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          DASV: Judges 14    

1 Now Samson went down to Timnah, and a woman from there,
one of the daughters of the Philistines, caught his attention.
2 When he returned home he told his father and his mother,
"A woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines,
has caught my attention. Now get her for me as my wife."
3 Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there not
a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all
our people, that you have to go and take a wife from the
uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father,
"Get her for me, for she pleases me."
4 But his father and his mother did not know that it was
from the LORD, for he was looking for an opportunity to
act against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines
ruled over Israel.

5 Then Samson went down to Timnah, along with his father
and mother. As they came to the vineyards of Timnah a
roaring young lion attacked him.
6 The Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and he tore
it apart with his bare hands as easily as one would tear a
young goat apart. But he did not tell his father or his
mother what he had done.
7 Then he went down to Timnah and talked with the woman and
liked her.
8 After a while he returned to marry her. He turned aside
to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of
bees in the body of the lion, and some honey.
9 He scooped it out with his hands, and went on, eating
as he went. He came to his father and mother, and gave
some to them and they ate too. But he did not tell
them that he had taken the honey out of the body
of the lion.

10 Then his father went down to visit the woman.
Samson threw a party there as was customary for
young men to do.
11 When the Philistines saw him, they gave him thirty
groomsmen to be with him.
12 Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle, if you
can solve it within the seven days of the feast, then
I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty
changes of clothes;
13 but if you cannot figure it out, then you must give me
thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes."
They said to him, "Alright, tell us your riddle."
14 So he told them, "Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet." After three
days they could not solve the riddle.
15 On the seventh day, they threatened Samson's wife,
"Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us,
or we will burn you and your father's house. Have you
invited us here to impoverish us?"
16 So Samson's wife wept in front of him, "You hate me
and don't really love me. You have told a riddle to
my people, but you haven't told me the answer."
He rebuffed her, "Look, I haven't even told my father
or my mother, so why should I tell you?"
17 So she wept in front of him the whole seven days
of the feast. On the seventh day, he finally told her,
because she nagged him so much. Then she explained
the riddle to her people.
18 The men of the town said to him on the seventh day
before the sun set, "What is sweeter than honey? What
is stronger than a lion?" Then he retorted, "If you
had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have
solved my riddle."
19 The Spirit of the LORD came mightily on him, and he
went down to Ashkelon, and killed thirty men, took
their belongings, and gave the changes of clothes to
those who had solved the riddle. But his anger was
kindled, so he went back up to his father's house.
20 Samson's wife was given to his attendant who was
his best man at the wedding.

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