Judges 14

And Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines.

And he went up and declared to his father and to his mother and said, “I saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines. And now, get her for me for a wife.” \*

And his father and his mother said to him, “{Is there} not among the daughters of your brothers and among all of my people a woman, that you {are} going to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she {is} right in my eyes.”

But his father and his mother did not know that it {was} from God, for he {was} seeking an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines {were} ruling over Israel. \*

And Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah. And they came to the vineyards of Timnah, and behold, a young lion of lions {was} roaring to meet him.

Then the Spirit of God rushed on him, and he tore it as the tearing of a kid, and {there was} not anything in his hand. And he did not declare to his father or to his mother what he had done. \*

And he went down and spoke to the woman, and she was right in the eyes of Samson.

And he returned after some days to take her, and he turned to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, a swarm of bees was {in} the body of the lion, and honey.

And he scraped it into his palms, and going, he walked, and eating, he walked, to his father and to his mother. And he gave to them, and they ate, but he did not declare to them that he had scraped the honey from the body of the lion. \*

And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for thus the young men would do.

And it happened, in their seeing him, that they took 30 companions, and they were with him. \*

And Samson said to them, “Please let me put a riddle to you. If declaring, you declare it to me {during} the seven days of the feast and you find {it}, then I will give to you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.

But if you are not able to declare {it} to me, then you will give to me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle and we will hear it.” \*

So he said to them, “From the eater came forth food, and from the strong came forth sweet.” And they were not able to declare the riddle {for} three days. \*

And it happened on the seventh day that they said to the wife of Samson, “Entice your husband that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and the house of your father with fire. Did you invite us to dispossess us? {Is it} not {so}?” \*

And the wife of Samson wept on him, and she said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me! You have put a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not declared {it} to me.” And he said to her, “Behold, to my father and to my mother I have not declared {it}, so will I tell {it} to you?”

And she wept on him {for} the seven days {during} which the feast was to them. And it happened on the seventh day that he declared {it} to her, for she had pressed him. And she declared the riddle to the sons of her people. \*

And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before the sun came in, “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 found my riddle.” \*

And the Spirit of God rushed on him, and he went down {to} Ashkelon, and he struck 30 men from them. And he took their spoils, and he gave the changes {of clothes} to the declarers of the riddle. And his nose burned, and he went up {to} the house of his father.

And the wife of Samson became to his companion who had accompanied him. \*