If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my b...  Read More

The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What about this awful crime that was committed among you? Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel."But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.  . . . At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns...  Read More

In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite . . . took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.   . . . She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem . . .  After she had been there for four months, her husband went to her to persuade her to return. . . . Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman's father, said . . .  "Spend ...  Read More

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. . . . When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place.The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph over my enemies.It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. I was pushed back and about to fall, but...  Read More

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  . . . The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. . . . "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I wi...  Read More

But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands." . . . While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them...  Read More

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of ...  Read More

Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men." When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory.  Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"Then G...  Read More

The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. The people of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?" "We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us." Then three thousand men from Judah went down . . . and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us?  . . .  We've come to tie you up and hand you over t...  Read More

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him . . . Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."   . . . Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mothe...  Read More

Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the man who talked to my wife?" . . . So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy's life and work?"The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or fermented dr...  Read More

Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. But he said to me, 'You will become pregnant and have a son. . .'" Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "Pardon your servant, LORD.  I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring...  Read More