⁵ “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor^(A) may be used on their head.^(B) They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.

¹⁷ So he told her everything.^(A) “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite^(B) dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

¹⁹ After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^[a] And his strength left him.^(A)

²⁰ Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”^(A)

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.^(B)