Samson Gets Even With the Philistines
1Later on, Samson went to visit his wife. He took a young goat with him. He went at the time the wheat was being gathered. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.” But her father wouldn’t let him go in.
2Her father said, “I was sure you hated her. So I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful? Take her instead.”
3Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines. I’m going to hurt them badly.” 4So he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied them in pairs by their tails. Then he tied a torch to each pair of tails. 5He lit the torches. He let the foxes loose in the fields of grain that belonged to the Philistines. He burned up the grain that had been cut and stacked. He burned up the grain that was still growing. He also burned up the vineyards and olive trees.
6The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” They were told, “Samson did. He’s the son-in-law of the man from Timnah. Samson did it because his wife was given to his companion.”
So the Philistines went up and burned the woman and her father to death. 7Samson said to the Philistines, “Is that how you act? Then I promise I won’t stop until I pay you back.” 8He struck them down with heavy blows. He killed many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave. It was in the rock of Etam.
9The Philistines went up and camped in Judah. They spread out near Lehi. 10The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight against us?”
“We’ve come to take Samson as our prisoner,” they answered. “We want to do to him what he did to us.”
11Then 3,000 men from Judah went to get Samson. They went down to the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, “Don’t you realize the Philistines are ruling over us? What have you done to us?”
Samson answered, “I only did to them what they did to me.”
12The men of Judah said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up. We’re going to hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson said, “Promise me you won’t kill me yourselves.”
13“We agree,” they answered. “We’ll only tie you up and hand you over to them. We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes. They led him up from the rock. 14Samson approached Lehi. The Philistines came toward him shouting. Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. The ropes on his arms became like burned thread. They dropped off his hands. 15He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men.
16Then Samson said,
“By using a donkey’s jawbone
I’ve made them look like donkeys.
By using a donkey’s jawbone
I’ve struck down 1,000 men.”
17Samson finished speaking. Then he threw the jawbone away. That’s why the place was called Ramath Lehi.
18Samson was very thirsty. So he cried out to the Lord. He said, “You have helped me win this great battle. Do I have to die of thirst now? Must I fall into the power of people who haven’t even been circumcised? They aren’t your people.” 19Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi. Water came out of it. When Samson drank the water, his strength returned. He felt as good as new. So the spring was called En Hakkore. It’s still there in Lehi.
20Samson led Israel for 20 years. In those days the Philistines were in the land.
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.
