Nazarite from his birth. the Lord blessed him.

And the child
And the child grew, and

When Samson was about twenty years old, the Spirit of the Lord began to move him to go forth against the Philistines. And the Lord gave him so great strength and courage, that with his own arm he slew very many of the enemies of Israel. He wasted their corn-fields and vineyards with fire, and smote them with a great slaughter, and then he returned and dwelt on the top of the rock Etam, in the land of the tribe of Simeon.

Then the Philistines gathered together an army, and came up into the land of Judah to seek Samson. And the men of Judah were afraid of the anger of the Philistines, for the Philistines were rulers over them at this time. So they went up to the rock Etam with three thousand men to seek Samson, and give him into their hands. And they took him and bound him with new cords, for Samson did not resist them; and they led him away to the camp of his enemies.

When the Philistines saw Samson brought bound to their camp, they shouted for joy.

But

when Samson heard the shout of his enemies, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he burst the cords that were upon his arms as if they had been flax burnt with fire. And he took a jaw-bone of an ass which he saw upon the ground, and with it he slew of the Philistines heaps upon heaps, even a thousand men. And after this Samson ruled as chief judge in Israel for twenty years.

Whilst Samson was chief judge in Israel, the people were still subject to the Philistines; for they would not follow him to fight against them. But so long as he obeyed the command of God, and lived as a Nazarite, his strength was so great that his enemies could not stand before him; and they feared to provoke his anger.

But a time came when Samson fell into sin, and broke the commands of God. He loved a woman of the Philistines, whose name was Delilah; and he did not flee from the company of the wicked, as he should have done. the Philistines knew that

And when the lords of
Samson loved Delilah,

they promised to give her money if she would

show them how they might bind him. So Delilah deceived him with fair words, and won from him the secrets of his heart. And he told her of the angel's message, and of the law of the Nazarite, which he was bound to observe, and he said that if the hair of his head was shaven, his strength would depart from him, and he should be like any other man.

Then Delilah sent for the lords of the Philistines, and told them to come and take Samson, for she would deliver him into their hands. And when Samson was with her in her house, she caused the seven locks of his head to be cut off while he slept. And as soon as the hair of his head was shaven, the Lord departed from Samson, and he became weak, and was like any other man; and the Philistines took him and bound him, and carried him away into their own country. And they put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and made him grind corn in their prison.

And after a while, the Philistines made a great feast to their idol Dagon; and the lords of the Philistines, and a great multitude of people, were

gathered together in the house of Dagon. Then they sent for Samson that they might make sport with him; for their hearts were merry, because they had taken their enemy, who had slain so many of their people.

Now the roof beneath which the lords of the Philistines were seated, rested upon two large pillars; and upon the roof were three thousand men and women, who had come to see Samson. And when they had brought Samson to the house of Dagon, he asked the lad who led him to place him near the pillars, that he might lean upon them. And he prayed earnestly to the Lord to remember him, and give him back his strength only this once; and the Lord heard his prayer. Then he stretched forth his arms, and took hold of the two pillars on which the roof rested, and said, "Let me die with the Philistines." And he bowed himself with all his might, and drew together the two pillars, and overthrew them. And the roof of the house which rested upon the pillars fell upon the lords of the Philistines, and upon all the people that were in it.

"So the dead

which Samson slew at his death, were more than they which he slew in his life."

Then the brethren of Samson, and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him near to Zorah, in the burying place of Manoah his father.

Judges xiii.-xvi.

A Nazarite was a person who was bound by a vow or promise not to drink wine, or strong drink of any kind, to let the hair of his head grow and remain uncut, and to keep himself at all times from all unclean things. (Numbers vi.)

Chapter XCIV.

THE SUFFERINGS AND THE BLESSINGS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD, FROM THE DEATH OF JOSHUA TO THE TIME OF ELI.

VERY many years had now passed since the time when the Lord had divided among His people the land of their inheritance, the good land which He had promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.