From: "Friends" 

CHAPTER 16
Judges 16:1
1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
Judges 16:2
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they
compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city,
and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning,  when it is day,  we
shall kill  him.
Judges 16:3
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors
of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar 
and all, and put  them upon his shoulders,  and carried them up  to the top
 of an hill  that is before  Hebron.
Judges 16:4
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of
Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Judges 16:5
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her,
Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we
may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will
give thee every one  of us eleven hundred  pieces of silver. Judges 16:6
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great
strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Judges 16:7
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that
were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Judges 16:8
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs
which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Judges 16:9
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And
she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the
withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire.  So his
strength was not known.
Judges 16:10
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me
lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. Judges
16:11
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never
were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Judges 16:12
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto
him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait
abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms  like a thread.
Judges 16:13
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me
lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If
thou weavest the seven locks  of my head  with the web. Judges 16:14
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be
upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the
pin of the beam, and with the web.
Judges 16:15
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart
is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me
wherein thy great strength lieth.
Judges 16:16
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and
urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; Judges 16:17
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a
razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's
womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go  from me, and I shall become
weak,  and be like any other man.
Judges 16:18
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and
called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he
hath shewed me all his heart.  Then the lords  of the Philistines  came up
unto her, and brought  money  in their hand. Judges 16:19
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she
caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to
afflict him, and his strength went from him. Judges 16:20
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of
his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake
myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. Judges 16:21
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down
to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the
prison house.
Judges 16:22
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Judges 16:23
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a
great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our
god hath delivered Samson  our enemy  into our hand. Judges 16:24
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our
god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our
country, which slew many  of us.
Judges 16:25
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call
for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of
the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set  him between the
pillars. Judges 16:26
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I
may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon
them.
Judges 16:27
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the
Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand
men and women, that beheld while Samson  made sport. Judges 16:28
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I
pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I
may be at once avenged of the Philistines  for my two  eyes. Judges 16:29
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house
stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of
the other with his left.
Judges 16:30
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself
with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the
people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death  were more
than they which he slew  in his life. Judges 16:31
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took
him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the
buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged  Israel  twenty  years.
CHAPTER 17
Judges 17:1
1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. Judges 17:2
2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that
were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in
mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said,
Blessed be thou of the LORD,  my son.
Judges 17:3
3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his
mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD
from my hand for my son, to make  a graven image  and a molten image:  now
therefore I will restore  it unto thee. Judges 17:4
4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two
hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a
graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house  of Micah.
Judges 17:5
5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim,
and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. Judges 17:6
6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which
was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:7
7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah,
who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. Judges 17:8
8 And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where
he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah,
as he journeyed.
Judges 17:9
9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a
Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
Judges 17:10
10 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a
priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit
of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite  went in. Judges 17:11
11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was
unto him as one of his sons.
Judges 17:12
12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest,
and was in the house of Micah.
Judges 17:13
13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have
a Levite to my priest.
CHAPTER 18
Judges 18:1
1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of
the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all
their inheritance had not fallen unto them among  the tribes  of Israel.
Judges 18:2
2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts,
men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land,  and to
search  it; and they said  unto them, Go,  search  the land:  who when they
came  to mount  Ephraim,  to the house  of Micah,  they lodged  there.
Judges 18:3
3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young
man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought
thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
Judges 18:4
4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath
hired me, and I am his priest.
Judges 18:5
5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may
know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. Judges 18:6
6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way
wherein ye go.
Judges 18:7
7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that
were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians,
quiet  and secure;  and there was no magistrate  in the land,  that might
put them to shame  in any thing;  and they were far  from the Zidonians,
and had no business  with any man.
Judges 18:8
8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their
brethren said unto them, What say ye?
Judges 18:9
9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen
the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful
to go, and to enter to possess  the land.
Judges 18:10
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for
God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any
thing that is in the earth.
Judges 18:11
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah
and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. Judges
18:12
12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they
called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind
Kirjathjearim.
Judges 18:13
13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
Judges 18:14
14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish,
and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an
ephod, and teraphim,  and a graven image,  and a molten image?  now
therefore consider  what ye have to do.
Judges 18:15
15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the
Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. Judges 18:16
16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were
of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. Judges 18:17
17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in
thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and
the molten image: and the priest  stood  in the entering  of the gate  with
the six  hundred  men  that were appointed  with weapons  of war. Judges
18:18
18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the
ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto
them, What do ye?
Judges 18:19
19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth,
and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee
to be a priest unto the house of one  man,  or that thou be a priest  unto
a tribe  and a family  in Israel?
Judges 18:20
20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the
teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. Judges
18:21
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and
the carriage before them.
Judges 18:22
22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were
in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook
the children of Dan.
Judges 18:23
23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces,
and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a
company? Judges 18:24
24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest,
and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say
unto me, What aileth thee?
Judges 18:25
25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among
us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the
lives of thy household.
Judges 18:26
26 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they
were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. Judges
18:27
27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he
had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and
they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt  the city  with fire.
Judges 18:28
28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had
no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob.
And they built a city, and dwelt therein. Judges 18:29
29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their
father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish 
at the first.
Judges 18:30
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son
of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe
of Dan  until the day  of the captivity  of the land. Judges 18:31
31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time
that the house of God was in Shiloh.

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