Original subtitles

l suppose any woman would love him--

wim, intelligent,

loving.

Most of all, strong.

Tremendous strength, and very clever.

l would say too clever.

He had no way of knowing

what it meant to be...

a regular person.

He was a brave man,

a strong man, a very strong man.

He gave us the slip for a long time,

but we have him now.

As It Was

Samson

Judges 13:1 - 16:31 1150 B.C. - Zorah

Again, the Israelites did evil again in the eyes of the LORD,

so the LORD delivered them into the hands

of the Philistines for forty years.

Judges 13:1

lt all started when my wife,

who's barren...

and l tried for many years to get pregnant.

No go.

We tried all the popular herbs

and remedies--

still nothing.

Manoah Samson's Father

Then one day she comes to me

and says she saw an angel.

An angel of God.

He told her she'd give birth

in nine months

to a boy

who would be a Nazirite-- set apart to God from birth.

He's a fellow Nazirite like me. We can't drink wine

or eat anything unclean,

and we can't cut our hair.

Matania A Hebrew Nazirite

l couldn't believe it-- nine months later,

Samson was born.

From the moment he was born

everyone realized he was special.

He wasn't a regular person.

You want to know how strong he really was?

As a boy he would take much bigger logs than this

and whack-- cut them in half with one blow of the axe.

Sure we had heard of him,

this kid with his abnormal strength.

Talon Philistine Commander

Samson became this hero. His reputation spread

from the Red Sea to the Jordan River.

Why would we care at first?

Just rumors, you know.

But we found the man was very unique.

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.

Judges 14:1

Zilpa Samson's first wife.

l remember the first time.

l was in the fields lying in the sun.

l often go there.

lt's nice and quiet.

So l'm lying there, basking,

when l feel this shadow

blocking the sun.

l open my eyes,

and l see this big man

with the sun behind him

outlining his full hair

and his broad shoulders.

lt looked like the light was coming

from within him, like he was full of light.

When he returned, he said to his father and mother,

''l have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah;

now get her for me as my wife.''

Judges 14:2

My wife and l looked at each other then we asked him,

''So what's wrong with a nice Jewish girl?''

if you don't mind telling us?

He said he knew the score with our girls;

he'd spent a lot of time with them. He just wanted this one

Philistine girl, Zilpa.

We were invited to the wedding,

because my wife knew Zilpa.

l came bearing no prejudice,

even though he was a Hebrew.

l brought two plump sheep.

A little gift.

l didn't want to show off.

On the first day of their wedding, in the middle of the festivities,

On the first day of their wedding, in the middle of the festivities,

Samson, sober as a judge-- he never drank wine--

hushed everyone. As a joke,

he proposed a bet.

l'll bet you 30 linen garments you can't solve this riddle.

Now let's get one thing straight:

l have nothing against riddles, just as long as l know the answer.

''Out of the eater-- something to eat, out of the strong-- something sweet.''

Silence. Not a word.

They were very keen on solving the riddle,

but they couldn't get it.

After two days, it really started bugging them.

We had no alternative but to go to the bride and set her straight--

''Look, we're not going to come off looking like clowns.''

We told her, ''Give us the answer.''

l had no idea. l mean, come on, it was my wedding,

there was a feast, people were partying.

Who cares about a silly riddle?

l really couldn't be bothered.

So we really read her the riot act: ''How dare you invite guests

to your wedding just to humiliate them?!''

What did she reckon people would think of us

when they found out this Hebrew man

made fools of us,

her own blood?

Some things are too important to just let go of.

So l told her,

''Give us the answer or we will kill you.''

...they said to Samson's wife,

''Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us,

or we will burn you and your father's household to death.''

Judges 14:15

Samson told me. He gave me the answer.

And l told the Philistine commander.

l didn't think it was such a big deal.

Here's the story:

My son came across a lion on the road,

a fierce male.

lt pounced on him.

He knocked the lion out with two blows;

then he opened the lion's jaws and tore the beast in two.

He left the carcass lying in the field.

Sometime later, when he passed through there again,

he saw a hive of bees inside the lion's carcass.

That was the answer.

Samson stood there and laughed, ''So have you got my answer?''

l told him, ''Mr. Groom!

Let's see.

What could be sweeter than honey?

And what could be stronger than a lion?''

l never saw Samson so mad. He immediately looked at me,

and l just cringed and prayed

that wind would blow me away.

...Samson said to them,

''lf you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.''

Judges 14:18

lt had to be me, because no one else knew.

He was deeply offended.

So he decided to teach them a lesson. He went over to Ashkelon.

30 men!

He butchered 30 men, stripped them of their clothes,

and he said,

''There, l made good on my word.''

Well, that was our first real confrontation.

That was God speaking.

As a Nazirite, l believe God was working through Samson,

telling us it was time for the revolution.

He was so upset because of this thing,

even after killing those 30 men and taking their clothes.

He couldn't stay there.

So he came back home for a while.

When Samson left, my father decided to marry me off.

l'm young, no kids. It was only fitting.

l resisted at first, but then l said okay,

because Samson obviously wasn't coming back.

Well, one fine day,

after l had remarried and moved on,

l suddenly heard Samson calling me.

l thought, ''Can this be real?''

l rushed to the window, and there he was.

His father-in-law came out and told him,

''Listen, you left for a few months. True?

So l gave your wife to another man.''

My father tried to appease him.

He told him he could marry my sister.

Zilpa was very prem.

Her sister was... well, not so prem.

Samson wasn't buying it.

So he took 300 foxes--

not three, not 30, but 300 foxes--

he attached them together

and then torched their tails.

The foxes ran like crazy through the Philistine's wheat fields

just before harvest.

l'm pleased to say,

it was Destruction with a capital D.

The fields were ablaze.

He caused a tremendous fire in our granary--

our entire crop of wheat. The financial damage was devastating.

He punished them for taking his wife.

He took away their sustenance for that season

and the one after that. The fire decimated everything.

Again, God, using his messenger on earth, Samson,

proved that He was the only God,

which no one could ever question.

You could smell the scorched earth everywhere.

lt was all my fault. He did this because of me.

Because of Samson's love for me,

an entire nation has me to blame for its suffering.

l know that this is it.

The Philistine people will never forgive me.

Never.

So much suffering.

...So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

Samson said to them, ''Since you've acted like this,

l won't stop until l g:,t my revenge on you.

Judges 15:6-7

Samson needed to get out of there fast,

which he did. But he kept drawing them after him.

We received intelligence that he was hiding out at Lehi.

That was my first encounter with Samson.

All l can say is that it was amazing.

(Talon - Philistine Commander) We came to Judea and we told them,

''People, dear people,

give us Samson,

or there will be serious trouble.

He has to answer for his actions.''

(Manoah - Samson's Father) The people came to Samson

and said they had no choice.

They would be destroyed if they didn't deliver him

to the Philistines.

(Matania - A Hebrew Nazirite) Along with all the might and strength,

you could see something very caring

and peaceful in the man.

The Philistines had a huge force waiting for him!

He just sat there smiling.

His smile made me feel safe.

They said to him,

''We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.''

Samson said, ''Swear to me that you won't kill me yourselves.''

Judges 15:12

Samson understood the people's situation.

He told them he would surrender

if they promised not to harm him themselves.

So they tied him up

and delivered him tethered,

like this!

l was certain it would all be over soon,

we'd make him answer for his deeds.

Then suddenly...

...he breaks free of the ropes...

...like they were party decorations!

And he grabbed an old jawbone of an ass that was lying there...

...just a piece of bone...

...and he started mowing my men down!

Everyone there.

lt must have been 1,OOO men.

One single man struck them all down,

bashed in their skulls, broke their limbs--

1,OOO strong! l was afraid for my own life!

That was God,

there inside this huge human body.

You bet l was scared.

This man had supernatural strength!

And when the dust settled, poof-- he was gone.

l was so excited l couldn't sleep for three nights.

l just had to go back to the scene of the battle.

This is the jawbone.

This is what he used,

and actually,

l'm the first man to touch this thing

after Samson used it.

This is the real deal.

He held it in his hands.

l have no idea how he did it.

l got to thinking.

l knew from my own experience that he could strike

1,OOO men with a small jawbone.

What if he formed an army?

lt would be...

a bloody disaster.

So l figure,

''Fine. We have time. We'll wait.''

Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Judges 15:2O

We were still under Philistine rule,

We were still under Philistine rule,

but they didn't mess with us.

After 20 years,

his urges--

well, l'll put it this way:

he had, during those 20 years,

a special lady friend in Gaza.

He was seeing a Philistine woman.

She was publicly known as a prostitute.

We set up an ambush at the city gates

because we knew that was his only way out.

The gate was shut.

And you know what a city gate is, right?

lt's heavy, cast-iron,

stone and marble,

reinforced with steel. It's colossal.

The man came and lifted the thing like it was a paperweight.

He just grabbed it with his own two hands...

...he yanked it up, ripped the lock free...

...hoisted up the gates...

...and carried the gates on his back

up the hill.

And he calmly left.

l could not believe my eyes,

and they've seen a thing or two in my lifetime!

Never anything like this. l know you don't believe it.

Some time later he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek

whose name was Delilah

Judges 16:4

Delilah

l went with my friends

to bathe in the pond.

Samson was there.

He looked like...

he had been on the road

for a long time,

as though he'd been through quite a lot.

He was washing his face and hair.

We looked at one another,

and then he walked up to me.

He introduced himself as Samson,

as if l didn't know who he was.

He fell in love again,

with a breathtaking woman, so they tell me.

Her name-- Delilah.

Name one man who wasn't in love with Delilah.

We all were. A beautiful, charming single woman.

Very independent.

She was truly unique.

We approached her and asked her to work for us

and to help us capture him.

We all knew that Samson had a very distinct weakness--

women were the chink in his armor.

The Philistines decided to exploit that.

We told her we knew of their liaison,

so we asked her to find out

the secret of his strength.

They were quite adamant about it.

''Name your price.''

l asked for 10,OOO shekels.

''lf you deliver the information-- done.''

l know l could have gone for more.

That was enough money

for her to buy herself anything.

l could spend the rest of my days without a care, in peace.

l'd have it made.

So Delilah said to Samson,

''Tell me the secret of your great strength

and how you can be tied up and subdued.''

Judges 16:6

He was lying beside me...

and l asked him

how could such a man's man,

so strong and desirable,

have a secret he couldn't tell anyone?

And how could l discover that secret?

How could l diminish his strength?

Finally, he told me

that if l tied him up

with seven wet cords, he would lose his strength.

l made the arrangements.

l myself made sure

the cords were moist,

and we're talking about ropes that l personally had made

out of the roots of the best trees!

So she decided to try it out.

l tied him up,

and after he was bound really tightly,

l called,

''Samson, the Philistines are upon you!''

and in a flash he tore free of the ropes

like they were cobwebs.

Naturally, everyone was scared to death

and fled the house.

So again she begged him to tell her the truth.

You know, ''lf you love me, why won't you tell me

the secret of your strength?''

l told him l wanted to know

because l loved and trusted him,

and that he was supposed to love me and trust me back.

So he told me if l tied him up with new ropes

that had never been used, then he would be weak.

So again she calls to him, ''Samson, the Philistines are upon you!''

and in a flash he tore free of those ropes too.

That made me mad.

After being lied to for the second time,

l really took offense.

lt now became a challenge.

l asked him, ''ls this all our love means to you?''

She used all her feminine charm.

He told her if she tied his hair into seven braids,

and then pinned them to the wall,

that would do it.

Which also turned out to be wrong.

l was becoming desperate.

With such nagging she prodded him

day after day until he was tired to death.

Judges 16:16

l wanted him to love me

and show me he really cared.

And for the first time, he swore to tell me the truth.

''No razor has ever been used on my head,'' he said,

''because l have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth...''

Judges 16:17

''lf you cut my hair,

l will lose my strength.''

l said to myself, ''How ironic!

All those years

the answer to the riddle was right there before my eyes!''

On the fourth night,

l put him to bed after a good meal.

l knew those were our last

few moments together.

He laid his head on my lap,

and it was my last chance to take in his special features

and the sweet expression on his face.

Having put him to sleep on her lap,

Having put him to sleep on her lap,

she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair...

Judges 16:19

And he looked just like a baby in his sleep,

tender and vulnerable.

l walk into the room and l see him

with his head shaved.

l didn't recognize him at first.

He looked so scrawny, so skinny.

There are two common soldiers holding him,

and he's frightened. He knows it's over!

Before they gouged out his eyes...

he said--

he told me he still loved me.

l gouged out his eyes,

l sent him to jail,

and l made him the wheat grinder of the prison.

And so the circle was completed:

The same wheat he deprived us of

he will now grind in prison,

for all to see.

Then the Philistines seized him,

gouged out his eyes,

they set him to grinding in the prison...

Judges 16:21

l think he wanted to find out

what he was worth without his hair,

without the strength he had been given.

And that was his downfall.

When God gives you something,

you just accept it.

But the hair on his head began to grow again

after it had been shaved...

Judges 16:22

While they were in high spirits, they shouted,

''Bring out Samson to entertain us.''

...Now the temple was crowded with men and women;

all the rulers of the Philistines were there...

Judges 16:25-27

Then Samson prayed to the LORD,

''...remember me. O God,

please strengthen me just once more...

Judges 16:28

Samson said, ''Let me die with the Philistines!''

Then he pushed with all his might,

and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.

Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Judges 16:3O

After Manoah's death,

he was buried alongside Samson between Zira'a and Eshtaol.

Talon miraculously survived

and continued to wage the Philistine wars.

Matania continued his life of religious seclusion,

and chronicled the tales of Samson.

Delilah died along with the thousands of Philistines

who witnessed Samson's degradation.