Ok settling this [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] thing. No where in the verses does it say she took money to ‘be free’ (from what I might ask) or that he forced her to be with him or anything. There’s a lot of inferring going on on [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] and other peoples parts. The fact is it says “he fell in love with her, then the Philistines asked her to find out how to make him weak, so she did, then she was angry when he lied so he wouldn’t be killed, then she asked “If you really loved me you would tell me how to tie you up and subdue you” and because he really did love her, he told her. She promptly betrayed his love and his eyes were gouged out”
4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the [name_f]Valley[/name_f] of Sorek whose name was [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels[a] of silver.”
6 So [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] said to [name_m]Samson[/name_m], “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 [name_m]Samson[/name_m] answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “[name_m]Samson[/name_m], the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Then [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] said to [name_m]Samson[/name_m], “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”
11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
12 So [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “[name_m]Samson[/name_m], the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13 [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] then said to [name_m]Samson[/name_m], “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and[b] tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “[name_m]Samson[/name_m], the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15 Then she said to him, “[name_m]How[/name_m] can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[c] And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “[name_m]Samson[/name_m], the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] had left him.
21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.
So there was no “him forcing himself on her” there was no “gold to be free” because there was nothing to be free from. He loved her, they had a relationship, she betrayed him cause she felt like it. Sorry, I just don’t want any more arguing.
(I need that crying like crazy smiley now…)