¹Samson went down to Timnah , and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines .

²He came up , and told his father and his mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines . Now therefore get her for me as my wife.”

³Then his father and his mother said to him , “Isn’t there a woman amongst your brothers’ daughters , or amongst all my people , that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines ?”

Samson said to his father, “Get her for me , for she pleases me well .”

⁴But his father and his mother didn’t know that it was of the LORD ; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines . Now at that time the Philistines ruled over Israel .

⁵Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and his mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah ; and behold , a young lion roared at him .

⁶The LORD ’s Spirit came mightily on him , and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat with his bare hands , but he didn’t tell his father or his mother what he had done .

⁷He went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well .

⁸After a while he returned to take her , and he went over to see the carcass of the lion; and behold , there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey .

⁹He took it into his hands , and went on , eating as he went . He came to his father and mother and gave to them , and they ate, but he didn’t tell them that he had taken the honey out of the lion’s body .

¹⁰His father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there , for the young men used to do so .

¹¹When they saw him , they brought thirty companions to be with him .

¹²Samson said to them , “Let me tell you a riddle now . If you can tell me the answer within the seven days of the feast , and find it out , then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing;

¹³but if you can ’t tell me the answer, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”

They said to him , “Tell us your riddle , that we may hear it .”

¹⁴He said to them ,

“Out of the eater came out food .

Out of the strong came out sweetness .”

They couldn’t in three days declare the riddle .

¹⁵On the seventh day , they said to Samson ’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle , lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you called us to impoverish us ? Isn’t that so ?”

¹⁶Samson ’s wife wept before him , and said, “You just hate me , and don’t love me . You ’ve told a riddle to the children of my people , and haven’t told it to me .”

He said to her , “Behold , I haven’t told my father or my mother, so why should I tell you ?”

¹⁷She wept before him the seven days , while their feast lasted ; and on the seventh day , he told her , because she pressed him severely; and she told the riddle to the children of her people .

¹⁸The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey ? What is stronger than a lion?”

He said to them ,

“If you hadn’t ploughed with my heifer ,

you wouldn’t have found out my riddle .”

¹⁹The LORD ’s Spirit came mightily on him , and he went down to Ashkelon and struck thirty men of them . He took their plunder, then gave the changes of clothing to those who declared the riddle . His anger burnt , and he went up to his father’s house .

²⁰But Samson ’s wife was given to his companion , who had been his friend .