1En dag, da Samson var i byen Timna, lagde han særligt mærke til en af de unge filisterpiger.2Da han kom hjem, sagde han til sin far og mor: „Jeg vil giftes med en filisterpige, som jeg så i Timna.”3„Er der ikke en eneste pige i vores egen stamme eller i hele Israel, som du kunne tænke dig?” indvendte hans forældre. „Hvorfor vil du absolut giftes med en af disse ugudelige filistre?” Men Samson svarede: „Det er hende, jeg vil have! Du må få fat i hende til mig, far!”4Samsons forældre var ikke klar over, at Herren derigennem ville få anledning til at skabe strid med filistrene, som på det tidspunkt havde magten i Israel.5Da Samson og hans forældre nu var på vej til Timna, sprang en løve frem mod Samson på vinmarken uden for byen.6I det samme kom Herrens Ånd over ham og gav ham styrke, så han rev løvens kæber fra hinanden med de bare næver. Det var så let for ham, som havde det været et gedekid. Men han fortalte ikke sine forældre om den overnaturlige styrke.7I Timna opsøgte de pigen, og Samson blev forlovet med hende.8Senere vendte Samson og forældrene tilbage til Timna, for det var tid for Samson at blive gift med pigen. Inden han nåede byen, gjorde han en afstikker ind i vinmarken for at se på løvens rådnende krop. Da så han, at en bisværm havde slået sig ned i ådslet og havde produceret honning.9Han tog en håndfuld honning med sig, som han spiste undervejs. Han gav også noget af honningen til sine forældre, men han sagde ikke, at den kom fra løvens krop.10Mens Samsons far gik hen for at hilse på pigen, gjorde Samson klar til en ugelang bryllupsfest, som det var skik blandt de unge mænd.11Byens mænd udvalgte 30 unge filistre, der skulle med som brudesvende.12Ved festens begyndelse sagde Samson til dem: „Nu skal jeg fortælle jer en gåde! Hvis I kan løse gåden i løbet af de syv dage, festen varer, skal I hver få en linnedskjorte og et sæt festtøj.13Men hvis I ikke kan løse gåden, skal hver af jer give mig en linnedskjorte og et sæt festtøj.” „Top,” svarede de, „lad os høre gåden!”14„Fra rovdyret kom mad, fra den rå styrke kom sødme!” Den gåde spekulerede de over i tre dage uden at finde en løsning.15Den fjerde dag sagde de til Samsons brud: „Få din mand til at røbe svaret, ellers sætter vi ild til din fars hus, så I alle omkommer. Vi er ikke kommet til fest for at blive flået!”16Så trak hun Samson til side og sagde grådkvalt: „Hvordan kan du elske mig, når du giver mit folk en gåde uden at betro mig løsningen?” „Hvorfor skulle jeg fortælle dig løsningen, når jeg ikke engang har røbet den for min egen mor og far?” svarede han.17Under resten af festen græd hun uafbrudt. Den syvende dag gav han efter, fordi hun blev ved at plage ham, og han røbede løsningen for hende. Hun fortalte den straks videre til sine landsmænd.18Inden solnedgang den syvende dag gav de ham derfor følgende svar: Hvad er sødere end honning? Hvad er stærkere end en løve? Samson svarede: „Hvis I ikke havde pløjet med min kvie, ville I aldrig have gættet min gåde!”19Da kom Herrens Ånd over Samson, og han gik ned til byen Ashkalon, hvor han slog 30 mænd ned, tog deres tøj og gav det til mændene, der havde svaret på gåden. Samson var imidlertid blevet så rasende, at han lod bryllup være bryllup og tog hjem sammen med sine forældre.20Pigen blev så i stedet givet til den mand, der havde været forlover ved brylluppet.
1Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. (1.Mos 38,12; Josva 15,10; Josva 19,43; Heb 11,32)2Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” (1.Mos 34,4)3But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” (1.Mos 24,3; 1.Mos 28,1; Dom 15,18; 1.Sam 14,6; 1.Sam 17,26; 1.Sam 17,36; 1.Sam 31,4; 2.Sam 1,20)4His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel. (Josva 11,20; Dom 13,1; Dom 15,11)5Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring.6Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. (Dom 3,10; Dom 14,19; Dom 15,14; 1.Sam 11,6)7Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.8After 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 body of the lion, and honey.9He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.10His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do.11As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.12And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, (1.Mos 29,27; 1.Mos 45,22; 1.Kong 10,1; 2.Kong 5,5; 2.Kong 5,22; Salm 78,2; Ord 1,6; Ez 17,2)13but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.”14And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” And in three days they could not solve the riddle.15On the fourth[1] day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” (Dom 15,6; Dom 16,5)16And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” (Dom 16,15)17She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. (Dom 16,16)18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.”19And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. (Dom 1,18; Dom 14,6)20And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man. (Dom 15,2; Dom 15,6; Joh 3,29)