Samson and Delilah
1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”
3But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
4Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels16:5 That is, about 28 pounds or about 13 kilograms of silver.”
6So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
8Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”
11He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
12So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14and16:13,14 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew replied, “I can if you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom.” 14 So she tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.16:19 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and he began to weaken And his strength left him.
20Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 22But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
The Death of Samson
23Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”
24When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
“Our god has delivered our enemy
into our hands,
the one who laid waste our land
and multiplied our slain.”
25While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.
When they stood him among the pillars, 26Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
31Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led16:31 Traditionally judged Israel twenty years.
Samson Tutu Gasa Apon
1Da bi, Samson kɔɔ Filistifo kuropɔn Gasa mu, na ɔne ɔbea guamanfo bi kɔdaa anadwo no. 2Ankyɛ na kurowmma no tee sɛ Samson wɔ hɔ, enti Gasa mmarima boaboaa wɔn ho ano na wɔtwɛn kurow no pon ano anadwo mu no nyinaa. Wɔyɛɛ komm anadwo no kae se, “Ade kye a yebekum no.”
3Na Samson daa hɔ ara kosii ɔdasu mu. Ɔsɔre soo kurow no apon no ne nʼaponnua abien mu hodwow no, na otutuu dade abaa a ɛda akyi ne nea ɛkeka ho nyinaa. Ɔde ne nyinaa guu ne mmati so, soa de kɔɔ bepɔw bi a ɛne Hebron di nhwɛanim no atifi.
Samson Ne Delila
4Akyiri no, Samson nyaa ɔbea bi wɔ Sorek bon no mu a na wɔfrɛ no Delila. 5Filistifo16.5 Na Filisti yɛ nkurow anum a aka abɔ mu a wɔwɔ ahemfo baanum. ntuanofo no kɔɔ ɔbea no nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Hwɛ sɛ wubetumi adaadaa Samson ama wakyerɛ wo nea ɛma onya ahoɔden saa ne sɛnea yebetumi adi ne so, akyekyere no papee a yɛn mu biara bɛma wo nnwetɛbona du abien ne fa.”
6Enti Delila ka kyerɛɛ Samson se, “Mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me nea ɛma wo ahoɔden saa ne nea ɛbɛyɛ a wobetumi akyekyere wo papee.”
7Samson buaa no se, “Sɛ obi de agyan so ahama ason a ɛnwoe kyekyere me a, mɛyɛ mmerɛw te sɛ onipa biara.”
8Enti Filistifo ntuanofo no de agyan so ahama ason a ɛnwoe brɛɛ Delila ma ɔde kyekyeree Samson. 9Saa bere yi na ɔde mmarima ahintaw wɔ adan a ɛwɔ ne fi no baako mu; na ɔteɛɛ mu se, “Samson, Filistifo no aba rebɛkyere wo!” Nanso ɔtetew agyan ahama ason a ɛnwoe no mu te sɛ hama bi a wɔde aka ogya a ɛdɛw. Enti wɔanhu nʼahoɔden no ahintasɛm.
10Akyiri no, Delila ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wudii me ho fɛw, twaa me nkontompo. Afei, mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me sɛnea wobetumi akyekyere wo papee.”
11Samson buaa no se, “Sɛ wɔde ntampehama amono a wɔmfa nnii dwuma biara da kyekyere me a, meyɛ mmerɛw te sɛ onipa obiara.”
12Enti Delila kɔfaa ntampehama amono de kyekyeree no. Saa bere no na mmarima no akɔtetɛw wɔ dan mu te sɛ kan no. Bio, Delila teɛɛ mu frɛɛ no se, “Samson! Filistifo aba sɛ wɔrebɛkyere wo!” Nanso Samson tetew ntampehama no mu fii ne nsa so te sɛ asaawa bi.
13Delila ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wudii me ho fɛw twaa me nkontompo! Worenkyerɛ me sɛnea wobetumi akyekyere wo papee ana?”
Samson buaa no se, “Sɛ wonwen me tinwi mmɛsa ason no bɔ ntama bamma a ɛwɔ wʼakurokurowa no mu a, mɛyɛ mmerɛw te sɛ obiara.” Enti ɔdae no, Delila bɔɔ ne tinwi mmɛsa ason no 14de bɔɔ ntama bamma a ɛwɔ akurokurowa no so.
Bio, ɔteɛɛ mu se, “Samson! Filistifo no aba rebɛkyere wo!” Ɛhɔ ara, Samson nyanee, twee akurokurowa no yii ne tinwi no fii ntama bamma no mu.
15Delila sɔm nʼano kae se, “Wutumi ka sɛ wodɔ me, wɔ bere a wonka wo kokoamsɛm nkyerɛ me? Woadi me ho fɛw mprɛnsa, nanso wonkaa nea ɛma wo ahoɔden no nkyerɛɛ me ɛ!” 16Oguan ne ho adekyee biara kosii sɛ afei na ne ho guan no.
17Ne korakora no, Samson kaa nʼahintasɛm kyerɛɛ no se, “Wonyii me tinwi da, efisɛ wɔde me maa Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni fi awo mu. Sɛ woyi me tinwi a, mʼahoɔden no befi me mu ama mayɛ mmerɛw te sɛ obiara.”
18Delila huu sɛ afei de waka nokware akyerɛ no no, ɔsoma kɔfrɛɛ Filistifo ntuanofo no se, “Mommra bio, efisɛ waka biribiara akyerɛ me.” Enti Filistifo ntuanofo no san wɔn akyi kɔfaa sika no bae. 19Delila dɛfɛdɛfɛ Samson ma ɔdae a, ne ti da ne srɛ so. Ɔfrɛɛ ɔbarima bi ba ma obeyii ne tinwi sɛnea ne kyere no bɛyɛ yiye. Na nʼahoɔden no fii ne mu. 20Afei, ɔteɛɛ mu se, “Samson! Filistifo no aba rebɛkyere wo!”
Onyan no, ɔkaa wɔ ne tirim se, “Mɛyɛ sɛnea kan no na meyɛ no; mɛwosow me ho agye me ho.” Nanso na onnim sɛ Awurade afi ne mu.
21Na Filistifo no kyeree no, tutuu nʼani. Wɔde no kɔɔ Gasa na woguu no kɔbere mfrafrae mpokyerɛ ma ɔyam atoko wɔ afiase. 22Nanso ankyɛ na ne tinwi no fii ase fuwii.
Samson Nkonimdi A Edi Akyiri
23Filistifo ntuanofo no hyɛɛ fa kɛse bi, bɔɔ afɔre maa wɔn nyame Dagon dii ahurusi kae se, “Yɛn nyame de Samson a ɔyɛ yɛn tamfo no ahyɛ yɛn nsam!”
24Bere a nnipa no huu no no, wɔkamfoo wɔn nyame kae se,
“Yɛn nyame de yɛn tamfo
ahyɛ yɛn nsam;
nea okunkum yɛn mu bebree no,
yɛn nsa aka no!”
25Nnipa no bow nsa kakra no, wɔhyɛɛ sɛ, “Momfa Samson mmra na ommegye yɛn ani.” Enti woyii Samson fii afiaase. Wɔde no gyinaa asɔredan no mfimfini wɔ adum abien a ekura ɔdan no nkuruso no ntam.
26Samson ka kyerɛɛ ɔsomfo a okura ne nsa rekyerɛ no kwan no se, “Ma memfa me nsa nsuso adum abien no mu, na minnye mʼahome.” 27Na nnipa ahyɛ hyiadan mu hɔ ma tɔ. Filistifo ntuanofo no nyinaa wɔ hɔ bi. Na ɔdan no so nkuruso no nso na mmarima ne mmea bɛyɛ mpensa wɔ so a wɔrehwɛ Samson na wɔredi ne ho fɛw.
28Na Samson su frɛɛ Awurade se, “Otumfo Awurade, kae me bio. Onyankopɔn, mesrɛ wo ma me ahoɔden bio na mintua Filistifo so ka wɔ mʼani a wɔatutu no ho.” 29Afei Samson susoo adum abien a ɛwɔ hyiadan no mfimfini no mu. Ɔde nʼahoɔden nyinaa piae. 30Samson bɔɔ mpae se, “Ma me ne Filistifo no nwu.” Na hyiadan no dwiriw guu Filistifo ntuanofo no ne nnipa no nyinaa so. Enti okum nnipa bebree sen dodow a okum wɔn bere a na ɔte ase no.
31Akyiri no, ne nuabarimanom ne nʼabusuafo a wɔaka kɔfaa no. Wɔde no kɔɔ ne kurom kosiee no wɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam, faako a wosiee nʼagya Manoa hɔ. Samson dii Israelfo so sɛ otemmufo mfe aduonu.
