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JUDGES XV-THE GREAT SLAUGHTER

cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.1

17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.2

18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore,3 which is in Lehi unto this day.

20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Chapter 16

1 Samson at Gaza escapeth, and carrieth away the gates of the city. 4 Delilah, corrupted by the Philistines, enticeth Samson. 6 Thrice she is deceived. 15 At last she overcometh him. 21 The Philistines take him, and put out his eyes. 22 His strength renewing, he pulleth down the house upon the Philistines, and dieth.

HEN went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

4 ¶ And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6 ¶ And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray, thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green

'Samson's speech is given as a poetic chant in the Revised Version. Ramath-lehi means "hill of the Jawbone"; En-hakkore means "the spring of him that cried out."

The Night Surprise

BY G. VAN DER GOUWEN, AN ARTIST OF HOLLAND,

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

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"And they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." -Jud., 7, 20.

G

IDEON with his three hundred chosen followers

was bidden by God to make a night attack upon

the vast horde of Midianites. First, however, he went with a single follower to spy upon them in the darkness. He overheard one of the invaders telling his comrades of a dream which foreshadowed Midian's destruction. Thus encouraged, Gideon marshalled his men. They were not to fight. In three equal bands they surrounded the Midianite encampment. Each man had a trumpet and also a flaming light hidden in a pitcher. At a signal from Gideon, each man broke his pitcher and let the light shine forth; and as he did so he blew upon his trumpet, and then cried out with all his strength, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"

The startled foes were thus aroused from sleep amid tremendous clamor. In their confusion they attacked one another, fighting desperately. The huge host destroyed itself. In its flight it was pursued by the Israelites, who gathered from every quarter, eager for revenge.