Samfon taken, and blinded:

13 And Delilah faid unto Samfon, Hitherto thou haft mocked me,and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightft! be bound. And he faid unto her, If thou weaveft the feven locks of my head with the web.

14 And the faftned it with the pin, and faid unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samfon. And he awaked out of his fleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15 And the faid unto him, How canft thou fay, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou haft mocked me thefe three times, and haft not told me wherein thy great ftrength lieth.

16 And it came to pals, when he reffed him daily with her words, and urged him, fo that his foul was vexed unto death;

17 That he told her all his heart, and faid unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mothers womb: if I be fhaven, then my ftrength will go from me, and I fhall become weak, and be like any other man,

18 And when Delilah faw that he had told her all his heart, fhe fent and called for the lords of the Philistines, faying, Come up this once, for he hath fhewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came upuntoher,and brought money in their hand.

19 And the made him fleep upon her knees, and the called for a man, and the caufed him to have off the feven locks of his head, and fhe began to affli& him, and his ftrength went from him.

20 And the faid, The Philiftines be upon thee, Samfon. And he awoke out of his fleep, and faid, I will go out as at other times before, and thake my felf. And he wift not that the LORD was departed from him.

21 But the Philiftines took him, and

24 And when the people faw him, they praised their god: for they faid, Our god bath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the deftroyer of our country, which flew many of us.

25 And it came to pafs when their hearts were merry, that they faid, Call for Samfon, that he may make us fport. And they called for Samfon out of the prifon-houfe; and he made them fport: and they fet him between the pillars.

26 And Samfon faid unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the houfe ftandeth, that I may lean upon them.

27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philiftines were there: and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samfon made fport.

28 And Samfon called unto the LORD, and faid, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and ftrengthen me, pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Samfon took hold of the two middle pillars, upon which the house flood, and on which it was born up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 And Samfon faid, Let me die with the Philiftines; and he bowed himself with all but might; and the houfe fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein: fo the dead which he flew at his death, were mo than they which he flew in his life.

31 Then his brethren, and all the houfe of his father, came down and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Efhtaol,in the burying-place of Manoah his father: and he judged Ifrael twenty years.

1

CHAP. XVI. Micah reftoring the ftolen money to his mother, he maketh images. He ha reth a Levite to be his priest.

N there was a of mount E

2 And he faid unto his mother, The eleven hundred fhekels of filver, that were taken from thee,about which thou curfedft, and fpakeft of alfo in mine ears; behold, the filver is with me, I took it. And his mother faid, Bleffed be thou of the LORD, my fon.

3 And when he had restored the eleve

Micahs idols.

4. Yet he reftored the money unto his mother, and his mother took two hundred Shekels of filver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image, and a molten image: and they were in the houfe of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had an houfe of gods, and made an ephod and teraphim, and confecrated one of his fons, who became his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Ifrael, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he fojourn ed there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah, to fojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the houfe of Micah, as he journeyed.

And Micah faid unto him, Whence comeft thou? And he faid unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to fojourn where I may find a place. 10 And Micah faid unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a prieft, and I will give thee ten fbekels of filver by the year, and a fuit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. 11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was unto him as one of his fons.

12 And Micah confecrated the Levite, and the young man became his prieft, and was in the houfe of Micah.

13 Then faid Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, feeing I have a Levite to my priest.

CHAP. XVIII. The Danites fend five men to feek out an inheritance. 27 They win Laife. IN thofe days there was no king in Ifrae el: and in thofe days the tribe of the Danites fought them an inheritance to dwell in: for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Ifrael.

2 And the children of Dan fent of their family, five men from their coafts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Efhtaol, to fpy out the land,and to fearch it; and they faid unto them,Go,fearch the land: who when they came to mount

3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thicher, and faid unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makeft thou in this place? and what haft thou here?

4 And he faid unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

5 And they faid unto him, Ask counfel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go fhall be profperous.

6 And the pricft faid unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.

t

7Then the five men departed, and came to Laifh, and faw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and fecure, and there was no magiftrate in the land, that might put them to fhame in any thing: and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no bufinefs with any man.

8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Efhtaol: and their brethren faid unto them, What fay ye?

9 And they faid, Arife, that we may go up against them: for we have feen the land, and behold, it is very good : and are ye ftill? be not flothful to go, and to enter to poffefs the land.

10 When ye go, ye fhall come unto a people fecure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands: a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.

11And there went from thence of the family of the Danites out of Zorah and out of Efhraol, fix hundred men, appointed with weapons of war.

12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-jcarim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim,

13 And they paffed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

14 Then answered the five men that went to fpy out the country of Laifh, and faid unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore confider what ye have to do.

15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man

the

Micah robbed.

the Levite, even unto the houfe of Micah, and faluted him.

16 And the fix hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, ftood by the entring of the gate.

17 And the five men that went to fpy out the land, went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the prieft ftood in the entring of the gate, with the fix hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

18 And thefe went into Micahs houfe, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: then faid the priest unto them, What do ye?

19 And they faid unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a prieftis ir better for thee to be a prieft unto the house of one man, or that thou be a prieft unto a tribe and a family in Ifrael?

20 And the priefts heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midft of the people.

21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, and the cattle, and the carriage before them.

22 And when they were a good way from the houfe of Micah, the men that were in the houfes near to Micahs houfe, were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

23 And they cried unto the children of Dan: and they turned their faces, and faid unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comeft with fuch a company?

24 And he faid, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the prieft, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye fay unto me, What aileth thee?

25 And the children of Dan faid unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, left angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lofe thy life, with the lives of thy houfhold.

26 And the children of Dan went their way and when Micah faw that they were too ftrong for him, he turned and went back unto his houfe.

27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unp Laifh, unto a people that were at quiet, and fecure: and they fmote them with the edge of

28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon,and they had no bufinefs with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob and they built a city, and dwelt therein..

:

29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Ifrael: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the firft.

30 And the children of Dan fet up the graven image: and Jonathan the fon of Gerfhom, the fon of Manaffeh, he and his fons were priefts to the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 And they fet them up Micahs graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. CHAP. XIX.

A Levite goeth to Beth-lehem to fetch home his wife. 16 An old man entertaineth him at Gibeah. 22 The Gibeathites abufe his concubine to death.

Nd it came to pass in thofe days,

A when there was no king in Ifrael,

that there was a certain Levite fojourn ing on the fide of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah.

2 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her fathers houfe to Beth-lehemjudah, and was there four whole months.

3 And her husband arofc, and went after her to fpeak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his fervant with him, and a couple of affes: and the brought him into her fathers house, and when the father of the damfel faw him, he rejoyced to meet him.

And his father in law, the damfels father retained him, and he abode with him three days: fo they did cat and drink, and lodged there.

5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arofe early in the morn ing, that he arofe up to depart: and the damfels father faid unto his fon in law, Comfort thine heart with a morfel of bread, and afterward go your way.

6 And they fat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damfels father had faid unto the man, Be content, pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

7 And when the man rofe up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.

8 And he rofe early in the momine

The Levite and his concubine.

on the fifth day to depart: and the damfels father faid, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did cat both of them.

9 And when the man rofe up to depart, he and his concubine, and his fervant, his father in law, the damfels father faid unto him, Behold, now the day draweth towards evening, pray you, tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that chou mayft go home.

10 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over againft Jebus (which is Jerufalem) and there were with him two affes faddled, his concubine alfo was with him.

11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far fpent, and the fervant faid unto his mafter, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in unto this city of the Jebufites, and lodge in it.

12 And his mafter faid unto him, We will not turn afide hither into the city of a ftranger, that is not of the children of Ifrael we will pafs over to Gibeah. 13 And he faid unto his fervant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

20 And the old man faid,Peace be with thee; howsoever, let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the affes: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold the men of the city, certain fons of Belial, befet the houfe round about, and beat at the door, and fpake to the mafter of the houfe, the old man, faying, Bring forth the man that came into thine houfe, that we may know him.

23 And the man, the mafter of the houfe went out unto them, and faid unto them, Nay, my brethren, way, I pray you, do not fo wickedly; feeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine, them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what feemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not fo vile a thing,

15 And they turned afide thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he fat him down in a street of the city for there was no man that took them into his houfe to lodging.

16 And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was alfo of mount Ephraim; and he fojourned in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites.

17 And when he had lift up his eyes, he faw a wayfaring man in the ftreet of they: and the old man faid, Whither goelt thou? and whence comeft thou?

18 And he faid unto him, We are paffing from Beth-lehem-judah, toward the fide of mount Ephraim, from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the houfe of the LORD, and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the mans houfe, where her lord was, till it was light.

27 And her lord sofe up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the houfe, and her hands were upon the threshold.

28 And he laid unto her, Up, and let as be going but none answered. Then the man took her up upon an as.and the man rofe up, and gat him unto his place.

29 And when he was come into his houfe, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and fent her into all the coafts of Ifrael.

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