Samsoni ndi Delila
1Tsiku lina Samsoni anapita ku Gaza. Kumeneko anaonako mkazi wachiwerewere, ndipo analowa mu nyumba yake. 2Anthu a ku Gaza anawuzidwa kuti, “Samsoni ali kuno!” Choncho anthuwo anazungulira malowo, kumubisalira usiku wonse ku chipata cha mzindawo. Iwo anakhala chete usiku wonse namanena kuti, “Tidzamupha mmamawa.”
3Koma Samsoni anangogonako mpaka pakati pa usiku. Kenaka pakati pa usiku anadzuka nagwira zitseko za chipata cha mzinda ndi maferemu ake awiri, ndipo anazizula zonse pamodzi ndi mpiringidzo womwe. Anazisenza pa mapewa pake napita nazo pamwamba pa phiri loyangʼanana ndi Hebroni.
4Pambuyo pake, Samsoni anayamba kukonda mtsikana wina wa ku chigwa cha Soreki dzina lake Delila. 5Olamulira Afilisti anapita kwa mkaziyo ndipo anati, “Umunyengerere Samsoni kuti udziwe chinsinsi cha mphamvu zake zoopsazi, komanso ndi mmene ife tingamupambanire kuti timumange ndi kumugonjetsa. Ukatero aliyense wa ife adzakupatsa ndalama zasiliva 1,100.”
6Choncho Delila anati kwa Samsoni, “Inu tandiwuzani pamene pagona mphamvu zanu zoopsazi ndi mmene anthu akhoza kukumangirani kuti akugonjetseni.”
7Samsoni anamuyankha kuti, “Ngati wina atandimanga ndi zingwe zisanu ndi ziwiri zatsopano zosawuma, ndidzafowoka ndi kusanduka ngati munthu wina aliyense.”
8Tsono atsogoleri a Afilisti aja anapita kwa mkazi uja namupatsa zingwe zisanu ndi ziwiri zatsopano zosawuma, ndipo mkaziyo anamanga nazo Samsoni. 9Nthawi imeneyo nʼkuti mkazi uja atayika anthu omubisalira mʼchipinda. Tsono anati kwa mwamuna wake, “Amuna anga, Afilisti aja afika!” Koma iye anangodula zingwe zija ngati mmene imadukira nkhosi ya chingwe ikamapsa. Choncho chinsinsi cha mphamvu zake sichinadziwike.
10Kenaka Delila anati kwa Samsoni, “Inu mwandipusitsa ndi kundiwuza zabodza. Chonde tandiwuzani mmene munthu angakumangireni.”
11Iye anati, “Ngati aliyense atandimanga ine ndi zingwe zatsopano zimene sanazigwiritseko ntchito, ndidzasanduka wofowoka ndi kukhala monga munthu wina aliyense.”
12Choncho Delila anatenga zingwe zatsopano namumanga nazo. Kenaka anati “Amuna anga, Afilisti aja afikanso!” Nthawi iyi nʼkuti anthu omubisalira aja ali mʼchipinda chamʼkati. Koma iye anadulanso zingwe mʼmanja ake ngati akudula ulusi wa thonje.
13Ndipo Delila anati kwa Samsoni, “Mpaka tsopano mwakhala mukundipusitsa ndi kumandiwuza zabodza. Chonde, tandiwuzani mmene munthu angakumangireni.”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Ngati njombi zisanu ndi ziwiri za kumutu kwanga utazilukira mu cholukira nsalu ndi kuchimanga molimbika ndi chikhomo, ndidzasanduka wofowoka ndi kukhala wofanana ndi munthu wina aliyense.” 14Choncho iye akugona, Delila analukira njombi za ku mutu kwa Samsoni mu cholukira nsalu nachimanga molimba ndi chikhomo.
Pambuyo pake anati kwa Samsoni, “Amuna anga, Afilisti aja abwera!” Tsono iye anadzuka ku tulo, nazula chikhomo chija ndipo njombi zinachoka mu cholukira chija.
15Tsono mkaziyo ananenanso kwa iye kuti, “Munganene bwanji kuti mumandikonda pamene mtima wanu suli pa ine? Aka ndi kachitatu mukundipusitsa ndipo simunandiwuze pamene pagona mphamvu zanu zoopsazi.” 16Tsono popeza anamupanikiza ndi mawu ake tsiku ndi tsiku ndi kumukakamiza, mtima wa Samsoni unatopa pafupi kufa.
17Choncho anamuwuza mkaziyo zonse za mu mtima mwake nati “Lumo silinapitepo pa mutu wanga chifukwa ndakhala ndili Mnaziri wopatulikira Mulungu chibadwire. Ngati nditametedwa mphamvu zanga zidzandichokera, ndidzasanduka wofowoka ndipo ndidzafanana ndi munthu wina aliyense.”
18Delila ataona kuti wamuwuza zonse za mu mtima mwake anatumiza uthenga kukayitana akuluakulu a Afilisti nati, “Bweraninso kamodzi kano kokha popeza wandiwululira zonse za mu mtima mwake.” Choncho akuluakulu a Afilisti aja anabwera ndi ndalama za siliva mʼmanja mwawo. 19Mkazi uja anagoneka Samsoni pa miyendo yake. Kenaka anayitana munthu wina ndipo anadzameta Samsoni njombi zisanu ndi ziwiri zija kumutu kwake. Pamenepo anayamba kufowoka, ndipo mphamvu zake zinamuchokera.
20Pambuyo pake mkaziyo anamuyitana kuti, “Amuna anga, Afilisti aja abwera!”
Iye anadzuka kutuloko, naganiza kuti, “Ndituluka monga ndimachitira nthawi zonse ndi kudzimasula.” Koma sanadziwe kuti Yehova wamuchokera.
21Afilisti anamugwira ndipo anamukolowola maso. Kenaka anapita naye ku Gaza atamumanga ndi maunyolo achitsulo. Kumeneko anakhala wa pamphero mu ndende. 22Pambuyo pake tsitsi la pa mutu wake, monga linametedwa, linayambanso kumera.
Imfa ya Samsoni
23Tsono atsogoleri a Afilisti anasonkhana kuti adzapereke nsembe yayikulu kwa Dagoni mulungu wawo ndi kukondwerera popeza ankanena kuti, “Mulungu wathu wapereka Samsoni mdani wathu mʼmanja mwathu.”
24Anthuwo atamuona Samsoni, anayamba kutamanda mulungu wawo popeza ankanena kuti,
“Mulungu wathu wapereka mdani wathu
mʼmanja mwathu,
ndiye amene anawononga dziko lathu,
napha anthu athu ambirimbiri.”
25Ali mʼkati mosangalala, anthu aja amafuwula kuti, “Mutulutseni Samsoniyo kuti adzatisangalatse.” Choncho anamutulutsadi Samsoni mʼndende, ndipo anawasangalatsadi.
Ndipo anamuyimiritsa pakati pa mizati. 26Pambuyo pake Samsoni anawuza mnyamata amene anamugwira dzanja kuti, “Ndilole kuti ndikhudze mizati imene yachirikiza nyumba yonseyi kuti ndiyitsamire.” 27Nthawi imeneyi nʼkuti nyumbayo ili yodzaza ndi anthu aamuna ndi aakazi. Olamulira onse a Afilisti anali momwemo, ndipo pamwamba pa nyumbayo panali anthu 3,000 aamuna ndi aakazi amene amaonerera Samsoni akusewera. 28Tsono Samsoni anapemphera kwa Yehova kuti, “Inu Yehova Ambuye anga, ndikumbukireni. Chonde ndilimbitseni nthawi yokha ino, inu Yehova, kuti ndiwabwezere Afilistiwa chifukwa cha maso anga awiri.” 29Choncho Samsoni anagwira mizati iwiri yapakati imene inkachirikiza nyumbayo. Anayitsamira ndi mphamvu zake zonse, dzanja lake lamanja ku mzati wina ndi dzanja lamanzere ku mzati winanso, 30ndipo Samsoni anati, “Ndife nawo pamodzi!” Nthawi yomweyo anakankha ndi mphamvu zake zonse ndipo mizati inagwera atsogoleri a Afilisti ndi anthu onse anali mʼmenemo. Tsono chiwerengero cha anthu amene Samsoni anapha pa nthawi ya imfa yake chinaposa cha iwo amene anawapha akanali ndi moyo.
31Kenaka abale ake ndi onse a pa banja la abambo ake anapita kukamutenga. Ndipo anakamuyika pakati pa Zora ndi Esitaoli mʼmanda a abambo ake, Manowa. Iye anatsogolera Israeli kwa zaka makumi awiri.
Samson and Delilah
1One day Samson went to Gaza, where 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 and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, ‘At dawn we’ll kill him.’
3But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
4Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, ‘See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so that we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels16:5 That is, about 13 kilograms of silver.’
6So Delilah said to Samson, ‘Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.’
7Samson answered her, ‘If anyone ties me with seven fresh bow-strings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.’
8Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bow-strings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9With men hidden in the room, she called to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’ But he snapped the bow-strings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10Then Delilah said to Samson, ‘You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.’
11He said, ‘If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.’
12So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’ But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13Delilah then said to Samson, ‘All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.’
He replied, ‘If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.’ So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14and16:13,14 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew replied, ‘I can if you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom.’ 14 So she tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’ He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15Then she said to him, ‘How can you say, “I love you,” when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.’ 16With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17So he told her everything. ‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.’
18When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, ‘Come back once more; he has told me everything.’ So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.16:19 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and he began to weaken And his strength left him.
20Then she called, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’
He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding corn in the prison. 22But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
The death of Samson
23Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, ‘Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.’
24When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
‘Our god has delivered our enemy
into our hands,
the one who laid waste our land
and multiplied our slain.’
25While they were in high spirits, they shouted, ‘Bring out Samson to entertain us.’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.
When they stood him among the pillars, 26Samson said to the servant who held his hand, ‘Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.’ 27Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ 29Then Samson reached towards the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
31Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led16:31 Traditionally judged Israel for twenty years.
