Samson Tutu Gasa Apono
1Ɛda bi, Samson kɔɔ Filistifoɔ kuropɔn Gasa mu, na ɔne ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ bi kɔdaa anadwo no. 2Ankyɛre na kuro mma no tee sɛ Samson wɔ hɔ, enti Gasa mmarima boaboaa wɔn ho ano na wɔtwɛnee kuro no ɛpono ano anadwo mu no nyinaa. Wɔyɛɛ komm anadwo no kaa sɛ, “Adeɛ kye a yɛbɛkum no.”
3Na Samson daa hɔ ara kɔsii dasuo mu. Ɔsɔre sɔɔ kuro no apono no ne nʼaponnwa mmienu mu hodwoo no, na ɔtutuu dadeɛ abaa a ɛda akyire ne deɛ ɛkeka ho nyinaa. Ɔde ne nyinaa guu ne mmatire so, soa de kɔɔ bepɔ bi a ɛne Hebron di nhwɛanimu no atifi.
Samson Ne Delila
4Akyire no, Samson nyaa ɔbaa bi wɔ Sorek bɔnhwa no mu a na wɔfrɛ no Delila. 5Filistifoɔ16.5 Na Filistia yɛ nkurotoɔ enum a aka abom a wɔwɔ ahemfo baanum. ntuanofoɔ kɔɔ ɔbaa no nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Hwɛ sɛ wobɛtumi adaadaa Samson ma wakyerɛ wo deɛ ɛma ɔnya ahoɔden saa ne sɛdeɛ yɛbɛtumi adi ne so, akyekyere no pampee. Na yɛn mu biara bɛma wo nnwetɛbena kilogram dumienu ne fa.”
6Enti, Delila ka kyerɛɛ Samson sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me deɛ ɛma wo ahoɔden saa ne deɛ ɛbɛyɛ a yɛbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee.”
7Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ obi de agyan so nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ kyekyere me a, mɛyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ onipa biara.”
8Enti, Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no de agyan so nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ brɛɛ Delila maa ɔde kyekyeree Samson. 9Saa ɛberɛ yi na ɔde mmarima atɛ wɔ adan a ɛwɔ ne fie no mu baako mu, na ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson, Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!” Nanso, ɔtetee agyan nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ no mu te sɛ ahoma bi a wɔde aka ogya dɛreɛ. Enti, wɔanhunu nʼahoɔden no ahintasɛm.
10Akyire yi, Delila ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wodii me ho fɛ, twaa me nkontompo. Afei, mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee.”
11Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ wɔde ntampehoma mono a wɔmfa nnii dwuma biara da kyekyere me a, meyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ onipa obiara.”
12Enti, Delila kɔfaa ntampehoma mono de kyekyeree no. Saa ɛberɛ no na mmarima no akɔtɛ wɔ dan mu te sɛ kane no. Bio, Delila teaam frɛɛ no sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ aba sɛ wɔrebɛkye wo!” Nanso, Samson tetee ntampehoma no mu firii ne nsa so te sɛ asaawa bi.
13Delila ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wodii me ho fɛ, twaa me nkontompo! Worenkyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee anaa?”
Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ wonwono me tirinwi mmɛsa nson no bɔ ntoma bamma a ɛwɔ wʼakurokurowa no mu a, mɛyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ obiara.” Enti ɔdaeɛ no, Delila bɔɔ ne tirinwi mmɛsa nson no 14de bɔɔ ntoma bamma a ɛwɔ akurokurowa no so.
Bio, ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!” Ɛhɔ ara, Samson nyaneeɛ, twee akurokurowa no yii ne tirinwi no firii ntoma bamma no mu.
15Delila sɔm nʼano kaa sɛ, “Wotumi ka sɛ wodɔ me, wɔ ɛberɛ a wonka wo kokoamsɛm nkyerɛ me? Woadi me ho fɛ mprɛnsa, nanso wonkaa deɛ ɛma wo ahoɔden no nkyerɛɛ me!” 16Odwan ne ho adekyeɛ biara kɔsii sɛ afei na wabrɛ no.
17Ne korakora no, Samson kaa nʼahintasɛm kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wɔnyii me tirinwi da, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔde me maa Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni firi awoɔ mu. Sɛ wɔyi me tirinwi a, mʼahoɔden no bɛfiri me mu ama mayɛ mmerɛ te sɛ obiara.”
18Delila hunuu sɛ afei deɛ waka nokorɛ akyerɛ no no, ɔsoma kɔfrɛɛ Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no sɛ, “Mommra bio, ɛfiri sɛ waka biribiara akyerɛ me.” Enti, Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no sane wɔn akyi kɔfaa sika no baeɛ. 19Delila dɛfɛdɛfɛɛ Samson ma ɔdaeɛ a, ne ti da ne srɛ so. Ɔfrɛɛ ɔbarima bi baeɛ ma ɔbɛyii ne tirinwi sɛdeɛ ne kyere no bɛyɛ yie. Na nʼahoɔden no firii ne mu. 20Afei, ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!”
Ɔnyaneeɛ no, ɔkaa wɔ ne tirim sɛ, “Mɛyɛ sɛdeɛ kane no na meyɛ no mɛwoso me ho agye me ho.” Nanso na ɔnnim sɛ Awurade afiri ne mu.
21Na Filistifoɔ no kyeree no, tutuu nʼani. Wɔde no kɔɔ Gasa na wɔguu no kɔbere mfrafraeɛ mpokyerɛ ma ɔyamm atokoɔ wɔ nnedua fie. 22Nanso, ankyɛre na ne tirinwi no hyɛɛ aseɛ fuiɛ.
Samson Nkonimdie A Ɛdi Akyire
23Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ hyɛɛ fa kɛseɛ bi, bɔɔ afɔdeɛ maa wɔn nyame Dagon dii ahurisie kaa sɛ, “Yɛn nyame de Samson a ɔyɛ yɛn ɔtamfoɔ no ahyɛ yɛn nsam!”
24Ɛberɛ a nnipa no hunuu no no, wɔkamfoo wɔn nyame kaa sɛ,
“Yɛn nyame de yɛn ɔtamfoɔ
ahyɛ yɛn nsam;
deɛ ɔkunkumm yɛn mu bebree no
yɛn nsa aka no!”
25Nnipa no boroo nsã kakra no, wɔhyɛɛ sɛ, “Momfa Samson mmra na ɔmmɛgye yɛn ani.” Enti, wɔyii Samson firii nnedua fie. Wɔde no gyinaa asɔredan no mfimfini wɔ adum mmienu a ɛkura ɛdan no mmɔsoɔ no ntam.
26Samson ka kyerɛɛ ɔsomfoɔ a ɔkura ne nsa rekyerɛ no kwan no sɛ, “Ma memfa me nsa nsosɔ adum mmienu no mu, na mennye mʼahome.” 27Na nnipa ahyɛ asɔrefie hɔ ma tɔ. Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no nyinaa wɔ hɔ bi. Na ɛdan no so mmɔsoɔ no nso na mmarima ne mmaa bɛyɛ mpensa wɔ so a wɔrehwɛ Samson na wɔredi ne ho fɛ.
28Na Samson su frɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Ao Otumfoɔ Awurade, kae me bio. Ao Onyankopɔn, mesrɛ wo ma me ahoɔden bio na mentua Filistifoɔ so ka wɔ mʼani a wɔatutu no so.” 29Afei Samson sosɔɔ adum mmienu a ɛwɔ asɔrefie no mfimfini no mu. Ɔde nʼahoɔden nyinaa piaeɛ. 30Samson bɔɔ mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ma me ne Filistifoɔ no nwu.” Na asɔrefie no dwiri guu Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no ne nnipa no nyinaa so. Enti, ɔkumm nnipa bebree sene dodoɔ a ɔkumm wɔn ɛberɛ a na ɔte ase no.
31Akyire yi, ne nuammarima ne nʼabusuafoɔ a wɔaka kɔfaa no. Wɔde no kɔɔ ne kurom kɔsiee no wɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam, baabi a wɔsiee nʼagya Manoa hɔ. Samson dii Israelfoɔ so ɔtemmufoɔ mfeɛ aduonu.
Samson and Delilah
1One day Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place. They hid and waited for him at the city gate all night long. They didn’t make any move against him during the night. They said, “Let’s wait until the sun comes up. Then we’ll kill him.”
3But Samson stayed there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up. He took hold of the doors of the city gate. He also took hold of the two doorposts. He tore them loose, together with their metal bar. He picked them up and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
4Some time later, Samson fell in love again. The woman lived in the Valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah. 5The rulers of the Philistines went to her. They said, “See if you can get him to tell you the secret of why he’s so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. Then we can tie him up. We can bring him under our control. Each of us will give you 28 pounds of silver.”
6So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of why you are so strong. Tell me how you can be tied up and controlled.”
7Samson answered her, “Let someone tie me up with seven new bowstrings. They must be strings that aren’t completely dry. Then I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
8So the Philistine rulers brought seven new bowstrings to her. They weren’t completely dry. Delilah tied Samson up with them. 9Men were hiding in the room. She called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the bowstrings easily. They were like pieces of string that had come too close to a flame. So the secret of why he was so strong wasn’t discovered.
10Delilah spoke to Samson again. “You have made me look foolish,” she said. “You told me a lie. Come on. Tell me how you can be tied up.”
11Samson said, “Let someone tie me tightly with new ropes. They must be ropes that have never been used. Then I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
12So Delilah got some new ropes. She tied him up with them. Men were hiding in the room. She called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms. They fell off just as if they were threads.
13Delilah spoke to Samson again. “All this time you have been making me look foolish,” she said. “You have been telling me lies. This time really tell me how you can be tied up.”
He replied, “Weave the seven braids of my hair into the cloth on a loom. Then tighten the cloth with a pin. If you do, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while Samson was sleeping, Delilah took hold of the seven braids of his hair. She wove them into the cloth on a loom. 14Then she tightened the cloth with a pin.
Again she called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” He woke up from his sleep. He pulled up the pin and the loom, together with the cloth.
15Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you’? You won’t even share your secret with me. This is the third time you have made me look foolish. And you still haven’t told me the secret of why you are so strong.” 16She continued to pester him day after day. She nagged him until he was sick and tired of it.
17So he told her everything. He said, “My hair has never been cut. That’s because I’ve been a Nazirite since the day I was born. A Nazirite is set apart to God. If you shave my head, I won’t be strong anymore. I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
18Delilah realized he had told her everything. So she sent a message to the Philistine rulers. She said, “Come back one more time. He has told me everything.” So the rulers returned. They brought the silver with them. 19Delilah got Samson to go to sleep on her lap. Then she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair. That’s how she began to bring Samson under her control. And he wasn’t strong anymore.
20She called out, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!”
He woke up from his sleep. He thought, “I’ll go out just as I did before. I’ll shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the Lord had left him.
21Then the Philistines grabbed him. They poked his eyes out. They took him down to Gaza. They put bronze chains around him. Then they made him grind grain in the prison. 22His head had been shaved. But the hair on it began to grow again.
Samson Dies
23The rulers of the Philistines gathered together. They were going to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They were going to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed our enemy Samson over to us.”
24When the people saw Samson, they praised their god. They said,
“Our god has handed our enemy over to us.
Our enemy has destroyed our land.
He has killed large numbers of our people.”
25After they had drunk a lot of wine, they shouted, “Bring Samson out. Let him put on a show for us.” So they called Samson out of the prison. He put on a show for them.
They had him stand near the temple pillars. 26Then he spoke to the servant who was holding his hand. He said, “Put me where I can feel the pillars. I’m talking about the ones that hold up the temple. I want to lean against them.” 27The temple was crowded with men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there. About 3,000 men and women were on the roof. They were watching Samson put on a show. 28Then he prayed to the Lord. Samson said, “Lord and King, show me that you still have concern for me. Please, God, make me strong just one more time. Let me pay the Philistines back for what they did to my two eyes. Let me do it with only one blow.” 29Then Samson reached toward the two pillars that were in the middle of the temple. They were the ones that held up the temple. He put his right hand on one of them. He put his left hand on the other. He leaned hard against them. 30Samson said, “Let me die together with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might. The temple came down on the rulers. It fell on all the people in it. So Samson killed many more Philistines when he died than he did while he lived.
31Then his brothers went down to get him. So did his father’s whole family. All of them brought Samson back home. They buried him in the tomb of his father Manoah. It’s between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson had led Israel for 20 years.
