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.
Ndoa Ya Samsoni
114:1 Amu 13:24; Mwa 38:12Samsoni akateremkia Timna, akamwona mwanamke wa Kifilisti. 214:2 Mwa 21:21; 34:4Alipopanda kutoka huko, akawaambia baba yake na mama yake, “Nimemwona mwanamke wa Kifilisti huko Timna; basi mnipe ili awe mke wangu.”
314:3 Mwa 24:4; 34:14; 1Sam 14:6; Kut 34:16; Kum 7:3Baba yake na mama yake wakamjibu, “Je, hakuna mwanamke miongoni mwa jamaa yako au miongoni mwa ndugu zako, hata ulazimike kwenda kujitwalia mwanamke kutoka kwa hawa Wafilisti wasiotahiriwa?”
Lakini Samsoni akamwambia baba yake, “Nipatieni huyo kwa maana ndiye alinipendeza.” 414:4 Kum 2:30; Yos 11:20; Amu 13:1; 15:11(Baba yake na mama yake hawakujua kuwa jambo hili limetoka kwa Bwana, kwani alikuwa akitafuta sababu ya kukabiliana na Wafilisti; kwa kuwa wakati huo walikuwa wakiwatawala Waisraeli.) 5Samsoni akateremkia Timna pamoja na baba yake na mama yake. Walipofika kwenye mashamba ya mizabibu huko Timna, ghafula mwana simba akamjia akimngurumia. 614:6 Amu 3:10; 1Sam 17:35; Amu 13:25Roho wa Bwana akaja juu yake kwa nguvu, naye akampasua yule simba kwa mikono yake bila silaha yoyote kama vile mtu ampasuavyo mwana-mbuzi, wala hakumwambia baba yake wala mama yake aliyoyafanya. 7Basi akateremka na kuongea na yule mwanamke, naye akampendeza Samsoni.
8Baada ya muda aliporudi ili akamwoe, akatazama kando ili kuutazama mzoga wa yule simba, na tazama, kulikuwa na kundi la nyuki ndani ya ule mzoga wa simba na kulikuwa na asali; 9akachukua asali mkononi mwake akaendelea huku akila. Alipowafikia baba yake na mama yake, akawapa ile asali nao wakala. Lakini hakuwaambia kuwa alitwaa asali kutoka kwenye mzoga wa simba.
1014:10 Mwa 29:2Basi baba yake akateremka kumwona huyo mwanamke. Samsoni akafanya karamu huko, kama ilivyokuwa desturi ya vijana. 11Watu walipomwona, wakaleta vijana wenzake thelathini ili kuwa pamoja naye.
1214:12 Hes 12:8; Eze 17:2; 20:49; 24:3; Hos 12:10; Mwa 29:27; 45:22Samsoni akawaambia, “Niwape kitendawili, mkiweza kunipa jibu katika muda wa siku hizi saba za karamu, nitawapa mavazi thelathini ya kitani na mavazi mengine mivao thelathini. 13Lakini msipoweza kufumbua, ndipo ninyi mtanipa mavazi thelathini ya kitani na mavazi mengine mivao thelathini.”
Wakamwambia, “Tuambie hicho kitendawili, hebu na tukisikie.”
14Akawaambia,
“Ndani ya mlaji,
kulitoka kitu cha kuliwa,
ndani ya mwenye nguvu,
kulitoka kitu kitamu.”
Kwa muda wa siku tatu hawakuweza kutoa jibu.
1514:15 Amu 16:5; Mhu 7:26; Law 20:14-16; Amu 15:6Siku ya saba, wakamwambia mkewe Samsoni, “Mbembeleze mumeo ili atueleze hicho kitendawili, la sivyo tutakuchoma moto wewe na wa nyumba ya baba yako. Je, mmetualika ili mpate kutunyangʼanya kile tulicho nacho?”
1614:16 Amu 16:15Basi mke wa Samsoni akalia mbele yake na kumwambia, “Unanichukia! Hunipendi kabisa. Umewategea watu wangu kitendawili, lakini mimi hujaniambia jibu.”
Samsoni akamwambia, “Wala sijamweleza baba yangu wala mama yangu, kwa nini nikufumbulie?” 1714:17 Es 1:5Mkewe akalia kwa muda wa zile siku zote saba za karamu. Hivyo siku ile ya saba Samsoni akamweleza, kwa kuwa aliendelea kumsisitiza sana. Naye akawaeleza watu wake kile kitendawili.
18Siku ya saba kabla ya jua kutua, watu wa mji wakamwambia Samsoni,
“Ni nini kitamu kama asali?
Ni nini chenye nguvu kama simba?”
Samsoni akawaambia,
“Kama hamkulima na mtamba wangu,
hamngeweza kufumbua
kitendawili changu.”
1914:19 Amu 3:10; 2Nya 24:20; Yos 13:3; Isa 11:2; 1Sam 11:6Ndipo Roho wa Bwana akamjia Samsoni kwa nguvu. Akateremka mpaka Ashkeloni, akawaua watu waume thelathini miongoni mwa watu wa mji, akatwaa mali zao na nguo zao, akawapa watu wale waliofumbua kile kitendawili. Akiwa na hasira, akakwea kurudi nyumbani kwa baba yake. 2014:20 Amu 15:2, 6; Yn 3:29Lakini huyo mke wa Samsoni akakabidhiwa kwa rafiki yake Samsoni ambaye alikuwa rafiki yake msaidizi siku ya arusi.
