WEBVTT

00:00:00.999 --> 00:00:03.700
Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.719
taking this journey together to read the Bible

00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519
in a year. Today's reading is from Judges chapters

00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:15.019
14 through 16. Chapter 14 Now Samson went down

00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:17.620
to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters

00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:20.219
of the Philistines. So he went up and told his

00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:22.539
father and mother, saying, I have seen a woman

00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:24.620
in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:28.059
Now therefore get her for me as a wife. Then

00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:30.019
his father and mother said to him, Is there no

00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:32.420
woman among the daughters of your brethren, or

00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:34.939
among all my people, that you must go and get

00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:38.100
away from the uncircumcised Philistines? And

00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:40.659
Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for

00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.079
she pleases me well. But his father and mother

00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:45.679
did not know that it was of the Lord that he

00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:48.240
was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines,

00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:50.679
for at that time the Philistines had dominion

00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:53.460
over Israel. So Samson went down to Timnah with

00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:55.479
his father and mother, and came to the vineyards

00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:58.719
of Timnah. Now to his surprise a young lion came

00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:00.920
roaring against him, and the Spirit of the Lord

00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:03.140
came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion

00:01:03.140 --> 00:01:05.859
apart as one would have torn apart a young goat,

00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:08.760
though he had nothing in his hand. But he did

00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:11.019
not tell his father or his mother what he had

00:01:11.019 --> 00:01:13.799
done. Then he went down and talked with the woman,

00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.390
and she pleased Samson well. After some time,

00:01:16.409 --> 00:01:18.409
when he returned to get her, he turned aside

00:01:18.409 --> 00:01:21.310
to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a

00:01:21.310 --> 00:01:23.750
swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of

00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:26.450
the lion. He took some of it in his hands and

00:01:26.450 --> 00:01:28.829
went along eating. When he came to his father

00:01:28.829 --> 00:01:31.150
and mother, he gave some to them, and they also

00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:33.510
ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken

00:01:33.510 --> 00:01:35.780
the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So

00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.900
his father went down to the woman, and Samson

00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:40.620
gave a feast there, for young men used to do

00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:43.760
so. And it happened when they saw him that they

00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.500
brought thirty companions to be with him. Then

00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:48.859
Samson said to them, Let me pose a riddle to

00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:51.379
you. If you can correctly solve and explain it

00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:53.579
to me within the seven days of the feast, then

00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:55.879
I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty

00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.420
changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain

00:01:58.420 --> 00:02:00.900
it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen

00:02:00.900 --> 00:02:03.799
garments and thirty changes of clothing. And

00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:05.879
they said to him, Pose your riddle, that we may

00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:08.500
hear it. So he said to them, Out of the eater

00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:10.960
came something to eat, and out of the strong

00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:14.340
came something sweet. Now for three days they

00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:16.740
could not explain the riddle, but it came to

00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.280
pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson's

00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:21.860
wife, Entice your husband that he may explain

00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:24.919
to us, or else we will burn you and your father's

00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:27.360
house with fire. Have you invited us in order

00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:31.159
to take what is ours? Is that not so? Then Samson's

00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.560
wife wept on him and said, You only hate me,

00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.120
you do not love me. You have posed a riddle to

00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:38.539
the sons of my people, but you have not explained

00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:41.240
it to me. And he said to her, Look, I have not

00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:43.759
explained it to my father or my mother, so should

00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:46.580
I explain it to you? Now she had wept on him

00:02:46.580 --> 00:02:49.280
the seven days while their feast lasted, and

00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.580
it happened on the seventh day that he told her,

00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:54.580
because she pressed him so much. Then she explained

00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:56.539
the riddle to the sons of her people. So the

00:02:56.539 --> 00:02:58.780
men of the city said to him on the seventh day

00:02:58.780 --> 00:03:01.319
before the sun went down, What is sweeter than

00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:04.080
honey, and what is stronger than a lion? And

00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.400
he said to them, If you had not plowed with my

00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.879
heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.

00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:11.419
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily,

00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:13.580
and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty

00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:15.919
of their men. took their apparel, and gave the

00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:17.979
changes of clothing to those who had explained

00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:20.479
the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he

00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.180
went back up to his father's house, and Samson's

00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:25.500
wife was given to his companion, who had been

00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:30.960
his best man. After a while, in the time of wheat

00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:33.099
harvest, it happened that Samson visited his

00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:35.580
wife with a young goat, and he said, Let me go

00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:38.300
into my wife, into her room. But her father would

00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:41.400
not permit him to go in. Her father said, I really

00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:43.680
thought that you thoroughly hated her. Therefore

00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.219
I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger

00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:48.979
sister better than she? Please take her instead.

00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:51.719
And Samson said to them, This time I shall be

00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:54.120
blameless regarding the Philistines, if I harm

00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:56.900
them. Then Samson went and caught three hundred

00:03:56.900 --> 00:03:59.599
foxes, and he took torches, turned the foxes

00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.460
tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair

00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:05.189
of tails. When he had set the torches on fire,

00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:07.650
he let the foxes go into the standing grain of

00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:10.110
the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks

00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:12.490
and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards

00:04:12.490 --> 00:04:14.770
and olive groves. Then the Philistines said,

00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:17.490
Who has done this? And they answered, Samson,

00:04:17.589 --> 00:04:20.110
the son -in -law of the Timnite, because he has

00:04:20.110 --> 00:04:22.350
taken his wife and given her to his companion.

00:04:22.629 --> 00:04:24.949
So the Philistines came up and burnt her and

00:04:24.949 --> 00:04:27.459
her father with fire. Samson said to them, Since

00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:29.740
you would do a thing like this, I will surely

00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:32.500
take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.

00:04:32.740 --> 00:04:35.540
So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great

00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:37.660
slaughter. Then he went down and dwelt in the

00:04:37.660 --> 00:04:40.199
cleft of the rock of Etam. Now the Philistines

00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:42.800
went up and camped in Judah and deployed themselves

00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:45.779
against Leahy. And the men of Judah said, Why

00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:48.139
have you come up against us? So they answered,

00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:51.160
We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him

00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:53.750
as he had done to us. Then three thousand men

00:04:53.750 --> 00:04:56.009
of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of

00:04:56.009 --> 00:04:58.569
Etham and said to Samson, Do you not know that

00:04:58.569 --> 00:05:01.269
the Philistines rule over us? What is this you

00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:04.110
have done to us? And he said to them, As they

00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:06.850
did to me, so I have done to them. But they said

00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:09.209
to him, We have come down to arrest you, that

00:05:09.209 --> 00:05:11.329
we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.

00:05:11.470 --> 00:05:13.910
Then Samson said to them, Swear to me that you

00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:16.810
will not kill me yourselves. So they spoke to

00:05:16.810 --> 00:05:18.930
him, saying, No, but we will tie you securely

00:05:18.930 --> 00:05:21.329
and deliver you into their hand. But we will

00:05:21.329 --> 00:05:23.699
surely not kill you. And they bound him with

00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:26.160
two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:29.040
When he came to Leahy, the Philistines came shouting

00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.279
against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came

00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:33.620
mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on

00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:36.079
his arms became like flax that is burned with

00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:38.660
fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.

00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:41.660
He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached

00:05:41.660 --> 00:05:43.920
out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand

00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.860
men with it. Then Samson said, With the jawbone

00:05:46.860 --> 00:05:49.699
of a donkey, heaps upon heaps. With the jawbone

00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:52.569
of a donkey, I have slain a thousand men. And

00:05:52.569 --> 00:05:54.810
so it was, when he had finished speaking, that

00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:57.050
he threw the jawbone from his hand and called

00:05:57.050 --> 00:06:00.689
that place Ramat Lahi. Then he became very thirsty,

00:06:00.829 --> 00:06:02.589
so he cried out to the Lord and said, You have

00:06:02.589 --> 00:06:04.810
given this great deliverance by the hand of your

00:06:04.810 --> 00:06:07.410
servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall

00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:10.250
into the hand of the uncircumcised? So God split

00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:13.029
the hollow place that is in Lahi, and water came

00:06:13.029 --> 00:06:15.550
out and he drank, and his spirit returned and

00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:18.949
he revived. Therefore he called its name In -Hakor,

00:06:19.149 --> 00:06:22.430
which is in Lahi to this day. And he judged Israel

00:06:22.430 --> 00:06:24.629
twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:29.589
Chapter 16 Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a

00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:32.329
harlot there, and went into her. When the Gazites

00:06:32.329 --> 00:06:34.949
were told, Samson has come here, they surrounded

00:06:34.949 --> 00:06:37.370
the place and lay in wait for him all night at

00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:39.670
the gate of the city. They were quiet all night,

00:06:39.829 --> 00:06:42.509
saying in the morning, when it is daylight, we

00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:45.069
will kill him. And Samson lay low till midnight.

00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:47.649
Then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors

00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:50.629
of the gate of the city, and the two gate -posts,

00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:53.600
pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his

00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.600
shoulders, and carried them to the top of the

00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:58.639
hill that faces Hebron. Afterward it happened

00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:00.680
that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek,

00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.300
whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the

00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:05.759
Philistines came up to her and said to her, Entice

00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:08.259
him, and find out where his great strength lies.

00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:11.439
And by what means we may overpower him, that

00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:13.939
we may bind him to afflict him. And every one

00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:16.259
of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of

00:07:16.259 --> 00:07:19.459
silver. So Delilah said to Samson, Please tell

00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:21.819
me where your great strength lies, and with what

00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:24.319
you may be bound to afflict you. And Samson said

00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.100
to her, If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings,

00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:30.199
not yet dried, then I shall become weak and be

00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:32.839
like any other man. So the lords of the Philistines

00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.579
brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not

00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:38.660
yet dried, and she bound him with them. Now men

00:07:38.660 --> 00:07:40.899
were lying in wait, staying with her in the room.

00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:43.339
And she said to him, The Philistines are upon

00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:45.839
you, Samson. But he broke the bow strings as

00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:48.439
a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire,

00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:50.839
so the secret of his strength was not known.

00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:53.579
Then Delilah said to Samson, Look, you have mocked

00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:56.399
me and told me lies. Now please tell me what

00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:58.920
you may be bound with. So he said to her, If

00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:01.339
they bind me securely with new ropes that have

00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:03.680
never been used, then I shall become weak and

00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:06.540
be like any other man. Therefore Delilah took

00:08:06.540 --> 00:08:08.740
new ropes and bound him with them and said to

00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:11.439
him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. And

00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.480
men were lying in wait, staying in the room.

00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:16.139
but he broke them off his arms like a thread.

00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:19.439
Delilah said to Samson, Until now you have mocked

00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.259
me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be

00:08:22.259 --> 00:08:24.980
bound with. And he said to her, If you weave

00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.939
the seven locks of my head into the web of the

00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:30.579
loom. So she wove it tightly with the baton of

00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:32.720
the loom, and said to him, The Philistines are

00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.000
upon you, Samson. But he awoke from his sleep,

00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:37.820
pulled out the baton and the web from the loom.

00:08:38.029 --> 00:08:40.110
Then she said to him, How can you say I love

00:08:40.110 --> 00:08:42.450
you when your heart is not with me? You have

00:08:42.450 --> 00:08:44.789
mocked me these three times, and have not told

00:08:44.789 --> 00:08:47.289
me where your great strength lies. And it came

00:08:47.289 --> 00:08:49.809
to pass, when she pestered him daily with her

00:08:49.809 --> 00:08:52.669
words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed

00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.289
to death, that he told her all his heart and

00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:58.409
said to her, No razor has ever come upon my head,

00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:01.250
for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother's

00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:04.169
womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave

00:09:04.169 --> 00:09:06.690
me, and I shall become weak and be like any other

00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:09.639
man. When Delilah saw that he had told her all

00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:11.919
his heart, she sent and called for the lords

00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.799
of the Philistines, saying, Come up once more,

00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:18.019
for he has told me all his heart. So the lords

00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:20.200
of the Philistines came up to her and brought

00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:22.620
the money in their hand. Then she lulled him

00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:25.600
to sleep on her knees and called for a man and

00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.360
had him shave off the seven locks of his head.

00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:31.080
Then she began to torment him. and his strength

00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:33.919
left him. And she said, The Philistines are upon

00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.200
you, Samson. So he awoke from his sleep and said,

00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.419
I will go out as before at other times and shake

00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:42.059
myself free. But he did not know that the Lord

00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:44.419
had departed from him. Then the Philistines took

00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:46.879
him and put out his eyes and brought him down

00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:49.460
to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters,

00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:52.399
and he became a grinder in the prison. However,

00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.840
the hair of his head began to grow again after

00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.399
it had been shaven. Now the lords of the Philistines

00:09:57.399 --> 00:09:59.519
gathered together to offer a great sacrifice

00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.039
to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, and they

00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:05.340
said, Our god has delivered into our hands Samson

00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:07.799
our enemy. When the people saw him, they praised

00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:10.159
their god, for they said, Our god has delivered

00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:12.899
into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our

00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.000
land, and the one who multiplied our dead. So

00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.399
it happened, when their hearts were merry, that

00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.879
they said, Call for Samson, that he may perform

00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:23.419
for us. So they called for Samson from the prison,

00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:25.710
and he performed for them. And they stationed

00:10:25.710 --> 00:10:28.070
him between the pillars. Then Samson said to

00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:30.690
the lad who held him by the hand, Let me feel

00:10:30.690 --> 00:10:32.830
the pillars which support the temple so that

00:10:32.830 --> 00:10:35.409
I can lean on them. Now the temple was full of

00:10:35.409 --> 00:10:37.669
men and women. All the lords of the Philistines

00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:40.049
were there, about three thousand men and women

00:10:40.049 --> 00:10:42.210
on the roof watching while Samson performed.

00:10:42.629 --> 00:10:45.370
Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, O Lord

00:10:45.370 --> 00:10:48.269
God, remember me, I pray. Strengthen me, I pray,

00:10:48.389 --> 00:10:51.529
just this once. O God, that I may with one blow

00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:53.690
take vengeance on the Philistines for my two

00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:56.149
eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle

00:10:56.149 --> 00:10:58.889
pillars which supported the temple, and he braced

00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:01.690
himself against them, one on his right and the

00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.490
other on his left. Then Samson said, Let me die

00:11:04.490 --> 00:11:06.909
with the Philistines. And he pushed with all

00:11:06.909 --> 00:11:09.350
his might, and the temple fell on the lords and

00:11:09.350 --> 00:11:11.629
all the people who were in it. So the dead that

00:11:11.629 --> 00:11:14.029
he killed at his death were more than he had

00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:16.690
killed in his life. And his brothers and all

00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:18.870
his father's household came down and took him,

00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:21.429
and brought him up and buried him between Zorah

00:11:21.429 --> 00:11:24.149
and Ishtawol in the tomb of his father Manoah.

00:11:24.350 --> 00:11:32.389
He had judged Israel twenty years. I hope you

00:11:32.389 --> 00:11:34.750
enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and

00:11:34.750 --> 00:11:36.610
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to

00:11:36.610 --> 00:11:38.870
continue on our journey. God bless you and have

00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:39.409
a great day.