And Ruth the Moabitess, who some time Was Mahlon's wife, I've purchas'd to be mine, Still to preserve alive the dead man's name On his inheritance, lest that the same Should in the gate where he inhabited, Or 'mongst his brethren be extinguished: Behold, this day, my witnesses you are. Then all the people that were present there, And elders said, We are thy witnesses: May God this woman thou hast taken bless, That she, like Rachel, and like Leah be, Which two did build up Israel's family: And thou in Ephratah exalt thy name, And through the town of Bethl'hem spread thy fame; And may the seed which God shall give to thee Of this young woman, full as prosperous be, As was the house of Pharez heretofore, (Pharez, whom Tamar unto Judah bore.) So he took Ruth, and as his wife he knew her, And God was pleased, when he went in to her To grant the blessing of conception, And she accordingly bare him a son. Then said the woman, Blessed be the Lord! Bless thou him Naomi, who doth afford To thee this day a kinsman, which shall be Famous in Israel; and shall be to thee As the restorer of thy life again, And in thy drooping age shall thee sustain: For that thy daughter-in-law, who loves thee well And in thy sight doth seven sons excel, Hath born this child. Then Naomi took the boy To nurse; and did him in her bosom lay. Her neighbours too, gave him a name, for why, This son, say they, is born to Naomi: They called him Obed, from whose loins did spring Jesse, the sire of David, Israel's king.

THE HISTORY OF SAMSON

JUDGES, CHAP. XIII.

When Israel's sins th' Almighty did provoke, To make them subject to Philistine yoke For forty years: in Zorah dwelt a man, His name Manoah, of the tribe of Dan; His wife was barren, unto whom appeared The angel of the Lord, and thus declared: Though thou, said he, art barren, time shall come Thou shalt enjoy the blessing of thy womb; Now therefore I entreat thee to refrain From wine, strong drink, and things that are unclean, For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, Upon whose head there shall no razor come: For he to God a Nazarite shall be, And shall begin to set his people free From the Philistine yoke. The woman came And told her husband, she had seen a man Of God: his dreadful look made me, said she, Think him an angel of the Lord to be: But I inquired not from whence he came, Neither did he make known to me his name: But thus he said, Thou shalt conceive a son; Wherefore strong drink and wine, see that thou shun, And have a care that thou be not defil'd With things that are unclean; for why, the child Shall from his separation from the womb, Become a Nazarite, ev'n to his tomb. Manoah then did supplicate the Lord, And said, O Lord, be pleased to afford This favour unto me, to send again The man of God, more fully to explain Thy will to us, that we may rightly know, When this child shall be born, what we must do. And to Manoah's prayer God gave ear, And to his wife the angel did appear Again, as she did in the field retire, At such time as her husband was not nigh her. And she made haste, and ran, and strait declared Unto her husband, that the man appeared Again, whom she had seen the other day. Manoah then arose, and went his way, And when he came, he said, Art thou the man That spakest to my wife? He said, I am. Manoah said, Now let thy words be true; How shall we use the child, What must we do? Then said the angel of the Lord, let her Of all that I have charged her beware: She may not taste of what comes of the vine, Nor may she drink strong drink, or any wine, Nor may she eat of things that are unclean, From all that I have said let her refrain. Manoah said unto the angel, stay With us, till we have dress'd a kid, I pray. But he reply'd, though thou shalt me detain, I'll eat no bread, but if thou dost design A sacrifice unto the Lord, then offer: For ne'er till now, Manoah did discover It was a man of God he spake unto. Then said he to the angel, Let me know Thy name, that when these things shall be perform'd, The honour due to thee may be return'd. Whereto the man of God made this reply, Why askest thou, since 'tis a mystery? So he a kid, and a meat-off'ring took, And offer'd to the Lord upon a rock. And there the man of God did wond'rously, The whilst Manoah and his wife stood by: For as the altar did send up the flame, The man of God ascended in the same. Manoah and his wife stood looking on, And on their faces to the ground fell down. But then the angel did appear no more. Manoah then knew who he was: therefore He said unto his wife, most surely we Shall die, for we the face of God did see. But she reply'd, If God would such a thing, He would not now accept our offering, Or would he have to us these things made known; Or told us, as at this time he hath done. And now, according to the angel's word, The woman bare a son, to whom the Lord Was pleas'd, his blessing graciously to give: She call'd him Samson, and the child did thrive. And lo! the spirit of the Lord began, At times to move him in the camp of Dan.

CHAP. XIV.

Now down to Timnath Samson's steps incline, Where seeing the daughter of a Philistine, He came up and did of his parents crave, That he in marriage might the woman have. Then thus his father and his mother said, 'Mongst all thy kin can'st thou find ne'er a maid; Nor yet among my people, fit to make A wife, but thou wilt this Philistine take, Of race uncircumcised? He replied, Get her for me, for I'm well satisfied. But neither of his parents then did know, It was the Lord that moved him thereto, To seek a way to accomplish his designs, Upon the then o'er-ruling Philistines. Then Samson and his parents both went down To Timnath, and as they came near the town, Among the vineyards a young lion roar'd: Then on him came the spirit of the Lord, And though unarm'd, he rent him like a kid, But he discovered not to them the deed. And he went down, and with the woman treated, And was well pleas'd to have the match completed. And in a while as he returned again To take his wife, behold, where he had slain The beast, he there a swarm of bees set eye on, And honey in the carcase of the lion: He took thereof, and eating, on he went, And to his parents did a part present: And they did also eat, but did not know That from the lion's carcase it did flow. So down his father went unto the woman, And Samson made a feast, as it was common Among young men. The Philistines provide Thirty companions with him to abide And Samson said unto them, now behold, I have a riddle for you to unfold; Which if you do before the seven days' feast Be ended, I will give to every guest A sheet and change of garments; but if ye Cannot declare it, ye shall give to me Full thirty sheets, and thirty changes too. Then said they, What's thy riddle, let us know? And Samson said, The eater sent forth meat, And from the strong there came a thing most sweet. And they could not in three days find it out, Wherefore before the seventh came about, They said unto his wife, Thou must entice Thy husband to discover this device Lest we burn thee, and all thy father's house: Is it not so, that ye have called us To make a spoil? And Samson's wife wept sore, And said, thou dost but hate me, and no more; To put a riddle to my countrymen And not tell't me. And he reply'd again, I have not told my father or my mother, And shall I now to thee this thing discover. And she continually before him wept, During the time the feasting days were kept. And now behold it came to pass that he, By reason of her importunity, Did on the seventh day to her unfold The riddle, which she to her brethren told; And e'er the sun went down on that same day, The Philistines to Samson thus did say, What is more sweet than honey? What more strong Than is a lion? And he said, how long Would it have been, e'er you had understood This thing, had you not with my heifer plow'd? Then came the spirit of the Lord upon Him, and he hasted down to Askelon,