1But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Shimshon visited his wife with a kid; and he said, “I will go in to my wife into the chamber.” But her father would not suffer him to go in. 2And her father said, “I truly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion; is not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I ask you, instead of her.” 3And Shimshon said unto them, “This time shall I be quit with the P’lishtim, when I do them a mischief.” 4And Shimshon went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails. 5And when he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the P’lishtim, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the oliveyards. 6Then the P’lishtim said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Shimshon, the son-in-law of the Timni, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion.” And the P’lishtim came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 7And Shimshon said unto them, “If you do after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.” 8And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
9Then the P’lishtim went up, and pitched in Yehudah, and spread themselves against Lekhi. 10And the men of Yehudah said, “Why are you come up against us?” And they said, “To bind Shimshon are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us.” 11Then three thousand men of Yehudah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Shimshon, “Do you not know that the P’lishtim are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done unto us?” And he said unto them, “As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.” 12And they said unto him, “We are come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the P’lishtim.” And Shimshon said unto them, “Swear unto me, that you will not fall upon me yourselves.” 13And they spoke unto him, saying, “No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand; but surely we will not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock. 14When he came unto Lekhi, the P’lishtim shouted as they met him; and the Ru’akh יהוה came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands. 15And he found a new jawbone of a donkey, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. 16And Shimshon said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I smitten a thousand men.” 17And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramat Lekhi. 18And he was sore athirst, and called on יהוה , and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” 19But Elohim cleaved the hollow place that is in Lekhi, and there came water out of it; and when he had drunk, his spirit came back, and he revived; therefore the name thereof was called Ein HaKoreh, which is in Lekhi unto this day. 20And he judged Yisra’el in the days of the P’lishtim twenty years.
אוַיְהִי מִיָּמִים בִּימֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים וַיִּפְקֹד שִׁמְשׁוֹן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ בִּגְדִי עִזִּים וַיֹּאמֶר אָבֹאָה אֶל אִשְׁתִּי הֶחָדְרָה; וְלֹא נְתָנוֹ אָבִיהָ לָבוֹא. בוַיֹּאמֶר אָבִיהָ אָמֹר אָמַרְתִּי כִּי שָׂנֹא שְׂנֵאתָהּ וָאֶתְּנֶנָּה לְמֵרֵעֶךָ; הֲלֹא אֲחוֹתָהּ הַקְּטַנָּה טוֹבָה מִמֶּנָּה תְּהִי נָא לְךָ תַּחְתֶּיהָ. גוַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שִׁמְשׁוֹן נִקֵּיתִי הַפַּעַם מִפְּלִשְׁתִּים: כִּי עֹשֶׂה אֲנִי עִמָּם רָעָה. דוַיֵּלֶךְ שִׁמְשׁוֹן וַיִּלְכֹּד שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת שׁוּעָלִים ; וַיִּקַּח לַפִּדִים וַיֶּפֶן זָנָב אֶל זָנָב וַיָּשֶׂם לַפִּיד אֶחָד בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַזְּנָבוֹת בַּתָּוֶךְ. הוַיַּבְעֶר אֵשׁ בַּלַּפִּידִים וַיְשַׁלַּח בְּקָמוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים; וַיַּבְעֵר מִגָּדִישׁ וְעַד קָמָה וְעַד כֶּרֶם זָיִת. ווַיֹּאמְרוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים מִי עָשָׂה זֹאת וַיֹּאמְרוּ שִׁמְשׁוֹן חֲתַן הַתִּמְנִי כִּי לָקַח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ וַיִּתְּנָהּ לְמֵרֵעֵהוּ; וַיַּעֲלוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אוֹתָהּ וְאֶת אָבִיהָ בָּאֵשׁ. זוַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שִׁמְשׁוֹן אִם תַּעֲשׂוּן כָּזֹאת: כִּי אִם נִקַּמְתִּי בָכֶם וְאַחַר אֶחְדָּל. חוַיַּךְ אוֹתָם שׁוֹק עַל יָרֵךְ מַכָּה גְדוֹלָה; וַיֵּרֶד וַיֵּשֶׁב בִּסְעִיף סֶלַע עֵיטָם.
טוַיַּעֲלוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּיהוּדָה; וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בַּלֶּחִי. יוַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה לָמָה עֲלִיתֶם עָלֵינוּ; וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֶאֱסוֹר אֶת שִׁמְשׁוֹן עָלִינוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָנוּ. יאוַיֵּרְדוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ מִיהוּדָה אֶל סְעִיף סֶלַע עֵיטָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְשִׁמְשׁוֹן הֲלֹא יָדַעְתָּ כִּי מֹשְׁלִים בָּנוּ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּמַה זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָ לָּנוּ; וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לִי כֵּן עָשִׂיתִי לָהֶם. יבוַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ לֶאֱסָרְךָ יָרַדְנוּ לְתִתְּךָ בְּיַד פְּלִשְׁתִּים; וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שִׁמְשׁוֹן הִשָּׁבְעוּ לִי פֶּן תִּפְגְּעוּן בִּי אַתֶּם. יגוַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ לֵאמֹר לֹא כִּי אָסֹר נֶאֱסָרְךָ וּנְתַנּוּךָ בְיָדָם וְהָמֵת לֹא נְמִיתֶךָ; וַיַּאַסְרֻהוּ בִּשְׁנַיִם עֲבֹתִים חֲדָשִׁים וַיַּעֲלוּהוּ מִן הַסָּלַע. ידהוּא בָא עַד לֶחִי וּפְלִשְׁתִּים הֵרִיעוּ לִקְרָאתוֹ; וַתִּצְלַח עָלָיו רוּחַ יהוה וַתִּהְיֶינָה הָעֲבֹתִים אֲשֶׁר עַל זְרוֹעוֹתָיו כַּפִּשְׁתִּים אֲשֶׁר בָּעֲרוּ בָאֵשׁ וַיִּמַּסּוּ אֱסוּרָיו מֵעַל יָדָיו. טווַיִּמְצָא לְחִי חֲמוֹר טְרִיָּה; וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיַּךְ בָּהּ אֶלֶף אִישׁ. טזוַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְשׁוֹן בִּלְחִי הַחֲמוֹר חֲמוֹר חֲמֹרָתָיִם; בִּלְחִי הַחֲמוֹר הִכֵּיתִי אֶלֶף אִישׁ. יזוַיְהִי כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ הַלְּחִי מִיָּדוֹ; וַיִּקְרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא רָמַת לֶחִי. יחוַיִּצְמָא מְאֹד וַיִּקְרָא אֶל יהוה וַיֹּאמַר אַתָּה נָתַתָּ בְיַד עַבְדְּךָ אֶת הַתְּשׁוּעָה הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת; וְעַתָּה אָמוּת בַּצָּמָא וְנָפַלְתִּי בְּיַד הָעֲרֵלִים. יטוַיִּבְקַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת הַמַּכְתֵּשׁ אֲשֶׁר בַּלֶּחִי וַיֵּצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מַיִם וַיֵּשְׁתְּ וַתָּשָׁב רוּחוֹ וַיֶּחִי; עַל כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ עֵין הַקּוֹרֵא אֲשֶׁר בַּלֶּחִי עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה. כוַיִּשְׁפֹּט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 