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<div class='chaptertitle'>SAMSON: THE STRONG MAN.</div> The Jews kept on in their sins, and took no pains to please the Lord, and so fell in-to the hands of the Phil-is-tines. And there was at that time a man in Is-ra-el whose name was Ma-no-ah. Both he and his wife served the Lord; and they had no child. And God sent one of his an-gels to the wife of Ma-no-ah to tell[119] her that she should have a son who was to be brought up to serve the Lord, and to do his work. Ere long Ma-no-ah and his wife had a son, to whom they gave the name of Sam-son. And the child grew, and the Lord blest him. And when he was grown up he went to Tin-muth, where he met a Phil-is-tine wo-man and fell in love with her. Then his pa-rents plead with him to find a wife in Is-ra-el, and not to take this one who was no friend to his race. But Sam-son would not give her up. So they went with him to Tin-muth. And on the way a li-on ran out and roared at him. And Sam-son put his arms round the beast and tore him with his hands as if he had been a young kid. But he did not tell his fath-er and moth-er what he had done. The time soon came when Sam-son was to set the Jews free from the Phil-is-tines. And he went down to one of their towns and slew a few of their men, and then went back to his own home, while his wife stayed in Tin-muth. When it was time to bring the wheat in from the field, Sam-son went down to see his wife, and took with him a young kid. But when he came to the house her fath-er would not let him go in, and told him that she was his wife no more, but had gone to[120] live with some one else. Then Sam-son was in a great rage, and he went and caught more than ten score fox-es, and set bits of wood on fire, and tied these fire-brands to their tails, and let them loose in the fields and vine-yards of the Phil-is-tines. And they set fire to the grain, and burnt it all up. And the grape-vines and fruit trees were burnt, and much harm was done. When the Phil-is-tines found out that it was Sam-son who had done this they took his wife and her fath-er and burnt them to death. And Sam-son fought and slew a host of the Phil-is-tines, and then went on the top of a high rock called E-tam to stay there. Then a crowd of men went up with a rush to the top of the rock, and they said to Sam-son, We have come to bind thee, that we may give thee in-to the hands of the Phil-is-tines. Sam-son made them swear that they would not put him to death, and they bound him with strong cords and brought him down from the rock. As they drew near the camp of the Phil-is-tines a great shout went up from the men there. And the Lord gave Sam-son such strength that he broke the cords from his arms as if they had been burnt threads. And Sam-son took up the jaw-bone of an ass,[121] and with it he fought the Phil-is-tines and slew a host of them. <div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_042.jpg" width-obs="326" height-obs="400" alt="Samson" /> SAM-SON SLAY-ING THE PHIL-IS-TINES.</div> Then a great thirst came on him, and there was no well near from which he could drink. And he grew so weak that he cried out to the Lord not to let him die of thirst or fall in-to the hands of his foes. And the Lord made a spring at that place and wa-ter ran out, and when Sam-son had drunk, his strength came back to him. Sam-son came to the town of Ga-za, and went in a house there. Now the Phil-is-tines dwelt in Ga-za, and when they heard that Sam-son was there they shut the gates of the town, and kept watch near them all night. They said when the day dawns we will kill him. [122] But in the dead of the night Sam-son rose up and came to the gates of the town, and when he found them shut he took them up—posts, bar and all—and bore them a long way off to the top of a hill. Sam-son's hair had not been cut, and it had grown thick and long. And there was a wo-man named De-li-lah whom Sam-son used to go and see. And when the Phil-is-tines heard of it they came to her and told her if she would find out how they might bind Sam-son and bear him off, they would give her a large sum of gold. So when Sam-son came to De-li-lah's house she said to him, Tell me, I pray thee what makes thee so strong, and with what thou couldst be bound and not break loose? Sam-son said if they bound him with sev-en green withes—that is, cords made out of soft twigs—he would be so weak that he could not break them. When De-li-lah told this to the Phil-is-tines they brought her sev-en green withes, and Sam-son let her bind him with them. Now she had men hid in her house who were to take Sam-son if he could not break the twigs. And when she had bound him she cried out, The Phil-is-tines seize thee, Sam-son! And as soon as she had said these words he broke the green withes as if they were burnt threads. Then De-li-lah knew that Sam-son made fun of[123] her and told her lies, and she said once more, Tell me, I pray thee, with what thou canst be bound and not break loose. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_043.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="377" alt="Samson carrying" /> SAM-SON CAR-RY-ING THE GATES OF GA-ZA.</div> Sam-son told her if he were bound with new ropes, which had not been used, that his strength would leave him, and he would be too weak to break them. So she took new ropes and bound him. But ere the men who were hid in the room could spring out[124] and take him, Sam-son broke the ropes from his arms as if they had been threads. Then De-li-lah told Sam-son that he did but mock her and tell her lies, and she begged him to let her know how he might be bound. And he said if she would weave his hair with the web in the loom his strength would go from him. And she wove his long hair in with the web, and made it fast with a large peg that was part of the loom. Then she cried out, and Sam-son rose up and went off with the great peg, and the whole of the web that was in the loom. Then she said he did not love her or he would not make sport of her in this way. And she teased him each day, and gave him no peace, so that at last he had to tell her the truth. He said his hair had not been cut since he was born, and if it were shaved off he would lose all his strength. It was wrong for Sam-son to tell her this, for she was bad at heart and not a true friend. But he did not know then how great was his sin. De-li-lah knew that this time Sam-son had told her the truth; so she sent for the Phil-is-tines to come up to her house. Then while Sam-son slept, she had a man come[125] in and shave all the hair from his head. And when this was done she cried out, The Phil-is-tines seize thee, Sam-son. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_044.jpg" width-obs="385" height-obs="500" alt="" title="Samson's hair" /> SAM-SON AND DE-LI-LAH.</div> And he woke from his sleep, and knew not his strength had gone from him. Then the Phil-is-tines took him and put out his eyes, brought him down to Ga-za, and bound him with chains of brass. And they made him fast to a mill-stone, and he had to work hard to grind their corn. While he was shut up in jail Sam-son had time to think of his sins, and he no doubt cried out to the[126] Lord to keep him. For his hair grew out and his strength came back. But the Phil-is-tines did not know this. They had made their own god, and its name was Da-gon. And they thought that Da-gon gave Sam-son in-to their hands, and loud was their praise of him. And all the Phil-is-tines met in the large house that had been built for Da-gon that they might bow down to their god and give him thanks. The crowd was great, and their hearts were full of joy. And they said, Send for Sam-son that he may make sport for us. And poor blind Sam-son was brought in, and sat down in their midst. And those in the house and those on the roof made sport of him in all sorts of ways. And Sam-son put his arms round two of the great posts that held up the house. And he bent down, and the house fell, and most of the Phil-is-tines were killed. Sam-son died with them, and by his death slew more of the foes of Is-ra-el than he had slain in all his life. [127] <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_045.jpg" width-obs="483" height-obs="600" alt="columns falling" /> SAM-SON DE-STROYS THE TEM-PLE.</div> <hr class="chap" />[128] <h2>CHAPTER X.</h2> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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