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’s marriage
1Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2When he returned, he said to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.’
3His father and mother replied, ‘Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?’
But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.’ 4(His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)
5Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring towards him. 6The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
8Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast, as was customary for young men. 11When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
12‘Let me tell you a riddle,’ Samson said to them. ‘If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.’
‘Tell us your riddle,’ they said. ‘Let’s hear it.’
14He replied,
‘Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.’
For three days they could not give the answer.
15On the fourth14:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to steal our property?’
16Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, ‘You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve 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 the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
18Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,
‘What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?’
Samson said to them,
‘If you had not ploughed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.’
19Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. 20And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.
