So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried and they tied him up with them.

He seized the leaders<n id="1" /> of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then &#8220;threshed&#8221; the men of Succoth with them.<n id="2" />

They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous<n id="1" /> men as his followers.<n id="2" />

He said to her, &#8220;If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used,<n id="1" /> I will become weak and be just like any other man.&#8221;

So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, &#8220;The Philistines are here,<n id="1" /> Samson!&#8221; (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.)<n id="2" /> But he tore the ropes<n id="3" /> from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.p>

<p class="bodytext">The Benjaminites did as instructed.<n id="1" /> They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives.<n id="2" /> They went home<n id="3" /> to their own territory,<n id="4" /> rebuilt their cities, and settled down.<n id="5" />