Day by day Delilah urged him, until "his soul was vexed unto death;" yet a subtle power kept him by her side. Overcome at last, Samson made known the secret: "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man." A messenger was immediately dispatched to the lords of the Philistines, urging them to come to her without delay. While the warrior slept, the heavy masses of his hair were severed from his head. Then, as she had done three times before, she called, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!" Suddenly awaking, he thought to exert his strength as before and destroy them; but his powerless arms refused to do his bidding, and he knew that "Jehovah was departed from him." When he had been shaven, Delilah began to annoy him and cause him pain, thus making a trial of his strength; for the Philistines dared not approach him till fully convinced that his power was gone. Then they seized him and, having put out both his eyes, they took him to Gaza. Here he was bound with fetters in their prison house and confined to hard labor.

Dalila plagede ham nu dag efter dag, til hans sjæl var "træt til døden" men Samson blev draget til hende af en listig magt. Til sidst gav han efter og fortalte hende hemmeligheden: "Ingen ragekniv er kommet på mit hoved, thi jeg har fra moders liv af været en Guds nasiræer; hvis mit hår rages af, mister jeg mine kræfter og bliver svag som alle andre mennesker." Der blev øjeblikkelig sendt bud til filisternes fyrster, at de skulle komme omgående. Mens kæmpen sov, blev hans tunge hår klippet af. Dalila kaldte nu på ham ligesom tidligere og sagde: "Filisterne er over dig, Samson!" Han vågnede med et sæt og ville bruge sine kræfter, som han plejede, for at slå dem ihjel, men hans kraftesløse arme ville ikke lystre, og nu var han klar over, at "Herren var veget fra ham". Da hans hår var raget af, begyndte Dalila at plage ham og gøre ham fortræd for at se, om hans kræfter virkelig var borte. Filisterne turde nemlig ikke komme i nærheden af ham, før de var sikre på, at hans kræfter var borte. Da de var overbevist, greb de ham, stak begge hans øjne ud og førte ham til Gaza. Her lænkede de ham i deres fangehus og satte ham til hårdt arbejde.