Judges 14

And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha from the daughters of the foreigners.

And he went up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Thamnatha from the daughters of the Philistines; and now take her for me as a wife.

And his father and his mother said to him, Are there no daughters among your brothers, and is there no woman among all my people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised foreigners? And Sampson said to his father, Take this one for me, for she is right in my eyes.

And his father and his mother did not know that it was from the Lord, that he was seeking vengeance upon the foreigners; and at that time the foreigners were ruling over Israel.

And Sampson went down with his father and his mother to Thamnatha, and he came as far as the vineyard of Thamnatha, and behold, a young lion came roaring to meet him.

And a spirit of the Lord leaped upon him, and he crushed it as one would crush a kid; and there was nothing in his hands. And he did not tell his father and his mother what he had done.

And they went down and spoke with the woman, and she was right in the eyes of Sampson.

And after some days he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the mouth of the lion, and honey.

And he took it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and his mother and gave to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the mouth of the lion.

And his father went down to the woman, and Sampson held a drinking feast there for seven days, for so the young men do.

And it happened, when they saw him, that they took thirty invited companions, and they were with him.

And Sampson said to them, I put forth a riddle to you. If you indeed declare it within the seven days of the drinking feast and find it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty robes of clothing.

And if you are not able to declare it to me, you shall give me thirty linen cloths and thirty changes of robes of clothing. And they said to him, Put forth your riddle, and we will hear it.

And he said to them, What food came out of the eater, and from the strong, what is sweet? And for three days they could not declare the riddle.

And it happened on the fourth day that they said to Sampson's wife, Entice your husband, and let him declare the riddle to you, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Or have you invited us in order to rob us?

And Sampson's wife wept before him and said, You surely hate me and do not love me, for you have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people and have not told it to me. And Sampson said to her, If I have not told my father and my mother, shall I tell you?

And she wept before him for the seven days during which they had the drinking feast. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him hard; and she told it to the sons of her people.

And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before the sun rose, What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion? And Sampson said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have known my riddle.

And a spirit of the Lord leaped upon him, and he went down to Askalon and struck thirty men of them, and took their garments, and gave the robes to those who had declared the riddle. And Sampson was angry in wrath, and went up to his father's house.

And Sampson's wife came to belong to one of his friends, with whom he had kept friendship.