The Birth of Samson

1 And the people of Israel ^yagain did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the ^zPhilistines for forty years.

4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time ^rthe Philistines ruled over Israel.

11 Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that ^athe Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”