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 toward 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 plowed 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.
Ìgbéyàwó Samsoni
1Nígbà kan Samsoni gòkè lọ sí Timna níbẹ̀ ni ó ti rí ọmọbìnrin Filistini kan. 2Nígbà tí ó darí dé, ó sọ fún àwọn òbí rẹ̀ pé, “Mo rí obìnrin Filistini kan ní Timna: báyìí ẹ fẹ́ ẹ fún mi bí aya mi.”
3Baba àti ìyá rẹ̀ dáhùn pé, “Ṣé kò sí obìnrin tí ó dára tí ó sì tẹ́ ọ lọ́rùn ní àárín àwọn ìbátan rẹ, tàbí láàrín gbogbo àwọn ènìyàn wa? Ṣé ó di dandan fún ọ láti lọ sí àárín àwọn Filistini aláìkọlà kí o tó fẹ́ ìyàwó?”
Ṣùgbọ́n Samsoni wí fún baba rẹ̀ pé, “Fẹ́ ẹ fún mi torí pé inú mi yọ́ sí i púpọ̀púpọ̀.” 4(Àwọn òbí rẹ̀ kò mọ̀ pé ọ̀dọ̀ Olúwa ni nǹkan yìí ti wá, ẹni tí ń wá ọ̀nà àti bá Filistini jà; nítorí àwọn ni ń ṣe àkóso Israẹli ní àkókò náà.)
5Samsoni sọ̀kalẹ̀ lọ sí Timna òun àti baba àti ìyá rẹ̀. Bí wọ́n ṣe ń súnmọ́ àwọn ọgbà àjàrà tí ó wà ní Timna, láìròtẹ́lẹ̀, ọ̀dọ́ kìnnìún kan jáde síta tí ń ké ramúramù bọ̀ wá sí ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ̀. 6Ẹ̀mí Olúwa sì bà lé e pẹ̀lú agbára tó bẹ́ẹ̀ tí ó fi fa kìnnìún náà ya pẹ̀lú ọwọ́ rẹ̀ lásán bí ẹní ya ọmọ ewúrẹ́, ṣùgbọ́n òun kò sọ ohun tí ó ṣe fún baba tàbí ìyá rẹ̀. 7Ó sì lọ bá obìnrin náà sọ̀rọ̀, inú Samsoni sì yọ́ sí i.
8Lẹ́yìn ìgbà díẹ̀, nígbà tí ó padà lọ láti gbé e níyàwó, ó yà lọ láti wo òkú kìnnìún náà. Inú rẹ̀ ni ó ti bá ọ̀pọ̀ ìṣù oyin àti oyin, 9ó fi ọwọ́ ha jáde, ó sì ń jẹ ẹ́ bí ó ti ń lọ. Nígbà tí ó dé ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn òbí rẹ̀, ó fún wọn ní díẹ̀, àwọn náà sì jẹ, ṣùgbọ́n kò sọ fún wọn pé ara òkú kìnnìún ni òun ti rí oyin náà.
10Baba rẹ̀ sì sọ̀kalẹ̀ lọ láti kí obìnrin náà. Samsoni sì ṣe àsè gẹ́gẹ́ bí àṣà ọkọ ìyàwó ní àkókò náà. 11Nígbà tí ó fi ara hàn, tí àwọn ènìyàn náà rí i wọ́n fún un ní ọgbọ̀n àwọn ẹlẹgbẹ́ rẹ̀ láti wá bá a kẹ́gbẹ́.
12Samsoni sọ fún wọn pé, “Ẹ jẹ́ kí n pa àlọ́ kan fún un yín, bí ẹ̀yin bá lè fún mi ní ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀ láàrín ọjọ́ méje àsè yìí, tàbí ṣe àwárí àlọ́ náà èmi yóò fún un yín ní ọgbọ̀n (30) aṣọ tí a fi òwú ọ̀gbọ̀ hun, àti ọgbọ̀n (30) ìpààrọ̀ aṣọ ìyàwó. 13Ṣùgbọ́n tí ẹ̀yin kò bá le sọ ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀ fún mi, ẹ̀yin yóò fún mi ní ọgbọ̀n (30) aṣọ tí a fi òwú ọ̀gbọ̀ hun àti ọgbọ̀n ìpààrọ̀ aṣọ ìgbéyàwó.”
Wọ́n dáhùn pé, “Sọ àlọ́ rẹ fún wa jẹ́ kí a gbọ́.”
14Ó dáhùn pé,
“Láti inú ọ̀jẹun ni ohun jíjẹ ti jáde wá;
láti inú alágbára ni ohun dídùn ti jáde wá.”
Ṣùgbọ́n fún odidi ọjọ́ mẹ́ta ni wọn kò fi rí ìtumọ̀ sí àlọ́ náà.
15Ní ọjọ́ kẹrin, wọ́n wí fún ìyàwó Samsoni, pé, “Tan ọkọ rẹ kí ó lè ṣe àlàyé àlọ́ náà fún wa, bí bẹ́ẹ̀ kọ́ àwa yóò sun ìwọ àti ìdílé baba rẹ̀ ní iná. Tàbí ṣe o pè wá sí ibi àsè yìí láti sọ wá di òtòṣì tàbí kó wa lẹ́rú ni?”
16Nígbà náà ni ìyàwó Samsoni ṣubú lé e láyà, ó sì sọkún ní iwájú rẹ̀ pé, “O kórìíra mi! O kò sì ní ìfẹ́ mi nítòótọ́, o pàlọ́ fún àwọn ènìyàn mi, ìwọ kò sì sọ ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀ fún mi.”
“Èmi kò tí ì ṣe àlàyé rẹ̀ fún baba àti ìyá mi, báwo ni èmi ó ṣe sọ ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀ fún ọ.” 17Fún gbogbo ọjọ́ méje tí wọ́n fi ṣe àsè náà ni ó fi sọkún, nítorí náà ní ọjọ́ keje ó sọ ìtumọ̀ àlọ́ fún un nítorí pé ó yọ ọ́ lẹ́nu ní ojoojúmọ́. Òun náà sì sọ ìtumọ̀ àlọ́ náà fún àwọn ènìyàn rẹ̀.
18Kí ó tó di àṣálẹ́ ọjọ́ keje àwọn ọkùnrin ìlú náà sọ fún un pé,
“Kí ni ó dùn ju oyin lọ?
Kí ni ó sì lágbára ju kìnnìún lọ?”
Samsoni dá wọn lóhùn pé,
“Bí kì í bá ṣe pé ẹ fi ọ̀dọ́ abo màlúù mi kọ ilẹ̀,
ẹ̀yin kò bá tí mọ ìtumọ̀ sí àlọ́ mi.”
19Lẹ́yìn èyí, ẹ̀mí Olúwa bà lé e pẹ̀lú agbára. Ó lọ sí Aṣkeloni, ó pa ọgbọ̀n (30) nínú àwọn ọkùnrin wọn, ó gba àwọn ohun ìní wọn, ó sì fi àwọn aṣọ wọn fún àwọn tí ó sọ ìtumọ̀ àlọ́ náà. Ó sì padà sí ilé baba rẹ̀ pẹ̀lú ìbínú ríru. 20Wọ́n sì fi ìyàwó Samsoni fún ẹlẹgbẹ́ rẹ̀, tí ó jẹ́ ọ̀rẹ́ tímọ́tímọ́ rẹ̀ nígbà ìgbéyàwó rẹ̀.
