Old/New Testament
Samson’s Downfall
16 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept with her.[a] 2 The Gazites were told,[b] “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town[c] and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave.[d] They relaxed[e] all night, thinking,[f] “He will not leave[g] until morning comes;[h] then we will kill him!” 3 Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle of the night and left.[i] He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all.[j] He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron.[k]
4 After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate[l] him. Each one of us will give you 1,100 silver pieces.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.”[m] 7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh[n] bowstrings[o] that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. 9 They hid[p] in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here,[q] Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire.[r] The secret of his strength was not discovered.[s]
10 Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you deceived[t] me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.” 11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used,[u] I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here,[v] Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.)[w] But he tore the ropes[x] from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair[y] into the fabric on the loom[z] and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are here,[aa] Samson!”[ab] He woke up[ac] and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.
15 She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you will not share your secret with me?[ad] Three times you have deceived me and have not told me what makes you so strong.” 16 She nagged him[ae] every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it.[af] 17 Finally he told her his secret.[ag] He said to her, “My hair has never been cut,[ah] for I have been dedicated to God[ai] from the time I was conceived.[aj] If my head[ak] were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak and be just like all other men.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret,[al] she sent for[am] the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me[an] his secret.”[ao] So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands. 19 She made him go to sleep on her lap[ap] and then called a man in to shave off[aq] the seven braids of his hair.[ar] She made him vulnerable[as] and his strength left him. 20 She said, “The Philistines are here,[at] Samson!” He woke up[au] and thought,[av] “I will do as I did before[aw] and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him. 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. 22 His hair[ax] began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
Samson’s Death and Burial
23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.” 24 When the people saw him,[ay] they praised their god, saying, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!”[az]
25 When they really started celebrating,[ba] they said, “Call for Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained them.[bb] They made him stand between two pillars. 26 Samson said to the young man who held his hand, “Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple.[bc] Then I can lean on them.” 27 Now the temple[bd] was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were 3,000 men and women on the roof watching Samson entertain. 28 Samson called to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord,[be] remember me! Strengthen me just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge[bf] against the Philistines for my two eyes!” 29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple[bg] and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard,[bh] and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life.[bi] 31 His brothers and all his family[bj] went down and brought him back.[bk] They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led[bl] Israel for twenty years.
Micah Makes His Own Religion
17 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 2 He said to his mother, “You know[bm] the 1,100 pieces of silver which were stolen[bn] from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole[bo] it, but now I am giving it back to you.”[bp] His mother said, “May the Lord reward[bq] you, my son!” 3 When he gave back to his mother the 1,100 pieces of silver, his mother said, “I solemnly dedicate[br] this silver to the Lord. It will be for my son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.”[bs] 4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she[bt] took 200 pieces of silver[bu] to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house.[bv] 5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine.[bw] He made an ephod[bx] and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest.[by] 6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.[bz]
Micah Hires a Professional
7 There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah.[ca] 8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house.[cb] 9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.”[cc] 10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser[cd] and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.”[ce] 11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah.[cf] 12 Micah paid[cg] the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s house. 13 Micah said, “Now I know the Lord will make me rich,[ch] because I have this Levite as my priest.”
The Tribe of Dan Finds an Inheritance
18 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place[ci] to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.[cj] 2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives,[ck] capable men[cl] from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house.[cm] 3 As they approached[cn] Micah’s house, they recognized the accent[co] of the young Levite. So they stopped[cp] there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”[cq] 4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying,[cr] “He hired me, and I became his priest.” 5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us,[cs] so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.”[ct] 6 The priest said to them, “Go with confidence.[cu] The Lord will be with you on your mission.”[cv]
7 So the five men journeyed on[cw] and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there[cx] were living securely, like the Sidonians do,[cy] undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way.[cz] They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.[da] 8 When the Danites returned to their tribe[db] in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen[dc] asked them, “How did it go?”[dd] 9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them,[de] for[df] we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic,[dg] but don’t hesitate[dh] to invade and conquer[di] the land. 10 When you invade,[dj] you will encounter[dk] unsuspecting people. The land is wide![dl] God is handing it over to you—a place that lacks nothing on earth!”[dm]
11 So 600 Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.[dn] 12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan.[do] It is west[dp] of Kiriath Jearim.) 13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. 14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish[dq] said to their kinsmen,[dr] “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 15 They stopped[ds] there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah),[dt] and asked him how he was doing.[du] 16 Meanwhile the 600 Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate.[dv] 17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole[dw] the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the 600 fully armed men.[dx] 18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole[dy] the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser[dz] and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?”[ea] 20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group.[eb]
21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions.[ec] 22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors[ed] gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites[ee] turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’”[ef] 25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men[eg] will attack you, and you and your family will die.”[eh] 26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized[ei] they were too strong to resist,[ej] he turned around and went home.
27 Now the Danites[ek] took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city.[el] 28 No one came to the rescue because the city[em] was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone.[en] The city[eo] was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites[ep] rebuilt the city and occupied it. 29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons.[eq] But the city’s name used to be Laish. 30 The Danites worshiped[er] the carved image. Jonathan, descendant[es] of Gershom, son of Moses,[et] and his descendants[eu] served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. 31 They worshiped[ev] Micah’s carved image[ew] the whole time God’s authorized shrine[ex] was in Shiloh.
Healing the Centurion’s Slave
7 After Jesus[a] had finished teaching all this to the people,[b] he entered Capernaum.[c] 2 A centurion[d] there[e] had a slave[f] who was highly regarded,[g] but who was sick and at the point of death. 3 When the centurion[h] heard[i] about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders[j] to him, asking him to come[k] and heal his slave. 4 When[l] they came[m] to Jesus, they urged[n] him earnestly,[o] “He is worthy[p] to have you do this for him, 5 because he loves our nation,[q] and even[r] built our synagogue.”[s] 6 So[t] Jesus went with them. When[u] he was not far from the house, the centurion[v] sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself,[w] for I am not worthy[x] to have you come under my roof! 7 That is why[y] I did not presume[z] to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed.[aa] 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me.[ab] I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes,[ac] and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”[ad] 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed[ae] at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!”[af] 10 So[ag] when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave[ah] well.
Raising a Widow’s Son
11 Soon[ai] afterward[aj] Jesus[ak] went to a town[al] called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a man[am] who had died was being carried out,[an] the only son of his mother (who[ao] was a widow[ap]), and a large crowd from the town[aq] was with her. 13 When[ar] the Lord saw her, he had compassion[as] for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”[at] 14 Then[au] he came up[av] and touched[aw] the bier,[ax] and those who carried it stood still. He[ay] said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 So[az] the dead man[ba] sat up and began to speak, and Jesus[bb] gave him back[bc] to his mother. 16 Fear[bd] seized them all, and they began to glorify[be] God, saying, “A great prophet[bf] has appeared[bg] among us!” and “God has come to help[bh] his people!” 17 This[bi] report[bj] about Jesus[bk] circulated[bl] throughout[bm] Judea and all the surrounding country.
Jesus and John the Baptist
18 John’s[bn] disciples informed him about all these things. So[bo] John called[bp] two of his disciples 19 and sent them to Jesus[bq] to ask,[br] “Are you the one who is to come,[bs] or should we look for another?” 20 When[bt] the men came to Jesus,[bu] they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,[bv] ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”[bw] 21 At that very time[bx] Jesus[by] cured many people of diseases, sicknesses,[bz] and evil spirits, and granted[ca] sight to many who were blind. 22 So[cb] he answered them,[cc] “Go tell[cd] John what you have seen and heard:[ce] The blind see, the lame walk, lepers[cf] are cleansed, the[cg] deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 23 Blessed is anyone[ch] who takes no offense at me.”
24 When[ci] John’s messengers had gone, Jesus[cj] began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness[ck] to see? A reed shaken by the wind?[cl] 25 What[cm] did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?[cn] Look, those who wear soft clothing and live in luxury[co] are in the royal palaces![cp] 26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more[cq] than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,[cr] who will prepare your way before you.’[cs] 28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater[ct] than John.[cu] Yet the one who is least[cv] in the kingdom of God[cw] is greater than he is.” 29 (Now[cx] all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors,[cy] acknowledged[cz] God’s justice, because they had been baptized[da] with John’s baptism. 30 However, the Pharisees[db] and the experts in religious law[dc] rejected God’s purpose[dd] for themselves, because they had not been baptized[de] by John.[df])[dg]
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