3Samson lay until midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4It came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.
6Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, Please, in which your great strength lies, and with which you might be bound to afflict you.
7Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. She said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. He broke the cords, as a string of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
