1But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. 2And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.15.2 take…: Heb. let her be thine
3¶ And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.15.3 more…: or, blameless from the Philistines though, etc 4And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.15.4 firebrands: or, torches 5And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
6¶ Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
7¶ And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. 8And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
9¶ Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 10And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 11Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.15.11 went: Heb. went down 12And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 13And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
14¶ And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.15.14 loosed: Heb. were melted 15And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.15.15 new: Heb. moist 16And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.15.16 heaps upon…: Heb. an heap, two heaps 17And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.15.17 Ramath-lehi: that is, the lifting up of the jawbone, or, casting away of the jawbone
18¶ And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? 19But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.15.19 En-hakkore: that is, the well of him that called or, cried15.19 the jaw: or, Lehi, as called in this chapter 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
Ang Paghihiganti ni Samson sa mga Filisteo
1Panahon ng tag-ani noon, dumalaw si Samson sa kanyang asawa na may dalang batang kambing. Sinabi ni Samson sa biyenan niyang lalaki, “Papasok po ako sa kwarto ng asawa ko.” Pero hindi pumayag ang biyenan niya. 2Sinabi ng kanyang biyenan, “Akala ko kinasusuklaman mo na siya, kaya ibinigay ko siya sa kaibigan15:2 kaibigan: o, abay na lalaki. mo. Kung gusto mo, nandiyan ang kapatid niyang mas maganda pa sa kanya. Siya na lang ang pakasalan mo.”
3Sinabi ni Samson, “Sa ginawa nʼyong ito, huwag nʼyo akong sisisihin kapag may ginawa ako sa inyo, mga Filisteo.” 4Kaya umalis si Samson at humuli ng 300 asong-gubat. Pinagbuhol-buhol niya ang buntot ng mga ito ng tig-dadalawa at nilagyan ng sulo. 5Sinindihan niya ang mga sulo at pinakawalan ang mga asong-gubat sa mga trigo ng mga Filisteo. Nasunog ang lahat ng trigo, hindi lang ang nakatali kundi pati na rin ang aanihin pa. Nasunog din ang mga ubasan at mga taniman ng olibo.
6Nagtanong ang mga Filisteo kung sino ang gumawa noon, at nalaman nilang si Samson. Nalaman din nilang ginawa iyon ni Samson dahil ipinakasal ng biyenan niyang taga-Timnah ang asawa niya sa isa niyang kaibigan.15:6 kaibigan: Tingnan ang “footnote” sa talatang 2. Kaya hinanap ng mga Filisteo ang babae at ang kanyang ama at sinunog nila.
7Sinabi ni Samson sa mga Filisteo, “Dahil sa ginawa nʼyong ito, hindi ako titigil hanggaʼt hindi ako nakakapaghiganti sa inyo.” 8Kaya buong lakas na nilusob ni Samson ang mga Filisteo at marami ang napatay niya. Pagkatapos, tumakas siya at nagtago sa kweba, sa may bangin ng Etam.
9Nagkampo ang mga Filisteo sa Juda, at nilusob nila ang bayan ng Lehi. 10Kaya nagtanong sa kanila ang mga taga-Juda, “Bakit nilulusob nʼyo kami?” Sumagot sila, “Para dakpin si Samson at gantihan sa mga ginawa niya sa amin.” 11Kaya ang 3,000 lalaki ng Juda ay pumunta sa kweba, sa may bangin ng Etam, at sinabi nila kay Samson, “Hindi mo ba naisip na sakop tayo ng mga Filisteo? Ngayon pati kami ay nadamay sa ginawa mo.” Sumagot si Samson, “Ginantihan ko lang sila sa ginawa nila sa akin.” 12Sinabi nila, “Pumunta kami rito para dakpin ka at ibigay sa mga Filisteo.” Sumagot si Samson, “Payag ako, basta mangako kayo sa akin na hindi nʼyo ako papatayin.” 13Sinabi nila, “Oo, hindi ka namin papatayin. Gagapusin ka lang namin at ibibigay sa kanila.” Kaya iginapos nila siya ng dalawang bagong lubid at dinala palabas sa kweba.
14Pagdating nila sa Lehi, sinalubong sila ng mga Filisteo na sumisigaw sa pagtatagumpay. Pinalakas ng kapangyarihan ng Espiritu ng Panginoon si Samson, at pinagputol-putol niya ang lubid na parang sinulid lang. 15Pagkatapos, may nakita siyang panga ng asnong kamamatay pa lang. Kinuha niya ito at ginamit sa pagpatay sa 1,000 Filisteo. 16Sinabi ni Samson,
“Sa pamamagitan ng panga ng asno,
pinatay ko ang 1,000 tao.
Sa pamamagitan ng panga ng asno,
itinumpok ko sila.”
17Pagkatapos niyang magsalita, itinapon niya ang panga ng asno. Ang lugar na iyon ay tinawag na Ramat Lehi.15:17 Ramat Lehi: Ang ibig sabihin, Bundok ng Panga.
18Labis ang pagkauhaw ni Samson. Kaya tumawag siya sa Panginoon. Sinabi niya, “Pinagtagumpay nʼyo po ako, pero ngayon parang mamamatay na ako sa uhaw at mabibihag ng mga Filisteo na hindi nakakakilala sa inyo.”15:18 hindi … inyo: sa literal, hindi tuli. 19Kaya pinalabas ng Dios ang tubig sa may butas ng lupa sa Lehi. Uminom si Samson at bumalik ang kanyang lakas. Ang bukal na itoʼy tinatawag na En Hakore.15:19 En Hakore: Ang ibig sabihin, Bukal ng Tumatawag. Naroon pa ito sa Lehi hanggang ngayon.
20Pinamunuan ni Samson ang mga Israelita sa loob ng 20 taon. Nang panahong iyon, sakop pa rin ng mga Filisteo ang kanilang lupain.
