Samson and Delilah
Samson is set apart from birth by a Nazirite vow — no wine, no contact with the dead, and no razor on his head — and his story is a long account of a man breaking every part of it except the last.
The Philistine lords pay Delilah to find the source of his strength. Three times he lies to her, three times she springs the trap anyway and he laughs it off, and still he tells her the truth on the fourth. His head is shaved as he sleeps, and the strength that was never really his own departs.
Blinded and set to grinding at Gaza, he is brought out to entertain a crowd at the temple of Dagon. His hair has grown. He asks to be placed against the pillars, prays once, and pulls the building down — killing more in his death than in his life.
Where in scripture
[1] The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. [2] There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless. [3] Yahweh’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. [4] Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing: [5] for, behold, you shall conceive, and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” …
Judges 13:1–25 — opening verses
[1] Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her. [2] The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light, then we will kill him.” [3] Samson lay until midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron. [4] It came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. …
Judges 16:1–31 — opening verses
[32] What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets; [33] who, through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.
Hebrews 11:32–34
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
