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.
Kisasi Cha Samsoni Kwa Wafilisti
115:1 Mwa 30:14; Amu 13:24; Mwa 38:17; 29:21Baada ya kitambo kidogo, wakati wa mavuno ya ngano, Samsoni akachukua mwana-mbuzi, kwenda kumzuru mkewe. Akasema, “Nataka kuingia chumbani kwa mke wangu.” Lakini baba yake huyo mwanamke hakumruhusu kuingia.
215:2 Amu 14:20Huyo baba mkwe wake akamwambia, “Nilikuwa na hakika kwamba ulimkataa, hivyo mimi nikampa rafiki yako. Je, mdogo wake wa kike si mzuri zaidi kuliko yeye? Mchukue huyo badala yake.”
3Samsoni akawaambia, “Wakati huu, nitakapowadhuru Wafilisti, sitakuwa na lawama.” 415:4 Wim 2:15; Mwa 15:17Hivyo Samsoni akatoka akawakamata mbweha 300 na kuwafunga wawili wawili kwa mikia yao kila mmoja kwa mwingine. Kisha akafungia mwenge wa moto, kwenye mikia ya kila jozi moja ya mbweha aliyokuwa ameifunga, 515:5 Mwa 15:17; Kut 22:6; 2Sam 14:30-31akawasha ile mienge na kuwaachia wale mbweha katika mashamba ya Wafilisti ya nafaka zilizosimamishwa katika matita. Akateketeza matita ya nafaka zilizosimama, pamoja na mashamba ya mizabibu na viunga vya mizeituni.
615:6 Amu 14:20; Mwa 38:24; Amu 14:15Ndipo Wafilisti wakauliza, “Ni nani aliyetenda jambo hili?” Wakaambiwa, “Ni Samsoni, yule mkwewe Mtimna, kwa sababu alimchukua mkewe akampa mwenzake.”
Hivyo Wafilisti wakapanda wakamteketeza kwa moto yeye huyo mwanamke pamoja na baba yake. 7Samsoni akawaambia, “Kwa kuwa mmetenda hivyo, hakika sitatulia mpaka niwe nimelipiza kisasi juu yenu.” 815:8 Isa 2:21Akawashambulia kwa ukali kwa mapigo makuu na kuwaua watu wengi sana. Kisha akateremka na kukaa katika ufa kwenye mwamba wa Etamu.
9Wafilisti wakapanda na kupiga kambi huko Yuda na kuenea huko Lehi. 10Watu wa Yuda wakawauliza, “Kwa nini mmekuja kupigana nasi?”
Wakawajibu, “Tumekuja ili kumkamata Samsoni na kumtenda kama alivyotutendea.”
1115:11 Amu 13:1; 14:4; Za 106:40-42Ndipo watu 3,000 toka Yuda walipoteremka na kwenda kwenye ufa wa mwamba huko Etamu, na kumwambia Samsoni, “Je, hujatambua kuwa Wafilisti wanatutawala? Ni nini hiki ulichotutendea?”
Akawajibu, “Mimi nimewatendea tu kile walichonitendea.”
1215:12 Mwa 47:31Wakamwambia, “Tumekuja kukufunga na kukutia mikononi mwa Wafilisti.”
Samsoni akawaambia, “Niapieni kuwa hamtaniua ninyi wenyewe.”
1315:13 Amu 16:11-12Wakamjibu, “Sisi hatutakuua, bali tutakufunga tu na kukutia mikononi mwao.” Basi wakamfunga kwa kamba mbili mpya. Wakamchukua toka huko kwenye ufa katika mwamba. 1415:14 Amu 3:10; Yos 2:6; Amu 14:19; 1Sam 11:6Alipokaribia Lehi, Wafilisti wakamjia wakipiga kelele. Roho wa Bwana akamjia juu yake kwa nguvu. Kamba zilizomfunga mikono yake zikawa kama kitani iliyochomwa kwa moto, na vifungo vyake vikaanguka chini toka mikononi mwake. 1515:15 Law 26:8; Yos 23:10Ndipo akaona mfupa mpya wa taya la punda, akanyoosha mkono, akauchukua na kuua nao Wafilisti wapatao 1,000.
1615:16 Yer 22:19Ndipo Samsoni akasema,
“Kwa taya la punda
malundo juu ya malundo.
Kwa taya la punda
nimeua watu 1,000.”
17Alipomaliza kusema, akautupa ule mfupa wa taya; na mahali pale pakaitwa Ramath-Lehi.15:17 Ramath-Lehi maana yake Kilima cha Taya.
1815:18 Amu 16:28; Kum 20:4Kwa kuwa alikuwa amesikia kiu sana, akamlilia Bwana akisema, “Umempa mtumishi wako ushindi huu mkuu. Je, sasa nife kwa kiu na kuangukia mikononi mwa hawa watu wasiotahiriwa?” 1915:19 Mwa 45:27; 1Sam 30:12; Isa 40:29; Kut 17:6Bwana akafunua shimo huko Lehi, pakatoka maji. Samsoni alipoyanywa, nguvu zikamrudia na kuhuika. Hivyo chemchemi ile ikaitwa En-Hakore,15:19 En-Hakore maana yake ni Chemchemi ya Aliyeita. nayo iko mpaka leo huko Lehi.
2015:20 Amu 13:1; 16:31; Ebr 11:32Samsoni akawa mwamuzi wa Waisraeli katika siku za Wafilisti kwa muda wa miaka ishirini.
