6 Delilah went and pleaded with Samson, "Please tell me where your incredible strength comes from, and what can be used to tie you up so you can’t do anything."
7 "If I’m tied up with seven supple bowstrings that haven’t dried out, I’ll become just as weak," Samson told her.
8 The Philistine leaders brought her seven supple bowstrings that hadn’t dried out, and she tied him up with them. 9 Having arranged for men to hide in her bedroom ready to attack him, she shouted out, "Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!" But he snapped the bowstrings like a thread snaps when a flame touches it. So nobody found out where his strength came from.
10 Later Delilah said to Samson, "You’ve made me look stupid, telling me these lies! So now please tell me what can be used to tie you up."
11 "If I’m tied up tight with new ropes that haven’t been used before, I’ll become just as weak as anyone else," he told her.
12 So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up with them. She shouted out, "Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!" As before, men were hiding in her bedroom. But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thin threads.
13 Delilah said to Samson, "You keep on making me look stupid, telling me these lies! Just tell me what can be used to tie you up!"
"If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the web on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as anyone else," he told her. So while he was asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, weaving them into the web, 14 and tightening the pin. She shouted out, "Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!" But Samson woke up and ripped out both the pin and the web from the loom.16:14. The Hebrew of this and the following verse appears damaged. Septuagint reading used.