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Judges / Samson's Death and the Fall of the Philistine Temple
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Samson's Death and the Fall of the Philistine Temple

Judges 16:23-31

16
Chapter 16
23 And the lords of the Philistines gathered to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their God and to celebrate. And they said, "Our God has given Samson our enemy into our hand." 24 When the people saw him, they praised their God, saying, "Our God has delivered into our hands our enemy, the one who devastated our land and who multiplied our slain." 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson so he can entertain us." And they called Samson from the house of the prisoners, and he entertained them. And they stationed him between the pillars. 26 Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I can lean against them." 27 And the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And on the roof were about three thousand men and women who were watching Samson's entertainment. 28 Samson called to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, so that I may take one act of vengeance for my two eyes against the Philistines." 29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house stood, and he leaned against them, one with his right hand and one with his left. 30 And Samson said, "Let my life die with the Philistines." And he strained with all his strength, and the house fell on the cultic rulers and on all the people who were in it. The dead whom he killed in his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. 31 His brothers and all his father's household went down, carried him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He judged Israel twenty years.