beams, and the rest of their wooden furniture, and carried them
away on his shoulders, and bare them to the mountain that is over
Hebron, and there laid them down.

11. However, he at length (21) transgressed the laws of his
country, and altered his own regular way of living, and imitated
the strange customs of foreigners, which thing was the beginning
of his miseries; for he fell in love with a woman that was a
harlot among the Philistines: her name was Delilah, and he lived
with her. So those that administered the public affairs of the
Philistines came to her, and, with promises, induced her to get
out of Samson what was the cause of that his strength, by which
he became unconquerable to his enemies. Accordingly, when they
were drinking, and had the like conversation together, she
pretended to admire the actions he had done, and contrived to get
out of him by subtlety, by what means he so much excelled others
in strength. Samson, in order to delude Delilah, for he had not
yet lost his senses, replied, that if he were bound with seven
such green withs of a vine as might still be wreathed, he should
be weaker than any other man. The woman said no more then, but
told this to the rulers of the Philistines, and hid certain of
the soldiers in ambush within the house; and when he was
disordered in drink and asleep, she bound him as fast as possible
with the withs; and then upon her awakening him, she told him
some of the people were upon him; but he broke the withs, and
endeavored to defend himself, as though some of the people were
upon him. Now this woman, in the constant conversation Samson had
with her, pretended that she took it very ill that he had such
little confidence in her affections to him, that he would not
tell her what she desired, as if she would not conceal what she