Samson Is Born
1 Once again the Israelites started disobeying the Lord. So he let the Philistines take control of Israel for 40 years.
2 Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was not able to have children, 3-5 but one day an angel from the Lord appeared to her and said:
You have never been able to have any children, but very soon you will be pregnant and have a son. He will belong to God from the day he is born, so his hair must never be cut. And even before he is born, you must not drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden by God's laws.
Your son will begin to set Israel free from the Philistines.
6 She went to Manoah and said, “A prophet who looked like an angel of God came and talked to me. I was so frightened, that I didn't even ask where he was from. He didn't tell me his name, 7 but he did say that I'm going to have a baby boy. I'm not supposed to drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden by God's laws. Our son will belong to God for as long as he lives.”
8 Then Manoah prayed, “Our Lord, please send that prophet again and let him tell us what to do for the son we are going to have.”
9 God answered Manoah's prayer, and the angel went back to Manoah's wife while she was resting in the fields. Manoah wasn't there at the time, 10 so she found him and said, “That same man is here again! He's the one I saw the other day.”
11 Manoah went with his wife and asked the man, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
12 Manoah then asked, “When your promise comes true, what rules must he obey and what will be his work?”
13 “Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her,” the Lord's angel answered. 14 “She must not eat or drink anything made from grapes. She must not drink wine or beer or eat anything forbidden by God's laws. I told her exactly what to do.”
15 “Please,” Manoah said, “stay here with us for just a little while, and we'll fix a young goat for you to eat.” 16 Manoah didn't realize that he was really talking to one of the Lord's angels.
The angel answered, “I can stay for a little while, although I won't eat any of your food. But if you would like to offer the goat as a sacrifice to the Lord, that would be fine.”
17 Manoah said, “Tell us your name, so we can honor you after our son is born.”
18 “No,” the angel replied. “You don't need to know my name. And if you did, you couldn't understand it.”
19 So Manoah took a young goat over to a large rock he had chosen for an altar, and he built a fire on the rock. Then he killed the goat, and offered it with some grain as a sacrifice to the Lord. But then an amazing thing happened. 20 The fire blazed up toward the sky, and the Lord's angel went up toward heaven in the fire. Manoah and his wife bowed down low when they saw what happened.
21 Although the angel didn't appear to them again, they realized he was one of the Lord's angels. 22 Manoah said, “We have seen an angel. Now we're going to die.”
23 “The Lord isn't going to kill us,” Manoah's wife responded. “The Lord accepted our sacrifice and grain offering, and he let us see something amazing. Besides, he told us that we're going to have a son.”
24 Later, Manoah's wife did give birth to a son, and she named him Samson. As the boy grew, the Lord blessed him. 25 Then, while Samson was staying at Dan's Camp between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the Spirit of the Lord took control of him.
Kuzwagwa kwa Samisoni
1 Ngono bathu be Iziraela bakathama mbipo kakale mu mesho a Yahwe, ngono Yahwe bakabalonga mu maboko e Bafilisitiya kwe makole ali makumi manna (40). 2 Kwakabe kuna nlume we Zora edang'wa Manowa, we ludzi gwa Dani, wakabe ana nkadzi usina mbeleko, asina mwana. 3 Ntumwa wa Yahwe kazwilakidza kunli ukandwa kati, “Bona, u balumbila auna mwana, koga unowozwisenga uka wana mwana we tjilisana. 4 Ngono uyele njele kuti autong'wa nkumbi we zhambi kene busukwa kene kuli kuja tjimwe tjisitjibuyanana, 5 ngoti unowozwisenga uka wana mwana we tjilisana. Kusheteke reza inowoshingisiwa mu nsholo uwe, ngobe mbisana unowobe Nnaziri, unowopiwa Ndzimu mu kuzwagwa kukwe, ngono unowotangisa ku sunungula Baiziraela mu maboko e Bafilisitiya.” 6 Nkadzi kayenda kanobudza nlume uwe eti, “Nlume we Ndzimu wazha kundili. Wabe elingika se ntumwa we Ndzimu, etjenamisa. Andizombhuzwa kwaanodwa, ngono naiye aazondibudza zina lile. 7 Koga wandidwa eti, ‘Unowozwisenga ukawana mwana we tjilisana. Ngono ngwenu, using'we nkumbi we zhambi kene busukwa, usije tjimwe tjisitjibuyanana, ngobe mbisana unowopiwa Ndzimu kudwa mukuzwagwa kunoti zhuba le lufu gugwe.’ ”
8 Ngono Manowa katembezela kuna Yahwe kati, “Imwi Yahwe, ndokumbila kuti ntumwa we Ndzimu wamatumila kutili azhe kakale kutili ngono atidiye kuti tilele tjini mbisana unowozwagwa.” 9 Ndzimu bakahwa hwi la Manowa, ngono ntumwa we Ndzimu kazha kakale ku nkadzi ali ku minda koga nlume uwe Manowa wakabe asinaye. 10 Nkadzi kalibilidza kanobudza nlume uwe eti, “Bona, nlume wakazha kundili zhuba elilije wazwilakidza kundili.”
11 Manowa kamilika kasala nkadzi uwe shule. Wakati eswika pa nlume, kabhuzwa kati, “Apa ndiwe nlume wakalebeleka ne nkadzi wangu kene?” Kadabila eti, “Ndimi.”
12 Ndizo Manowa kati, “Apa matama awo ashingikadziwa, mbisana wakafanila tjila tjini, ashingeni?” 13 Ngono ntumwa wa Yahwe akadwa Manowa eti, “Nkadzi ngaabe ne njele muna zose zwandakambudza. 14 Asije tjimwe tjinodwa mu zhambi, kene kuli kung'wa nkumbi we zhambi kene busukwa kene kuja tjimwe tjisitjibuyanana, zose zwandambudza azwithame.”
15 Manowa kadwa ntumwa wa Yahwe kati, “Tokumbila ugale, tikululwamisile tjibudzana.”
16 Ntumwa wa Yahwe kashandula eti, “Kene ukandinonosa, anditowoja zojiwa zwizo, koga apa ululwamisa tjibhayilo, utjithamile Yahwe.” Ngobe Manowa wakabe asinga zibe kuti ntumwa wa Yahwe. 17 Manowa kabhuzwa ntumwa wa Yahwe eti, “Zina lilo ndiyani, kuti ndizo apa matama awo angashingikala tikukudze?” 18 Ntumwa wa Yahwe kashandula eti, “Ini ubhuzwa zina langu kana ndelinotjenamisa.” 19 Ipapo Manowa katola tjibudzana kose ne tjipo tje mathunde, kadusila Yahwe tjibhayilo pezhugwi kwe shongwe. Ngono Yahwe bakathama tjinotjenamisa Manowa ne nkadzi uwe bakalingilila 20 sekwa nthuto wakayenda pezhugwi kudzimu udwa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo, ntumwa wa Yahwe katathila ali mu nthuto. Manowa ne nkadzi uwe bakati bebona ikoku bakawila pasi nge njiso.
21 Ntumwa wa Yahwe ukasitjaboneke muna Manowa ne nkadzi uwe. Ndizo Manowa kaziba kuti kwabekuli ntumwa wa Yahwe. 22 Ngono Manowa kadwa nkadzi uwe kati, “Ngemalebeswa towofa, ngoti tabona Ndzimu.” 23 Koga nkadzi uwe kandwa eti, “Apa Yahwe babeshaka kuti bulaya, banobebasa amutjila tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa ne tjipo tje mathunde kudwa mu maboko edu, kene kuli kutilakidza zwithu zose izwezwi kene kutibudza zwakajali.” 24 Ngono nkadzi kawana mbisana, kandana Samisoni, mbisana kakula ngono Yahwe bakankombolela. 25 Ngono Meya ya Yahwe ikatangisa shinga naye ali mu Mahanehidani pakati kwe Zora ne Eshitaole.