1 One day when Samson was in Timnah town, he saw a young Philistine woman there. 2 When he returned home, he told his mother and father, “I saw a young Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want you to get her for me so I can marry her.”

3 His mother and father objected very strongly. They said, “Is there no woman from our tribe, or from the other Israeli tribes, that you could marry? Why must you go to the heathen Philistines to get a wife?”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She is the one I want!” 4 His mother and father did not realize that Yahweh was arranging this. He was preparing a way for Samson to defeat the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at that time. 5 So, as Samson was going down to Timnah, followed by his mother and father, a young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards close to Timnah. 6 Then Yahweh’s Spirit came upon Samson powerfully, with the result that he tore the lion apart with his hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his mother and father about it. 7 When they arrived in Timnah, Samson talked with the young woman, and he liked her very much. And his father made arrangements for the wedding.

8 Later, when Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to see the carcass of the lion. He discovered that after other creatures had eaten all the flesh, a swarm of bees had made a hive in the skeleton and had made some honey. 9 So he scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate some of it as he was walking along. He also gave some of it to his mother and father, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the skeleton of the lion, because anyone dedicated to God was not to touch any corpse.

10 As his father was making the final arrangements for the marriage, Samson gave a party for the young men in that area. That was the custom for men to do when they were about to be married. 11 Thirty young man were invited to the party.

12 Samson said to them, “Allow me to tell you a riddle. If you tel me the meaning of my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give each of you a linen robe and an extra set of clothes. 13 But if you cannot tell me the meaning, you must each give me a linen robe and an extra set of clothes.” They replied, “All right. Tell us your riddle.”

14 So he said,

He replied, “I have not told the meaning of the riddle even to my mother and father, so why should I tell it to you?” 17 She continued to cry every time she was with him, all during the rest of the celebration. Finally, on the seventh day, because she continued to nag him, he told her the meaning of the riddle. Then she told it to the young men.

18 So, before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him,

Samson replied, “You should not force a heifer to plow a field [MET].