15. “Samson,” Delilah said, “you claim to love me, but you don't mean it! You've made me look like a fool three times now, and you still haven't told me why you are so strong.”
16. Delilah started nagging and pestering him day after day, until he couldn't stand it any longer.
17. Finally, Samson told her the truth. “I have belonged to God ever since I was born, so my hair has never been cut. If it were ever cut off, my strength would leave me, and I would be as weak as anyone else.”
18. Delilah realized that he was telling the truth. So she sent someone to tell the Philistine rulers, “Come to my house one more time. Samson has finally told me the truth.”The Philistine rulers went to Delilah's house, and they brought along the silver they had promised her.
19. Delilah had lulled Samson to sleep with his head resting in her lap. She signalled to one of the Philistine men as she began cutting off Samson's seven braids. And by the time she had finished, Samson's strength was gone. Delilah tied him up
20. and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”Samson woke up and thought, “I'll break loose and escape, just as I always do.” He did not realize that the Lord had stopped helping him.
21. The Philistines grabbed Samson and put out his eyes. They took him to the prison in Gaza and chained him up. Then they put him to work, turning a millstone to grind grain.
22. But they didn't cut his hair any more, so it started growing back.
23. The Philistine rulers threw a big party and sacrificed a lot of animals to their god Dagon. The rulers said:Samson was our enemy,but our god Dagonhelped us capture him!
24-25. Everyone there was having a good time, and they shouted, “Bring out Samson—he's still good for a few more laughs!”The rulers had Samson brought from the prison, and when the people saw him, this is how they praised their god:Samson ruined our cropsand killed our people.He was our enemy,but our god helped uscapture him.They made fun of Samson for a while, then they told him to stand near the columns that supported the roof.
26. A young man was leading Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, “I need to lean against something. Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof.”