Hakim-hakim 16:1

Samson’s Downfall

16:1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her. ¹ 

Hakim-hakim 16:20-21

16:20 She said, “The Philistines are here, ²  Samson!” He woke up ³  and thought, ⁴  “I will do as I did before ⁵  and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him. 16:21 The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison.

[16:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and he went in to her.” The idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations.

[16:20]  ² tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:20]  ³ tn The Hebrew adds, “from his sleep.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “and said.”

[16:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will go out as before.”