The Commemoration of Samson, One of the Judges of Israel .

The Commemoration of Samson, One of the Judges of Israel .
On this day also, is the commemoration of Samson, one of the Judges of Israel . The name ofthe father of this righteous was Manoah from the tribe of Dan, and his mother was barren . Theangel of the Lord appeared to her and announced her of his birth, and commanded her not todrink wine nor to eat unclean food all the days of her pregnancy . The angel also commanded herthat no razor should come on his head, for the child was to be a Nazirite (dedicated) unto Godfrom the womb, and that he would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines .When she told her husband about what the angel had said to her, her husband asked God to allowthe angel to appear to him . The angel appeared, and said to him: "All that I commanded your wifelet her observe ." The woman conceived, and gave birth to Samson, and God blessed him and theSpirit of God filled him . At one time, he tore a lion apart as one would tear a young goat, and onanother time, he killed thirty men and burned their fields . The Philistines rose against the tribe ofJudah to fight and seize Samson, but Samson told the men of Judah: "Swear to me that you willnot deliver me to them or kill me yourselves ." They said to him: "No, but we will tie you securelyand deliver you into their hands . We surely shall not kill you ." They bound him with two newcords and brought him to the Philistines, who jumped upon him to kill him . The Spirit of the Lordcame mightily upon him, and the strong cords that were on his arms became as flax that wereburnt with fire, and his bonds broke loose off his hands . He found a fresh jaw-bone of an ass,reached out and took it with his hand and killed a thousand men with it . Then he became verythirsty, he cried out to the Lord and said: "You have given this great deliverance by the hands ofyou servant, and now shall I die from thirst . . . ?" The all mighty God then split a hollow place andwater came out . He drank and his spirit returned, and he survived . When he was in Gaza, thePhilistines surrounded the place and laid wait for him all the night at the gate of the city to captureand kill him . Samson arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate, pulled them up, putthem on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill . The Philistines came to his wife,Delilah, and asked her to entice Samson to find out the secret of his strength . When Samson toldher that the secret was in his hair, for he was a Nazirite (Dedicated unto God) . She told hisenemies, lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man to shave off the seven locks of hairoff his head . She began to afflict him, as his strength went from him . The Philistines took him totheir city, insulted him, and plucked out his eyes .His hair grew again, and his strength came back to him . He went to the temple of their idol, andtook hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple . Samson leaned with all hisstrength on the two pillars and said: "Let me die with the Philistines ." The temple fell on threethousands of the Philistine people and their lords killing them all . So the dead that he killed on hisdeath were more than he killed in his life . He judged for the people of Israel twenty years, thendeparted in peace .To our God is the glory for ever, Amen .