Samson Aware Ne Nʼaborɔme No
1Da bi a na Samson wɔ Timna14.1 Timna yɛ kurow bi a na ɛwɔ Dan (Yos 19.43). Na Filistifo te saa kurow yi mu ansa na Israelfo rebɛfa hɔ. no, ohuu Filistini ababaa bi. 2Ɔsan kɔɔ fie no, ɔka kyerɛɛ nʼagya ne ne na se, “Mahu Filistini ababaa bi wɔ Timna a mepɛ sɛ meware no.”
3Nʼagya ne ne na ampene so kaa no anibere so se, “Enti yɛn abusua yi mu anaa Israelfo yi mu, ɔbea baako mpo nni mu a wutumi ware no? Adɛn na ɛsɛ sɛ wokɔ Filistifo abosonsomfo mu kɔhwehwɛ ɔyere?”
Nanso Samson ka kyerɛɛ nʼagya se, “Kɔyɛ ne ho ade ma me. Ɔno ara na mepɛ.” 4Nʼagya ne ne na anhu sɛ Awurade na ɔreyɛ nʼadwuma, rehwehwɛ akwannya bi a ɔbɛfa so atia Filistifo a saa bere no na wodi Israelfo so.
5Samson ne nʼawofo rekɔ Timna no, gyata ba bi tow hyɛɛ Samson so wɔ beae bi a ɛbɛn Timna bobe nturo. 6Amono mu hɔ ara, Awurade Honhom baa ne so wɔ ahoɔden mu, na ɔde ne nsa hunu waee gyata no abogye. Ɔwaee te sɛ nea ɔrewae abirekyi ba bi abogye. Nanso wanka nea ɔyɛe yi ankyerɛ nʼawofo. 7Samson duu Timna no, ɔne ɔbea no kasae, na nʼani gyee ne ho.
8Akyiri no a ɔresan akɔ Timna akohyia ayeforo no, ɔman kɔhwɛɛ gyata no funu no. Ohuu sɛ nnowa kuw akɔyɛ ɛwo wɔ mu. 9Okotii ɛwo no bi dii wɔ kwan so. Ɔmaa nʼawofo no bi ma wodii. Nanso wanka ankyerɛ wɔn sɛ onyaa ɛwo no wɔ gyata funu no mu.
10Afei, bere a nʼagya reyɛ ahoboa ama awaregye no, Samson too pon wɔ Timna, sɛnea amanne kyerɛ saa bere no. 11Wɔtoo nsa frɛɛ mmerante aduasa a wofi kurow no mu sɛ wɔmmɛka ne ho. 12Samson ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Momma menka aborɔme bi nkyerɛ mo. Sɛ nnanson aponto yi mu, mutumi yi ano a, mɛma mo sirikyitam ntade aduasa ne ntade ahorow bi nso aduasa. 13Sɛ moantumi anyi ano nso a, mo nso mobɛma me sirikyitam ntade aduasa ne ntade ahorow bi nso aduasa.”
Wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ka aborɔme no ma yentie.”
14Ɔkaa no se,
“Nea odidi mu na wonya biribi a wodi;
ɔhoɔdenfo mu na ade dɛɛdɛ fi ba.”
Nnansa akyi no, na wontumi nyii ano.
15Ne nnaanan so no, wɔkɔka kyerɛɛ Samson yere se, “Gye aborɔme no mmuae fi wo kunu hɔ ma yɛn, anyɛ saa a, yɛbɛhyew wo ne wʼagya fi ama wɔawu. Motoo nsa frɛɛ yɛn wɔ ha sɛ morebesisi yɛn ana?”
16Enti Samson yere de su baa ne nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Wonnɔ me. Wotan me! Woaka aborɔme bi akyerɛ me nkurɔfo, nanso wonkyerɛɛ me ase.”
Samson buaa ne yere no se, “Saa ara na mʼagya ne me na nso menkyerɛɛ wɔn ase ɛ. Na adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ meka kyerɛ wo?” 17Enti osu guu ne so bere biara a ɔne no wɔ hɔ. Ɔkɔɔ so saa ara nna a aka na aponto no aba nʼawie nyinaa. Nnanson so no, esiane haw a ɔhaw no nti, ɔkyerɛɛ no ase. Ɔno nso kaa aborɔme nkyerɛase no kyerɛɛ mmerante no.
18Na nnanson so, ansa na owia rebɛtɔ no, kurow no mu mmarima baa Samson nkyɛn bɛkyerɛɛ no ase se,
“Dɛn na ɛyɛ dɛ sen ɛwo?
Dɛn na ɛwɔ ahoɔden sen gyata?”
Samson buaa wɔn se, “Sɛ mo ne ɔfatwafo no antu agyina a, anka morennya aborɔme no nkyerɛase.”
19Afei, Awurade Honhom de ahoɔden kɛse bi baa ne so. Ɔkɔɔ Askelon14.19 Na Askelon yɛ Filisti kurow. kurow mu. Okunkum mmarima aduasa faa wɔn agyapade nyinaa. Ɔde wɔn ntade maa mmarima a woyii aborɔme no ano no. Na Samson bo annwo nea ɛbae no ho yiye nti ɔkɔɔ ne fi na ɔne nʼawofo kɔtenae. 20Enti wɔde ne yere no maa ɔbarima a na odi Samson nan ase wɔ wɔn ayeforohyia mu no aware.
Samson Marries a Philistine Woman
1Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a young Philistine woman. 2When he returned, he spoke to his father and mother. He said, “I’ve seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. Get her for me. I want her to be my wife.”
3His father and mother replied, “Can’t we find a wife for you among your relatives? Isn’t there one among any of our people? Do you have to go to the Philistines to get a wife? They aren’t God’s people. They haven’t even been circumcised.”
But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4Samson’s parents didn’t know that the Lord wanted things to happen this way. He was working out his plans against the Philistines. That’s because the Philistines were ruling over Israel at that time.
5Samson went down to Timnah. His father and mother went with him. They approached the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring toward Samson. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. So he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as he might have torn a young goat apart. But he didn’t tell his father or mother what he had done. 7Then he went down and talked with the woman. He liked her.
8Some time later, he was going back to marry her. But he turned off the road to look at the lion’s dead body. He saw large numbers of bees and some honey in it. 9He dug out the honey with his hands. He ate it as he walked along. Then he joined his parents again. He gave them some honey. They ate it too. But he didn’t tell them he had taken it from the lion’s dead body.
10Samson’s father went down to see the woman. Samson had a feast prepared there. He was following the practice of young men when they married their wives. 11When the people saw Samson, they gave him 30 men to be his companions.
12“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to the companions. “The feast will last for seven days. Give me the answer to the riddle before the feast ends. If you do, I’ll give you 30 linen shirts. I’ll also give you 30 sets of clothes. 13But suppose you can’t give me the answer. Then you must give me 30 linen shirts. You must also give me 30 sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
14Samson replied,
“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
For three days they couldn’t give him the answer.
15On the fourth day they spoke to Samson’s wife. “Get your husband to explain the riddle for us,” they said. “If you don’t, we’ll burn you to death. We’ll burn up everyone in your family. Did you invite us here to steal our property?”
16Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him. She sobbed, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You have given my people a riddle. But you haven’t told me the answer.”
“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied. “So why should I explain it to you?” 17She cried during the whole seven days the feast was going on. So on the seventh day he finally told her the answer to the riddle. That’s because she kept on asking him to tell her. Then she explained the riddle to her people.
18Before sunset on the seventh day of the feast the men of the town spoke to Samson. They said,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
Samson said to them,
“You have plowed with my young cow.
If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have known the answer to my riddle.”
19Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. He went down to Ashkelon. He struck down 30 of their men. He took everything they had with them. And he gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Samson was very angry as he returned to his father’s home. 20Samson’s wife was given to someone else. She was given to a companion of Samson. The companion had helped him at the feast.
