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¹ Samson went downe to Thamnath, and sawe a woma in Thamnath of the daughters of the Philistines:

² And he came vp, and told his father and his mother, & said: I haue sene a woman in Thamnath of the daughters of the Philistines: & nowe geue me her to wyfe.

³ Then his father and mother sayd vnto him: Is there neuer a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, & among al my people, but that thou must go, and take a wyfe of the vncircumcised Philistines? And Samson sayd vnto his father: Geue me this woman, for she pleaseth me well.

⁴ But his father and mother wist not that it was the Lordes doyng, and that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines raigned ouer Israel.

⁵ Then went Samson and his father & his mother downe to Thamnath, and came to the vineyardes of Thamnath: and beholde, a young Lion roared vpon him.

⁶ And the spirite of the Lord came vpo him, and he tare him as he would haue rent a kydde, and yet had nothing in his hande: neither tolde his father and mother what he had done.

⁷ And he went downe, & talked with the woman, whiche seemed well fauoured in the sight of Samson.

⁸ And within a short space after, as he wet thyther againe to take her to wife, he turned out of the way to see the carkasse of the Lion: And beholde, there was a swarme of bees and hony in the carkasse of the Lion.

⁹ And he toke therof in his handes, and went eating, and came to his father and mother, and gaue them also, and they did eate: But he tolde not them that he had taken the hony out of the carkasse of the Lion.

¹⁰ And so his father went downe vnto the woman, and Samson made there a feast: for so vsed the younge men to do.

¹¹ And whe they sawe him, they brought thirtie companions to be with him.

¹² And Samson sayd vnto them, I will nowe put foorth a riddle vnto you: & yf you can declare it me within seuen dayes of the feast, and finde it out, I will geue you thirtie sheetes, & thirtie chaunge of garmentes:

¹³ But and if you can not declare it me, then shal ye geue me thirtie sheetes and thirtie chaunge of garmentes. And they aunswered him: Put foorth thy riddle, that we may heare it.

¹⁴ And he sayd vnto them: Out of the eater came meate, and out of the strong came sweetnesse. And they coulde not in three dayes expounde the riddle.

¹⁵ And whe the seuenth day was come, they sayd vnto Samsons wyfe: Flatter thyne husband that he may declare vs the riddle, lest we burne thee and thy fathers house with fire: Haue ye called vs hyther, to make vs beggers? is it not so?

¹⁶ And Samsons wyfe wept before him and sayd, Surely thou hatest me and louest me not: for thou hast put foorth a riddle vnto the children of my folke, and hast not tolde it me. And he sayde vnto her: Beholde, I haue not tolde it my father and my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

¹⁷ And Samsons wyfe wept before him seuen dayes, whyle the feast lasted: And the seuenth day he told her, because she lay so sore vpo him. And she tolde the riddle to the children of her folke.

¹⁸ And the men of the citie sayd vnto him the seuenth day, before the sunne went downe: What is sweeter then hony? and what is stronger then a Lion? Then sayd he vnto them: Yf ye had not plowed with my heyffer, ye had not founde out my riddle.

¹⁹ And the spirite of the Lord came vpon him, and he went downe to Askalon, and slue thirtie men of them, and spoyled them, & gaue chaunge of garmentes vnto them which expounded the riddle: And he was wroth, and went vp to his fathers house.

²⁰ But Samsons wyfe was geuen to one of his companions that he had taken vnto him.