Judges 16

¹ Therfor Dalida spak to Sampson, Y biseche, seie thou to me, wher ynne is thi gretteste strengthe, and what is that thing, with which thou boundun maist not breke? ² To whom Sampson answeride, If Y be boundun with seuene coordis of senewis not yit drye and yit moiste, Y schal be feble as othere men. 3 And the princis of Filisteis brouyten to hir seuene coordis, as he hadde seide; with whiche sche boond him, ⁴ while buyschementis weren hid at hir, and abididen in a closet the ende of the thing. And sche criede to hym, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! Which brak the boondis, as if a man brekith a threed of herdis, writhun with spotle, whanne it hath take the odour of fier; and it was not knowun wher ynne his strengthe was. ⁵ And Dalida seide to hym, Lo! thou hast scorned me, and thou hast spok fals; nameli now schewe thou to me, with what thing thou schuldist be boundun. ⁶ To whom he answeride, If Y be boundun with newe coordis, that weren not yit in werk, I schal be feble, and lijk othere men. ⁷ With whiche Dalida boond him eft, and criede, Sampson, Filistees ben on thee! the while buyschementis weren maad redi in closet. Which brak so the boondis as thredis of webbis. 8 And Dalida seide eft to hym, Hou long schalt thou disseyue me, and schalt speke fals? Schew thou to me, with what thing thou schalt be boundun. To whom Sampson answeryde, he seide, If thou plattist seuene heeris of myn heed with a strong boond, and fastnest to the erthe a naile boundun a boute with these, Y schal be feble. 9 And whanne Dalida hadde do this, sche seide to hym, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! And he roos fro sleep, and drow out the nail, with the heeris and strong boond. 10 And Dalida seide to hym, Hou seist thou, that thou louest me, sithen thi soule is not with me? Bi thre tymes thou liedist to me, and noldist seie to me, wher ynne is thi moost strengthe. 11 And whanne sche was diseseful to hym, and cleuyde to hym contynueli bi many daies, and yaf not space to reste, his lijf failide, and was maad wery til to deeth. ¹² Thanne he openyde the treuthe of the thing, and seide to hir, Yrun stiede neuere on myn heed, for Y am a Nazarei, that is, halewid to the Lord, fro the wombe of my modir; if myn heed be schauun, my strengthe schal go awei fro me, and Y schal faile, and Y schal be as othere men. 13 And sche siy that he knowlechide to hir al his wille, ether herte; and sche sente to the princes of Filisteis, and comaundide, Stie ye yit onys, for now he openyde his herte to me. Whiche stieden, with the money takun which thei bihiyten. ¹⁴ And sche made hym slepe on hir knees, and bowe the heed in hir bosum; and sche clepide a barbour, and schauede seuene heeris of hym; and sche bigan to caste hym awei, and to put fro hir; for anoon the strengthe yede awei fro him. 15 And sche seide, Sampson, Filisteis ben on thee! And he roos fro sleep, and seide to his soule, Y schal go out, as and Y dide bifore, and Y schal schake me fro boondis; and he wiste not, that the Lord hadde goon awei fro hym. 16 And whanne Filisteis hadden take hym, anoon thei diden out hise iyen, and ledden hym boundun with chaynes to Gaza, and maden hym closid in prisoun to grynde. ¹⁷ And now hise heeris bigunnen to growe ayen; ¹⁸ and the princes of Filisteis camen togidere to offre grete sacrifices to Dagon, her god, and to ete, seiynge, Oure god hath bitake oure enemy Sampson in to oure hondis. 19 And the puple seynge also this thing preiside her god, and seide the same thingis, Our god hath bitake oure aduersarie in to oure hondis, which dide awey oure lond, and killide ful many men. 20 And thei weren glad bi feestis, for thei hadden ete thanne; and thei comaundiden, that Sampson schulde be clepid, and schulde pleie bifor hem; which was led out of prisoun, and pleiede bifor hem; and thei maden hym stonde bitwixe twei pileris. 21 And he seide to the child gouernynge hise steppis, Suffre thou me, that Y touche the pilers on whiche al the hows stondith, that Y be bowid on tho, and reste a litil. ²² Sotheli the hows was ful of men and of wymmen, and the princes of the Filisteis weren there, and aboute thre thousynde of euer either kynde, biholdynge fro the roof and the soler Sampson pleynge. 23 And whanne the Lord was inwardli clepid, he seide, My Lord God, haue mynde on me, and, my God, yelde thou now to me the formere strengthe, that Y venge me of myn enemyes, and that Y resseyue o veniaunce for the los of tweyne iyen. ²⁴ And he took bothe pilers, on whiche the hows stood, and he helde the oon of tho in the riythond, and the tother in the left hond; and seide, ²⁵ My lijf die with Filesteis! And whanne the pileris weren schakun togidere strongli, the hows felde on alle the princes, and on the tother multitude, that was there; and he diynge killide many moo, than he quyk hadde slayn bifore. ²⁶ Forsothe hise britheren and al the kinrede camen doun, and token his bodi, and birieden bitwixe Saraa and Escahol, in the sepulcre of his fadir Manue; and he demyde Israel twenti yeer. ²⁸ In that tyme was a man, Mycas bi name, of the hil of Effraym. 29 And he seide to his modir, Lo! Y haue a thousynde and an hundrid platis of siluer, whiche thou departidist to thee, and on whiche thou sworist, while Y herde, and tho ben at me. To whom sche answeride, Blessid be my sone of the Lord. ³⁰ Therefor he yeldide tho to his modir; and sche seide to hym, Y halewide and avowide this siluer to the Lord, that my sone resseyue of myn hond, and make a grauun ymage and a yotun ymage; and now I yyue it to thee. 31 Therfor he yeldide to his modir; and sche took twei hundryd platis of siluer, and yaf tho to a werk man of siluer, that he schulde make of tho a grauun ymage and yotun, that was in `the hows of Mycas.