The Lord and King says,“ Deep down inside them, the Philistines hated Judah. So the Philistines tried to get even with them. They had been Judah’s enemies for many years. So they tried to destroy them.”

主耶和华如此说：“因非利士人向犹大人报仇，就是以恨恶的心报仇雪恨，永怀仇恨，要毁灭他们，

“主耶和华如此说：因非利士人报仇，就是心存轻蔑报仇；他们永怀仇恨，意图毁灭，

“主耶和华如此说：因非利士人报仇，就是心存轻蔑报仇；他们永怀仇恨，意图毁灭，

“主耶和华说，‘非利士人心存仇恨，为了报世仇要毁灭犹大，

主耶和华这样说：“因为非利士人向犹大人报仇雪恨，心存轻蔑报仇雪恨，他们永远怀恨，要毁灭犹大，

主耶和華如此說：「因非利士人向猶大人報仇，就是以恨惡的心報仇雪恨，永懷仇恨，要毀滅他們，

「主耶和華如此說：因非利士人報仇，就是心存輕蔑報仇；他們永懷仇恨，意圖毀滅，

「主耶和華如此說：因非利士人報仇，就是心存輕蔑報仇；他們永懷仇恨，意圖毀滅，

「主耶和華說，『非利士人心存仇恨，為了報世仇要毀滅猶大，

主耶和華這樣說：“因為非利士人向猶大人報仇雪恨，心存輕蔑報仇雪恨，他們永遠懷恨，要毀滅猶大，

『永恆主這麼說：非利士人對猶大人既行了報仇的事，既滿心懷着輕蔑之意而報仇，以永存的仇恨心要毁滅他們，

主耶和華曰、非利士人心存蔑視、而行報復、從其永憾、圖滅我民、

主耶和華曰、非利士人藏匿舊怨、中心叵測、以害我民、

主天主如是云、非利士人攻我民、狂傲復仇、欲翦滅之、乃從其舊恨、

“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says:‘ Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah,

“ Thus says the Lord God: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity,

“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Philistia have acted against Judah out of bitter revenge and long standing contempt.

“‘ This is what the Lord GOD says: Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with deep contempt, destroying because of their perpetual hatred,

‘ This is what the Lord God says:“ Because the Philistines have acted in revenge, and have taken vengeance with malice in their souls to destroy with everlasting hostility,”

‘ Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,”

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with despite of soul to destroy with perpetual enmity;

This is what the Lord God says:“ Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with deep contempt, destroying because of their ancient hatred,

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy[ it] for the old hatred;

“ This is what the sovereign LORD says:‘ The Philistines have exacted merciless revenge, showing intense scorn in their effort to destroy Judah with unrelenting hostility.

“‘ The Lord Yahweh says:“ Because the Philistines have taken revenge, and have taken vengeance with contempt of soul to destroy with perpetual hostility;”

The Lord and King says,“ You clapped your hands. You stamped your feet. Deep down inside, you hated the land of Israel. You were glad because of what happened to it.

“ The rod of Assyria has struck all of you Philistines. But do not be glad that it is broken. That rod is like a snake that will produce an even more poisonous snake. It will produce a darting, poisonous serpent.Even the poorest people in Israel will have plenty to eat. Those who are in need will lie down in safety. But I will destroy your families. They will die of hunger. I will kill any of them who are still left alive.“ Cities of Philistia, cry out for help! Scream in pain! All you Philistines, melt away in fear! An army is coming from the north in a cloud of dust. No one in its ranks is falling behind.

The Lord and King says,“ Edom got even with Judah. That made Edom very guilty.”

At the same time the Philistines had attacked towns in the western hills and in the Negev Desert of Judah. They had captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth. They had also captured Soko, Timnah and Gimzo and the villages around them. They had settled down in all of them.

all the people from other lands who lived there all the kings of Uz the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron the Philistines still living in Ashdod

The Lord says,“ The people of Gaza have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They captured whole communities. They sold them to Edom.So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Gaza. It will burn up its forts.I will kill the king of Ashdod. He holds the ruler’s scepter in Ashkelon. I will use my power against Ekron. Every single Philistine will die,” says the Lord and King.

Zabad was Tahath’s son. And Shuthelah was Zabad’s son. Men from Gath killed Ezer and Elead when they went down to steal their livestock.

And Samuel gave those messages to all the Israelites. The Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer. The Philistines camped at Aphek.The Philistines brought their forces together to fight against Israel. As the fighting spread, the Israelites lost the battle to the Philistines. The Philistines killed about 4,000 of them on the field of battle.The rest of the Israelite soldiers returned to camp. Then the elders asked them,“ Why did the Lord let the Philistines win the battle over us today? Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’ s covenant from Shiloh. Let’s take it with us. Then the Lord will save us from the power of our enemies.”So the people sent men to Shiloh. They brought back the ark of the Lord’ s covenant law. He sits there on his throne between the cherubim. The Lord is the one who rules over all. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God’s covenant law. The ark was in Shiloh.The ark of the Lord’ s covenant law was brought into the camp. Then all the Israelites shouted so loudly that the ground shook.The Philistines heard the noise. They asked,“ What’s all that shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” Then the Philistines found out that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.

Ashkelon will see it and become afraid. Gaza will groan with pain. So will Ekron. Its hope will vanish. Gaza will no longer have a king. Ashkelon will be deserted.A people who come from several nations will take over Ashdod. The Lord says,“ I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.They will no longer drink the blood of their animal sacrifices. I will remove the‘ unclean’ food from between their teeth. The Philistines who are left will belong to our God. They will become a family group in Judah. And Ekron will be like the Jebusites. So the Philistines will become part of Israel.But I will camp at my temple. I will guard it against enemy armies. No one will ever crush my people again. I will make sure it does not happen.

They also include the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Tyre.

Arameans from the east have opened their mouths and swallowed up Israel. So have Philistines from the west. Even then, the Lord is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

“ Tyre and Sidon, why are you doing things like that to me? And why are you doing them, all you people in Philistia? Are you trying to get even with me for something I have done? If you are, I will pay you back for it in a quick and speedy way.You took my silver and gold. You carried off my finest treasures to your temples.You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. You wanted to send them far away from their own country.“ But now I will stir them up into action. I will bring them back from the places you sold them to. And I will do to you what you did to them.I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. And they will sell them to the Sabeans. The Sabeans are a nation that is far away.” The Lord has spoken.Announce this among the nations. Tell them to prepare for battle. Nations, get your soldiers ready! Bring all your fighting men together and march out to attack.Hammer your plows into swords. Hammer your pruning tools into spears. Let anyone who is weak say,“ I am strong!”Come quickly, all you surrounding nations. Gather together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Lord, send down your soldiers from heaven!The Lord says,“ Stir up the nations into action! Let them march into the valley where I will judge them. I will take my seat in court. I will judge all the surrounding nations.My soldiers, swing your blades. The nations are ripe for harvest. Come and stomp on them as if they were grapes. Crush them until the winepress of my anger is full. Do it until the wine spills over from the places where it is stored. The nations have committed far too many sins!”Huge numbers of soldiers are gathered in the valley where the Lord will hand down his sentence. The day of the Lord is near in that valley.The sun and moon will become dark. The stars won’t shine anymore.The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem. His voice will sound like thunder from Zion. The earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will keep the people of Israel safe. He will be a place of safety for them.The Lord says,“ You will know that I am the Lord your God. I live in Zion. It is my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be my holy city. People from other lands will never again attack it.“ At that time fresh wine will drip from the mountains. Milk will flow down from the hills. Water will run through all Judah’s valleys. A fountain will flow out of my temple. It will water the places where acacia trees grow.But Egypt will be deserted. Edom will become a dry and empty desert. They did terrible harm to the people of Judah. My people were not guilty of doing anything wrong. But Egypt and Edom spilled their blood anyway.My people will live in Judah and Jerusalem forever. The land will be their home for all time to come.Egypt and Edom have spilled my people’s blood. Should I let them escape my judgment? No, I will not.” The Lord lives in Zion!

David went to Ahimelek the priest at Nob. Ahimelek trembled with fear when he met him. He asked David,“ Why are you alone? Why isn’t anyone with you?”David answered Ahimelek the priest,“ The king gave me a special job to do. He said to me,‘ I don’t want anyone to know what I’m sending you to do. So don’t say anything about it.’ I’ve told my men to meet me at a certain place.Do you have anything for us to eat? Give me five loaves of bread, or anything else you can find.”But the priest answered David,“ I don’t have any bread that isn’t holy. I only have some holy bread here. But it’s for men who haven’t slept with women recently.”David replied,“ Well, we haven’t slept with women recently. That’s the way it is every time I lead my men out to battle. We keep ourselves holy even when we do jobs that aren’t holy. And that’s even more true today.”So the priest gave him the holy bread. It was the only bread he had. It had been removed from the table that was in front of the Lord. On the same day, hot bread had been put in its place.One of Saul’s servants was there that day. He had been made to stay at the holy tent for a while. He was Doeg from Edom. Doeg was Saul’s chief shepherd.David asked Ahimelek,“ Don’t you have a spear or sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon. That’s because the job the king gave me to do had to be done right away.”The priest replied,“ The sword of Goliath, the Philistine, is here. You killed him in the Valley of Elah. His sword is wrapped in a cloth. It’s behind the sacred linen apron. If you want it, take it. It’s the only sword here.” David said,“ There isn’t any sword like it. Give it to me.”That day David ran away from Saul. He went to Achish, the king of Gath.But the servants of Achish spoke to him. They said,“ Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one the Israelites sing about when they dance? They sing,“‘ Saul has killed thousands of men. David has killed tens of thousands.’ ”David paid close attention to what the servants were saying. He became very much afraid of what Achish, the king of Gath, might do.So he pretended to be out of his mind when he was with them. As long as he was in Gath, he acted like a crazy person. He made marks on the doors of the city gate. He let spit run down his beard.Achish said to his servants,“ Just look at the man! He’s out of his mind! Why are you bringing him to me?Don’t I have enough crazy people around me already? So why do you have to bring this fellow here? Just look at how he’s carrying on in front of me! Why do you have to bring this man into my house?”

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked the city of Gaza.The Lord said,“ The armies of Babylon are like waters rising in the north. They will become a great flood. They will flow over the land and everything in it. They will flow over the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry out. All those who live in the land will weep.They will weep when they hear galloping horses. They will weep at the noise of enemy chariots. They will weep at the rumble of their wheels. Parents will not even try to help their children. Their hands will not be able to help them.The day has come to destroy all the Philistines. The time has come to remove all those who could help Tyre and Sidon. I am about to destroy the Philistines. I will not leave anyone alive who came from the coasts of Crete.The people of Gaza will be so sad they will shave their heads. And Ashkelon’s people will be silent. You who remain on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?“‘ Sword of the Lord!’ you cry out.‘ How long will it be until you rest? Return to the place you came from. Stop killing us! Be still!’But how can his sword rest when the Lord has given it a command? He has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the Philistine coast.”

Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel for 42 years.Saul chose 3,000 of Israel’s men. Two thousand of them were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel. One thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul sent the rest back to their homes.Some Philistine soldiers were stationed at Geba. Jonathan attacked them. The other Philistines heard about it. Saul announced,“ Let the Hebrew people hear about what has happened!” He had trumpets blown all through the land.So all the Israelites heard the news. They were told,“ Saul has attacked the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines can’t stand the Israelites.” The Israelites were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel. They had 3,000 chariots and 6,000 chariot drivers. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash. It was east of Beth Aven.The Israelites saw that their army was in deep trouble. So they hid in caves. They hid among bushes and rocks. They also hid in pits and empty wells.Some of them even went across the Jordan River. They went to the lands of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal. All the troops with him were shaking with fear.He waited seven days, just as Samuel had told him to. But Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal. And Saul’s men began to scatter.So he said,“ Bring me the burnt offering and the friendship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering.Just as Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him.“ What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied,“ I saw that the men were scattering. I saw that the Philistines were gathering together at Mikmash. You didn’t come when you said you would.So I thought,‘ Now the Philistines will come down to attack me at Gilgal. And I haven’t asked the Lord for his blessing.’ So I felt I had to sacrifice the burnt offering.”“ You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said.“ You haven’t obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had, he would have made your kingdom secure over Israel for all time to come.But now your kingdom won’t last. The Lord has already looked for a man who is dear to his heart. He has appointed him king of his people. That’s because you haven’t obeyed the Lord’ s command.”

The Philistines gathered their army together for war. They came to Sokoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes Dammim. It was between Sokoh and Azekah.Saul and the army of Israel gathered together. They camped in the Valley of Elah. They lined up their men to fight against the Philistines.The Philistine army was camped on one hill. Israel’s army was on another. The valley was between them.A mighty hero named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was more than nine feet tall.He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds.On his legs he wore bronze guards. He carried a bronze javelin on his back.His spear was as big as a weaver’s rod. Its iron point weighed 15 pounds. The man who carried his shield walked along in front of him.Goliath stood there and shouted to the soldiers of Israel. He said,“ Why do you come out and line up for battle? I’m a Philistine. You are servants of Saul. Choose one of your men. Have him come down and face me.If he’s able to fight and kill me, we’ll become your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will become our slaves and serve us.”Goliath continued,“ This day I dare the soldiers of Israel to send a man down to fight against me.”Saul and the whole army of Israel heard what the Philistine said. They were terrified.David was the son of an Ephrathite whose name was Jesse. Jesse was from Bethlehem in Judah and had eight sons. When Saul was king, Jesse was already very old.Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul into battle. The oldest son was Eliab. The second was Abinadab. The third was Shammah.David was the youngest. The three oldest sons followed Saul.But David went back and forth from Saul’s camp to Bethlehem. He went to Bethlehem to take care of his father’s sheep.Every morning and evening Goliath came forward and stood there. He did it for 40 days.Jesse said to his son David,“ Get at least half a bushel of grain that has been cooked. Also get ten loaves of bread. Take all of it to your brothers. Hurry to their camp.Take along these ten chunks of cheese to the commander of their military group. Find out how your brothers are doing. Bring me back some word about them.They are with Saul and all the men of Israel. They are in the Valley of Elah. They are fighting against the Philistines.”Early in the morning David left his father’s flock in the care of a shepherd. David loaded up the food and started out, just as Jesse had directed. David reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions. The soldiers were shouting the war cry.The Israelites and the Philistines were lining up their armies for battle. The armies were facing each other.David left what he had brought with the man who took care of the supplies. He ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were.As David was talking with them, Goliath stepped forward from his line. Goliath was a mighty Philistine hero from Gath. He again dared someone to fight him, and David heard it.Whenever Israel’s army saw Goliath, all of them ran away from him. That’s because they were so afraid.The Israelites had been saying,“ Just look at how this man keeps daring Israel to fight him! The king will make the man who kills Goliath very wealthy. The king will also give his own daughter to be that man’s wife. The king won’t require anyone in the man’s family to pay any taxes in Israel.”David spoke to the men standing near him. He asked them,“ What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine? Goliath is bringing shame on Israel. What will be done for the one who removes it? This Philistine isn’t even circumcised. He dares the armies of the living God to fight him. Who does he think he is?”The men told David what Israel’s soldiers had been saying. The men told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking with the men. So Eliab became very angry with him. Eliab asked David,“ Why have you come down here? Who is taking care of those few sheep in the desert for you? I know how proud you are. I know how evil your heart is. The only reason you came down here was to watch the battle.”“ What have I done now?” said David.“ Can’t I even speak?”Then he turned away to speak to some other men. He asked them the same question he had asked before. And they gave him the same answer.Someone heard what David said and reported it to Saul. So Saul sent for David.David said to Saul,“ Don’t let anyone lose hope because of that Philistine. I’ll go out and fight him.”Saul replied,“ You aren’t able to go out there and fight that Philistine. You are too young. He’s been a warrior ever since he was a boy.”But David said to Saul,“ I’ve been taking care of my father’s sheep. Sometimes a lion or a bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock.Then I would go after it and hit it. I would save the sheep it was carrying in its mouth. If it turned around to attack me, I would grab its hair. I would strike it down and kill it.In fact, I’ve killed both a lion and a bear. I’ll do the same thing to this Philistine. He isn’t even circumcised. He has dared the armies of the living God to fight him.The Lord saved me from the paw of the lion. He saved me from the paw of the bear. And he’ll save me from the powerful hand of this Philistine too.” Saul said to David,“ Go. And may the Lord be with you.”Then Saul dressed David in his own military clothes. He put a coat of armor on him. He put a bronze helmet on his head.David put on Saul’s sword over his clothes. He walked around for a while in all that armor because he wasn’t used to it.“ I can’t go out there in all this armor,” he said to Saul.“ I’m not used to it.” So he took it off.Then David picked up his wooden staff. He went down to a stream and chose five smooth stones. He put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. Then he took his sling in his hand and approached Goliath.At that same time, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. The man carrying Goliath’s shield walked along in front of him.Goliath looked David over. He saw how young he was. He also saw how healthy and handsome he was. And he hated him.He said to David,“ Why are you coming at me with sticks? Do you think I’m only a dog?” The Philistine cursed David in the name of his gods.“ Come over here,” he said.“ I’ll feed your body to the birds and wild animals!”David said to Goliath,“ You are coming to fight against me with a sword, a spear and a javelin. But I’m coming against you in the name of the Lord who rules over all. He is the God of the armies of Israel. He’s the one you have dared to fight against.This day the Lord will give me the victory over you. I’ll strike you down. I’ll cut your head off. This day I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know there is a God in Israel.The Lord doesn’t rescue people by using a sword or a spear. And everyone here will know it. The battle belongs to the Lord. He will hand all of you over to us.”As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet him.He reached into his bag. He took out a stone. He put it in his sling. He slung it at Goliath. The stone hit him on the forehead and sank into it. He fell to the ground on his face.So David won the fight against Goliath with a sling and a stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. He did it without even using a sword.David ran and stood over him. He picked up Goliath’s sword and cut off his head with it. The Philistines saw that their hero was dead. So they turned around and ran away.Then the men of Israel and Judah shouted and rushed forward. They chased the Philistines to the entrance of Gath. They chased them to the gates of Ekron. Bodies of dead Philistines were scattered all along the road to Gath and Ekron. That’s the road that leads to Shaaraim.Israel’s army returned from chasing the Philistines. They had taken everything from the Philistine camp.David picked up Goliath’s head. He brought it to Jerusalem. He put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.Saul had been watching David as he went out to meet the Philistine. He spoke to Abner, the commander of the army. Saul said to him,“ Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied,“ Your Majesty, I don’t know. And that’s just as sure as you are alive.”The king said,“ Find out whose son that young man is.”After David killed Goliath, he returned to the camp. Then Abner brought him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath’s head.“ Young man, whose son are you?” Saul asked him. David said,“ I’m the son of Jesse from Bethlehem.”

Gaza will be deserted. Ashkelon will be destroyed. Ashdod will be emptied out at noon. Ekron will be pulled up by its roots.How terrible it will be for you Kerethites who live by the Mediterranean Sea! Philistia, the Lord has spoken against you. What happened to Canaan will happen to you. The Lord says,“ I will destroy you. No one will be left.”The land by the sea will become grasslands. It will have wells for shepherds and pens for flocks.That land will belong to those who are still left alive among the people of Judah. They will find grasslands there. They will take over the houses in Ashkelon and live in them. The Lord their God will take care of them. He will bless them with great success again.

While David was king of Israel, he won many battles over the Philistines. He brought them under his control. He took Metheg Ammah away from them.David also won the battle over the people of Moab. He made them lie down on the ground. Then he measured them off with a piece of rope. He put two- thirds of them to death. He let the other third remain alive. So the Moabites were brought under David’s rule. They gave him the gifts he required them to bring him.David fought against Hadadezer, the son of Rehob. Hadadezer was king of Zobah. He had gone to repair his monument at the Euphrates River.David captured 1,000 of Hadadezer’s chariots, 7,000 chariot riders and 20,000 soldiers on foot. He cut the legs of all but 100 of the chariot horses.The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah. But David struck down 22,000 of them.He stationed some soldiers in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus. The people of Aram were brought under his rule. They gave him the gifts he required them to bring him. The Lord helped David win his battles everywhere he went.David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer. He brought the shields to Jerusalem.He took a huge amount of bronze from Tebah and Berothai. Those towns belonged to Hadadezer.Tou was king of Hamath. He heard that David had won the battle over the entire army of Hadadezer.So Tou sent his son Joram to King David. Joram greeted David. He praised David because he had won the battle over Hadadezer. Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. So Joram brought with him gifts made out of silver, of gold and of bronze.King David set those gifts apart for the Lord. He had done the same thing with the silver and gold he had taken from the other nations. Those were nations he had brought under his control.Those nations were Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia and Amalek. He also set apart for the Lord what he had taken from Hadadezer, the son of Rehob. Hadadezer was king of Zobah.David returned after he had struck down 18,000 men of Edom in the Valley of Salt. He became famous for doing it.He stationed some soldiers all through Edom. The whole nation of Edom was brought under David’s rule. The Lord helped him win his battles everywhere he went.David ruled over the whole nation of Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people.Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, kept the records.Zadok, the son of Ahitub, was a priest. Ahimelek, the son of Abiathar, was also a priest. Seraiah was the secretary.Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was commander over the Kerethites and Pelethites. And David’s sons were priests.

Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a young Philistine woman.When he returned, he spoke to his father and mother. He said,“ I’ve seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. Get her for me. I want her to be my wife.”His father and mother replied,“ Can’t we find a wife for you among your relatives? Isn’t there one among any of our people? Do you have to go to the Philistines to get a wife? They aren’t God’s people. They haven’t even been circumcised.” But Samson said to his father,“ Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”Samson’s parents didn’t know that the Lord wanted things to happen this way. He was working out his plans against the Philistines. That’s because the Philistines were ruling over Israel at that time.Samson went down to Timnah. His father and mother went with him. They approached the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring toward Samson.Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. So he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as he might have torn a young goat apart. But he didn’t tell his father or mother what he had done.Then he went down and talked with the woman. He liked her.Some time later, he was going back to marry her. But he turned off the road to look at the lion’s dead body. He saw large numbers of bees and some honey in it.He dug out the honey with his hands. He ate it as he walked along. Then he joined his parents again. He gave them some honey. They ate it too. But he didn’t tell them he had taken it from the lion’s dead body.Samson’s father went down to see the woman. Samson had a feast prepared there. He was following the practice of young men when they married their wives.When the people saw Samson, they gave him 30 men to be his companions.“ Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to the companions.“ The feast will last for seven days. Give me the answer to the riddle before the feast ends. If you do, I’ll give you 30 linen shirts. I’ll also give you 30 sets of clothes.But suppose you can’t give me the answer. Then you must give me 30 linen shirts. You must also give me 30 sets of clothes.”“ Tell us your riddle,” they said.“ Let’s hear it.”Samson replied,“ Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they couldn’t give him the answer.On the fourth day they spoke to Samson’s wife.“ Get your husband to explain the riddle for us,” they said.“ If you don’t, we’ll burn you to death. We’ll burn up everyone in your family. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him. She sobbed,“ You hate me! You don’t really love me. You have given my people a riddle. But you haven’t told me the answer.”“ I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied.“ So why should I explain it to you?”