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Years later, the Israelites again needed to be delivered from their enemies. An angel of God appeared to the wife of a good man named Manoah and told her that she would have a son. The son was to never drink any wine, nor was he to have his hair cut. This was called the Nazarite vow. So Samson observed the vow and the Spirit of God came upon him. He was very strong. He was so strong that once he fought a battle with only the jawbone of a donkey. He killed a lion with his bare hands, and on one occasion, he carried the big heavy gates of a city to the top of a hill.

But Samson loved a woman named Delilah. His enemies used Delilah to defeat him. They told her if she could find out the reason for his strength, they would give her a lot of silver. He told her three things which were not true. He first told her that he would be weak if they tied him up with new bowstrings, but he broke them. Then he said he would be weak if they tied him with new ropes. But that was not true either. Then he told her to weave his long hair in the loom where they wove fabric, but this did not make him weak.

Finally, he told her the secret of his strength was because of his vow and his long hair. She made him go to sleep and the Philistines came and shaved off the seven locks of his long hair. He was so weak when he awoke, he could not defend himself. They took him prisoner, blinded him, and caused him to work like a slave.

Later when his hair had grown back, he prayed to God for strength again, and was able to push down the building where the Philistines had brought him in to make fun of him. He died along with the Philistines

(Judges chapters 13-16.)