14
1 And Shimshon went down to Timnah, and saw an isha in Timnah of the banot Pelishtim (Philistines). 2 And he came up, and told his av and his em, and said, I have seen an isha in Timnah of the banot Pelishtim; now therefore get her for me as isha. 3 Then his av and his em said unto him, Is there not among the banot of thy achim, or among kol Ami (all my people) an isha, that thou goest to take an isha of the Pelishtim haArelim? And Shimshon said unto his av, Get her for me; for she is yashrah (right) in my eyes. 4 But his av and his em knew not that this was from Hashem, for He sought an occasion against the Pelishtim; for at that time the Pelishtim had dominion over Yisroel.
5 Then went Shimshon down, and his av and his em, to Timnah, and came to the kramim (vineyards) of Timnah; and, hinei, a young lion roared against him. 6 And the Ruach Hashem came mightily upon him, and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat, and he had nothing in his yad; but he told not his av or his em what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with the isha; and she was right in the eyes of Shimshon.*
8 And after a time he returned to take her [in marriage], and he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and, hinei, there was a swarm of bees and devash in the geviyah of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his av and em, and he gave them, and they did eat; but he told not them that he had taken the devash out of the geviyah of the lion.
10 So his av went down unto the isha; and Shimshon made there a mishteh; for so used the bocherim to do. 11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought shloshim companions to be with him. 12 And Shimshon said unto them, I will now put forth a khidah (riddle) unto you; if ye can certainly declare it to me within the shivat yemei hamishteh, and find it out, then I will give you shloshim linen garments and shloshim sets of begadim; 13 But if ye cannot declare it to me, then shall ye give me shloshim linen garments and shloshim begadim. And they said unto him, Put forth thy khidah, that we may hear it. 14 And he said unto them,
Out of the eater came forth the edible,
and out of the oz (strong) came forth matok (sweetness).
And they could not in shloshet yamim expound the khidah.
15 And it came to pass on the yom hashevi'i, that they said unto the isha of Shimshon, Entice thy ish, that he may declare unto us the khidah, lest we burn thee and thy bais avi with eish; Have ye invited us to make us poor? Is it not so? 16 And the isha of Shimshon wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not; thou hast put forth a khidah unto the bnei ami, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Hinei, I have not told it avi nor immi, and shall I tell it thee? 17 And she wept before him the shivat hayamim, while their mishteh lasted; and it came to pass on the yom hashevi'i, that he told her, because of the pressing of her nagging; and she told the khidah to the bnei of her Am (People). 18 And the anshei haIr said unto him on the yom hashevi'i before the sun went down,
What is sweeter than devash?
And what is stronger than an ari?
And he said unto them,
If ye had not plowed with my heifer,
ye had not hit upon my khidah.
19 And the Ruach Hashem came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down shloshim ish of them and took as spoil their garments and gave unto them which expounded the khidah. And his af (anger) was kindled, and he went up to his bais avi. 20 But the isha of Shimshon was given to his companion, who had been his best man.†
* 14:7 cf Prov 16:25 † 14:20 i.e., his Shoshvin. See Yn 3:29