Judges 14

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Judges 14

1And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the * Philistines.Καὶ κατέβη Σαμψὼν εἰς Θαμναθὰ, καὶ εἶδε γυναῖκα ἐν Θαμναθὰ ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων τῶν ἀλλοφύλων.

2And he went up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Phylistines; and now take her to me for a wife.Καὶ ἀνέβη καὶ ἀπήγγειλε τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε, γυναῖκα ἑώρακα ἐν Θαμναθὰ ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων Φυλιστιῒμ, καὶ νῦν λάβετε αὐτήν μοι εἰς γυναῖκα.

3And his father and his mother said to him, Are there no daughters of your brethren, and is there not a woman of all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Sampson said to his father, Take her for me, for she is right in my eyes.Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ, μὴ οὐκ εἰσὶ θυγατέρες τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου, καὶ ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου γυνὴ, ὅτι συ πορεύῃ λαβεῖν γυναῖκα ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τῶν ἀπεριτμήτων; Καὶ εἶπε Σαμψὼν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, ταύτην λάβε μοι, ὅτι αὕτη εὐθεῖα ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς μου.

4And his father and his mother knew not that it † was of the Lord, that he sought to be revenged on the Philistines: and at that time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι παρὰ Κυρίου ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἐκδίκησιν αὐτὸς ζητεῖ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων· καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι κυριεύοντες ἐν Ἰσραήλ.

5And Sampson and his father and his mother went down to Thamnatha, and he came to the vineyard of Thamnatha; and behold, a young lion roared ‡ in meeting him.Καὶ κατέβη Σαμψὼν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εἰς Θαμναθά· καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος Θαμναθὰ, καὶ ἰδοὺ σκύμνος λέοντος ὠρυόμενος εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῦ.

6And the spirit of the Lord § came powerfully upon him, and he crushed him as he ** would have crushed a kid of the goats, and there was nothing in his hands: and he told not his father and his mother what he had done.Καὶ ἥλατο ἐπʼ αὐτὸν πνεῦμα Κυρίου, καὶ συνέτριψεν αὐτὸν ὡσεὶ συντρίψει ἔριφον αἰγῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλε τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ὃ ἐποίησε.

7And they went down and spoke to the woman, †† and she was pleasing in the eyes of Sampson.Καὶ κατέβησαν καὶ ἐλάλησαν τῇ γυναικὶ, καὶ ηὐθύνθη ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Σαμψών.

8And after ‡‡ some time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees, and honey were in the mouth of the lion.Καὶ ὑπέστρεψε μεθʼ ἡμέρας λαβεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐξέκλινεν ἰδεῖν τὸ πτῶμα τοῦ λέοντος, καὶ ἰδοὺ συναγωγὴ μελισσῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι τοῦ λέοντος καὶ μέλι.

9And he took it into his hands, and went on eating, and he went to his father and his mother, and gave to them, and they did eat; but he told them not that he took the honey out of the mouth of the lion.Καὶ ἐξεῖλεν αὐτὸ εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπορεύετο πορευόμενος καὶ ἐσθίων· καὶ ἐπορεύθη πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἔφαγον, καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι ἀπὸ στόματος τοῦ λέοντος ἐξεῖλε τὸ μέλι.

10And his father went down to the woman, and Sampson made there a §§ banquet for seven days, for so the young men are used to do.Καὶ κατέβη ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ Σαμψὼν πότον ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ, ὅτι οὕτως ποιοῦσιν οἱ νεανίσκοι.

11And it came to pass when they saw him, that they took thirty guests, and they were with him.Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε εἶδον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔλαβον τριάκοντα κλητοὺς, καὶ ἦσαν μετʼ αὐτοῦ.

12And Sampson said to them, I propound you a riddle: if you will indeed tell it me, and discover it within the seven days of the feast, I will you give thirty sheets and thirty changes of raiment.Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Σαμψὼν, πρόβλημα ὑμῖν προβάλλομαι, ἐὰν ἀπαγγέλλοντες ἀπαγγείλητε αὐτὸ ἐν ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἡμέραις τοῦ πότου καὶ εὕρητε, δώσω ὑμῖν τριάκοντα σινδόνας καὶ τριάκοντα στολὰς ἱματίων.

13And if you can’t tell it me, you shall give me thirty napkins and thirty *** changes of apparel: and they said to him, Propound your riddle, and we will hear it.Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ δύνησθε ἀπαγγεῖλαί μοι, δώσετε ὑμεῖς ἐμοὶ τριάκοντα ὀθόνια καὶ τριάκοντα ἀλλασσομένας στολὰς ἱματίων· καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, προβάλου τὸ πρόβλημά σου, καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα αὐτό.

14And he said to them, Meat came forth of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong: and they could not tell the riddle for three days.Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, τὶ βρωτὸν ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ βιβρώσκοντος, καὶ ἀπὸ ἰσχυροῦ γλυκύ· καὶ οὐκ ἠδύναντο ἀπαγγεῖλαι τὸ πρόβλημα ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας.

15And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they said to the wife of Sampson, Deceive now your husband, and let him tell you the riddle, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire: did you invite us to do us violence?Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τετάρτῃ, καὶ εἶπαν τῇ γυναικὶ Σαμψὼν, ἀπάτησον δὴ τὸν ἄνδρα σου, καὶ ἀπαγγειλάτω σοι τὸ πρόβλημα, μή ποτε κατακαύσωμέν σε καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός σου ἐν πυρί· ἢ ἐκβιᾶσαι ἡμᾶς κεκλήκατε;

16And Sampson's wife wept before him, and said, You do but hate me, and love me not; for the riddle which you have propounded to the children of my people you have not told me: and Sampson said to her, If I have not told it to my father and my mother, shall I tell it to you?Καὶ ἔκλαυσεν ἡ γυνὴ Σαμψὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ εἶπε, πλὴν μεμίσηκάς με καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησάς με, ὅτι τὸ πρόβλημα ὃ προεβάλου τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ μου, οὐκ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι αὐτό· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Σαμψὼν, εἰ τῷ πατρί μου καὶ τῇ μητρί μου οὐκ ἀπήγγελκα, σοὶ ἀπαγγείλω;

17And she wept before him the seven days, during which their banquet lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she troubled him; and she told it to the children of her people.Καὶ ἔκλαυσε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, ἃς ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ πότος· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ, καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῇ, ὅτι παρηνόχλησεν αὐτῷ· καὶ αὐτὴ ἀπήγγειλε τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς.

18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? and Sampson said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have known my riddle.Καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνατεῖλαι τὸν ἥλιον, τί γλυκύτερον μέλιτος, καὶ τί ἰσχυρότερον λέοντος; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Σαμψὼν, εἰ μὴ ἠροτριάσατε ἐν τῇ δαμάλει μου, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωτε τὸ πρόβλημά μου.

19And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him powerfully, and he went down to Ascalon, and destroyed of ††† the inhabitants thirty men, and took their garments, and gave the changes of raiment to them that told the riddle; and Sampson was very angry, and went up to the house of his father.Καὶ ἥλατο ἐπʼ αὐτὸν πνεῦμα Κυρίου, καὶ κατέβη εἰς Ἀσκάλωνα, καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐξ αὐτῶν τριάκοντα ἄνδρας, καὶ ἔλαβε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔδωκε τὰς στολὰς τοῖς ἀπαγγείλασι τὸ πρόβλημα· Καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ Σαμψὼν, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ.

20And the wife of Sampson was given to one of his friends, with whom he was on terms of friendship.Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ γυνὴ Σαμψὼν ἑνὶ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἐφιλίασε.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 1*Observe, ἀλλόφυλοι here and elsewhere is rendered Philistines.
• v. 4†Gr. is.
• v. 5‡Or, against him.
• v. 6§Gr. leapt. Heb. חעלח.
• v. 6**Gr. will crush.
• v. 7††Or, the thing was right.
• v. 8‡‡Gr. days.
• v. 10§§i.e. in the original sense of the word, a drinking party.
• v. 13***Gr. changeable or changing robes.
• v. 19†††Gr. them.