The Morgan Crusader Bible of Louis IX
or Maciejowski Bible
or The Bible of Shah Abbas

Ms Morgan 638, folio 15v

Morgan Maciejowski Bible f.15v, Detail of panel 3
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Samson in Prison:
Blind and shorn, Samson is led by his captors to prison, where he is forced to grind corn. Around his neck he wears a golden prisoner's collar inscribed with an 'S' and attached to a chain. (Judges 16:21)

Retribution:
The Philistine princes gather to sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate the capture of their greatest enemy. In the meantime, the hair on Samson's head has grown. He is brought to the temple to suffer the taunts and insults of his captors. Strengthened by the Lord, Samson crushes a pillar of the temple, causing the whole building to collapse. In death, Samson is avenged more than a thousand fold. (Judges 16:23–30)

Moving Day:
The tribe of Dan, never having received its rightful inheritance, has gone in search of land to call its own. They choose Laish, a quiet and undefended city, and take it by force. Members of the tribe, baggage in tow, look on as soldiers set Laish on fire and put its inhabitants to the sword. The city is to be rebuilt and called Dan, after the tribe's ancestor. (Judges 18:27–29)

A Kindly Host:
After fetching his disobedient wife from her father's house in Bethlehem, a Levite man is returning to his home in the remote mountains of Ephraim. In the Benjamite city of Gibeah an old man offers the travelers shelter in his own home. The Levite, his wife, and her maidservant all carry pilgrim's wallets and staffs. (Judges 19:17–20)