Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines
1Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.” But her father would not let him go in.
2“I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”
3Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” 4So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.
6When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.”
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. 7Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” 8He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.
9The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight us?”
“We have come to take Samson prisoner,” they answered, “to do to him as he did to us.”
11Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?”
He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.”
12They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.”
13“Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
16Then Samson said,
“With a donkey’s jawbone
I have made donkeys of them.15:16 Or made a heap or two; the Hebrew for donkey sounds like the Hebrew for heap.
With a donkey’s jawbone
I have killed a thousand men.”
17When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.15:17 Ramath Lehi means jawbone hill.
18Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore,15:19 En Hakkore means caller’s spring. and it is still there in Lehi.
20Samson led15:20 Traditionally judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Samson Aweretɔ Wɔ Filistifoɔ So
1Akyire yi, ayuotwaberɛ mu no, Samson faa abirekyie ba sɛ ɔde rekɔkyɛ ne yere. Ɔpɛɛ sɛ anka ɔkɔda ne nkyɛn nanso, ɔbaa no agya amma no mu ɛkwan.
2Ɔbaa no agya no kaa sɛ, “Medwenee sɛ na wotan no, ɛno enti, mede no ama ɔbarima a na ɔdi wʼanan ase wɔ mo ayeforɔhyia mu no. Nanso, hwɛ ne nuabaa ho yɛ fɛ sen no. Ware no si anan.”
3Samson kaa sɛ, “Saa ɛberɛ yi, obiara rentumi mmɔ me soboɔ wɔ biribiara a merebɛyɛ mo Filistifoɔ ho.” 4Afei ɔfiri hɔ kɔeɛ, kɔkyeree asakraman ahasa. Ɔkyekyeree sakraman mmienu mmienu dua bɔɔ ho. Mmienu biara nso, ɔkyekyeree ogyatɛn fam ho. 5Ɔsɔɔ ogyatɛn no na ɔmaa asakraman no tuu mmirika faa Filistifoɔ mfuo mu. Ɔhyee wɔn ayuo nyinaa pasaa; deɛ wɔahyehyɛ no apa so ne deɛ wɔnntwaeɛ nyinaa. Ɔsɛee wɔn bobefuo ne ngo nnua nyinaa.
6Filistifoɔ no bisaa sɛ, “Na hwan na ɔyɛɛ saa amumuyɛ yi?” Wɔn ara buaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ Samson ɛfiri sɛ, nʼase barima a ɔfiri Timna de Samson yere ama ɔbarima a na ɔdi ne nan ase wɔ wɔn ayeforɔhyia mu no awadeɛ.” Enti, Filistifoɔ kɔkyeree ɔbaa no ne nʼagya hyee wɔn ma wɔwuiɛ.
7Samson suaee sɛ, “Esiane deɛ moayɛ yi enti, mɛtua mo so ka na merennyae ara da kɔsi sɛ me bo bɛtɔ me yam!” 8Enti, ɔde abufuo kɔto hyɛɛ Filistifoɔ no so kunkumm wɔn mu bebree. Afei, ɔkɔtenaa ɔbodan bi a ɛwɔ ɔbotan bi mu wɔ Etam.
9Filistifoɔ no nso kyeree sraban wɔ Yuda sɛee Lehi kuro no de tuaa ne so ka. 10Yuda mmarima bisaa Filistifoɔ no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na moto hyɛ yɛn so saa?”
Filistifoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Yɛaba sɛ yɛrebɛkyere Samson. Deɛ ɔyɛɛ yɛn no, yɛrebɛtua no so ka.” 11Enti, Yudafoɔ mpensa kɔɔ ɔbodan a ɛwɔ ɔbotan mu wɔ Etam no sɛ wɔrekɔkyere Samson. Wɔka kyerɛɛ Samson sɛ, “Wonnim sɛ Filistifoɔ na wɔdi yɛn so? Ɛdeɛn na woreyɛ yɛn yi?”
Nanso, Samson buaa wɔn sɛ, “Deɛ wɔyɛɛ me no na metuaa wɔn so ka.”
12Nanso, Yuda mmarima ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Yɛaba sɛ yɛrebɛkyekyere wo na yɛde wo akɔma Filistifoɔ.”
Samson kaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, nanso, monhyɛ me bɔ sɛ mo ankasa deɛ, morenkum me.”
13Wɔbuaa sɛ, “Yɛbɛkyekyere wo de wo akɔma Filistifoɔ. Yɛrenkum wo.” Enti, wɔde ahoma foforɔ mmienu guu ne so kyekyeree no pampee, twee no firii ɔbotan no mu.
14Samson duruu Lehi no, Filistifoɔ no bɔɔ ose. Na Awurade Honhom tumi mu ahoɔden baa Samson so. Ɔtetee nhoma a ɛgu ne nsa so no mu te sɛ nhoma nketewa bi a ogya aka, maa ne nyinaa tete firii nʼabakɔn guu fam. 15Afei, ɔmaa afunumu apantan bi a na ɛda fam so de kunkumm Filistifoɔ apem. 16Na Samson kaa sɛ,
“Mede afunumu apantan,
Ahɔre wɔn sɛ esie!
Mede afunumu apantan,
akunkum mmarima apem!”
17Na ɔwiee kasa no, ɔtoo apantan no tweneeɛ. Na wɔtoo beaeɛ hɔ edin Ramat-Lehi a aseɛ ne Apantan bepɔ.
18Ɛbaa sɛ osukɔm dee Samson yie enti ɔsu frɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Wonam wʼakoa ahoɔden so adi saa nkonim kɛseɛ yi. Na enti osukɔm nku me, na mentɔ wɔ saa abosonsomfoɔ yi nsam?” 19Enti, Awurade maa nsuo pue firii tokuro bi mu wɔ Lehi asase so baabi. Na Samson nom bi no, ne ho sanee no. Na ɔtoo hɔ din sɛ En-Hakore, na ɛda so wɔ Lehi de bɛsi ɛnnɛ.
20Samson yɛɛ Israel so ɔtemmufoɔ mfeɛ aduonu ɛberɛ a na Filistifoɔ di Israel asase so no.
