²⁴ So the woman bore a son and called his name ^(A)Samson; and ^(B)the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. ^25 (C)And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at ^[a]Mahaneh Dan ^(D)between Zorah and ^(E)Eshtaol.

Samson’s Philistine Wife

14 Now Samson went down ^(F)to Timnah, and ^(G)saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ² So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, ^(H)get her for me as a wife.”

³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of ^(I)your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the ^(J)uncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for ^[b]she pleases me well.”

⁴ But his father and mother did not know that it was ^(K)of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time ^(L)the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

⁵ So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah.

Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. ⁶ And ^(M)the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.