6881H847

Judges 14

Samson’s Riddle

14One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye.H8123H3381H8553H7200H802H8553H1323H64302When he returned home, he told his father and mother, "A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me."H5927H5046H1H517H559H7200H802H8553H1323H6430H3947H8023His father and mother objected. "Isn't there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?" they asked. "Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me! She looks good to me."H1H517H559H369H802H1323H251H5971H1980H3947H802H6189H6430H8123H559H1H3947H3474H58694His father and mother didn't realize the LORD was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.H1H517H3045H3068H1245H8385H6430H6256H6430H4910H34785As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah.H3381H8123H3381H1H517H8553H935H3754H8553H3715H738H7580H71256At that moment the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion's jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn't tell his father or mother about it.H7307H3068H6743H8156H8156H1423H3972H3027H5046H1H517H62137When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her.H3381H1696H802H3474H8123H3474H58698Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass.H3117H7725H3947H5493H7200H4658H738H5712H1682H1706H1472H7389He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn't tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.H7287H3709H3212H398H1980H1H517H5414H398H5046H7287H1706H1472H73810As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men.H1H3381H802H8123H6213H4960H970H621311When the bride's parents

saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.H7200H3947H7970H482812Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.H8123H559H2330H2420H5046H5046H7651H3117H4960H4672H5414H7970H5466H7970H2487H89913But if you can't solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing." "All right," they agreed, "let's hear your riddle."H3201H5046H5414H7970H5466H7970H2487H899H559H2330H2420H808514So he said: "Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet." Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.H559H398H3318H3978H5794H3318H4966H3201H7969H3117H5046H242015On the fourth

day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father's house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?"H7637H3117H559H8123H802H6601H376H5046H2420H8313H1H1004H784H7121H342316So Samson's wife came to him in tears and said, "You don't love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even given the answer to my father or mother," he replied. "Why should I tell you?"H8123H802H1058H559H8130H157H2330H2420H1121H5971H5046H559H5046H1H517H504617So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men.H1058H7651H3117H4960H1961H7637H3117H5046H6693H5046H2420H1121H597118So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson replied, "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have solved my riddle!"H582H5892H559H7637H3117H2775H935H4966H1706H5794H738H559H3884H2790H5697H4672H242019Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother.H7307H3068H6743H3381H831H5221H7970H376H3947H2488H5414H2487H5046H2420H639H2734H5927H1H100420So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson's best man at the wedding.H8123H802H4828H7462

Judges 15

Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

15Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife. He said, "I'm going into my wife's room to sleep with her," but her father wouldn't let him in.H3117H3117H2406H7105H8123H6485H802H1423H5795H559H935H802H2315H1H5414H9352"I truly thought you must hate her," her father explained, "so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead."H1H559H559H559H8130H8130H5414H4828H6996H269H28963Samson said, "This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines."H8123H559H6471H5352H6430H6213H74514Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails.H8123H3212H3920H7969H3967H7776H3947H3940H6437H2180H2180H7760H259H3940H8432H8147H21805Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the sheaves and the uncut grain. He also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves.H1197H3940H784H7971H7054H6430H1197H1430H7054H3754H21326"Who did this?" the Philistines demanded. "Samson," was the reply, "because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson's wife to be married to his best man." So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.H6430H559H6213H559H8123H2860H8554H3947H802H5414H4828H6430H5927H8313H1H7847"Because you did this," Samson vowed, "I won't rest until I take my revenge on you!"H8123H559H518H6213H2063H5358H310H23088So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.H5221H7785H5921H3409H1419H4347H3381H3427H5585H5553H58629The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi.H6430H5927H2583H3063H5203H389610The men of Judah asked the Philistines, "Why are you attacking us?" The Philistines replied, "We've come to capture Samson. We've come to pay him back for what he did to us."H376H3063H559H5927H559H631H8123H5927H6213H621311So 3,000 men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, "Don't you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?" But Samson replied, "I only did to them what they did to me."H7969H505H376H3063H3381H5585H5553H5862H559H8123H3045H6430H4910H6213H559H6213H621312But the men of Judah told him, "We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines." "All right," Samson said. "But promise that you won't kill me yourselves."H559H3381H631H5414H3027H6430H8123H559H7650H629313"We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines," they replied. "We won't kill you." So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.H559H559H631H631H5414H3027H4191H4191H631H8147H2319H5688H5927H555314As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.H935H3896H6430H7321H7125H7307H3068H6743H5688H2220H6593H1197H784H612H4549H302715Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it.H4672H2961H3895H2543H7971H3027H3947H5221H505H37616Then Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, I've piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I've killed a thousand men!"H8123H559H3895H2543H2565H2565H3895H2543H5221H505H37617When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill

.H3615H1696H7993H3895H3027H7121H4725H743718Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, "You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?"H3966H6770H7121H3068H559H5414H1419H8668H3027H5650H4191H6772H5307H3027H618919So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place "The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,"

and it is still in Lehi to this day.H430H1234H4388H3895H3318H4325H8354H7307H7725H2421H7121H8034H5875H3896H311720Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.H8199H3478H3117H6430H6242H8141

Psalms 74

74[A psalm

of Asaph.] O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?H4905H623H430H2186H5331H639H6225H6629H48302Remember that we are the people you chose long ago, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem

, your home here on earth.H2142H5712H7069H6924H7626H5159H1350H2022H6726H79313Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.H7311H6471H5331H4876H341H7489H69444There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards.H6887H7580H7130H4150H7760H226H2265They swung their axes like woodcutters in a forest.H3045H935H4605H7134H5442H60866With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling.H1986H6603H3162H3781H35977They burned your sanctuary to the ground. They defiled the place that bears your name.H7971H784H4720H2490H4908H8034H7768Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!” So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.H559H3820H3238H3162H8313H4150H410H7769We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end.H7200H226H5030H3045H570410How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever?H430H6862H2778H341H5006H8034H533111Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.H7725H3027H3225H3615H7130H2436H243612You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth.H430H4428H6924H6466H3444H7130H77613You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.H6565H3220H5797H7665H7218H8577H432514You crushed the heads of Leviathan① and let the desert animals eat him./ ①The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literatureH7533H7218H3882H5414H3978H5971H672815You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.H1234H4599H5158H3001H386H510416Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight

and the sun.H3117H3915H3559H3974H812117You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.H5324H1367H776H3335H7019H277918See how these enemies insult you, Lord. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.H2142H341H2778H3068H5036H5971H5006H803419Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves. Don’t forget your suffering people forever.H5414H5315H8449H2416H7911H2416H6041H533120Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!H5027H1285H4285H776H4390H4999H255521Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.H1790H7725H3637H6041H34H1984H803422Arise, O God, and defend your cause. Remember how these fools insult you all day long.H6965H430H7378H7379H2142H5036H2781H311723Don’t overlook what your enemies have said or their growing uproar.H7911H6963H6887H7588H6965H5927H8548