Samisoni ne nkadzi we Timina
1 Kwakati limwe zhuba Samisoni kayenda ku Timina ngono kabona mwanadi we N'filisitiya. 2 Wakati eshanduka kabudza tate babe na mme babe kati, “Ndabona mmwe nkololokadzi we Bafilisitiya mu Timina, ngono ngwenu mundishakile iye kube nkadzi wangu.” 3 Koga tate babe na mme babe bakanshandula beti, “Apa akuna mwanadi mu bathu bakanyi kwenyu kene pakati kwe bathu bedu bose, kwaungadza ukanotola nkadzi ku Bafilisitiya basakathumbigwa kene?” Koga Samisoni kadwa tate babe kati, “Mundishakile iye, ndiye unondishathisa.”
4 Tate babe na mmebabe bakabe basinga zibe kuti kwakabe kudwa kuna Yahwe, ngobe bakabeshaka zila yekugwa ne Bafilisitiya. Mu tjibaka itjetjo Bafilisitiya bakabe bebusa Baiziraela.
5 Samisoni kadelukila ku Timina ana tate babe na mme babe, bakati batjilinga minda dze mizhambi dze Timina, tjinyolotjo kukabhuda shumbana i bomba izha kunli. 6 Meya ya Yahwe ikazha munli nge masimba kwaakapalulanya shumba koga se unopalulanya tjibudzana, ngono asakabhata tjimwe mu maboko. Koga kasibudze tate babe kene mmebabe tjaathama. 7 Ngono kayenda kanolebeleka ne nkadzi, ngono nkadzi kashathisa Samisoni kwazo.
8 Kwakati shule kwe mazhuba ebgwilila enotola nkadzi, wakatendebuka kanolinga itumbu tje shumba, ngono bona, kukabe kuna nlunda we nyutji mu itumbu ne butji. 9 Kamola nge maboko awe, kayenda eja mu zila, kanoswika kuna tate babe na mme babe ngono kabapabo dzimwe bakaja. Koga kasibabudze kuti watola butji mu itumbu tje shumba. 10 Kwakati tate babe beswika ku nkadzi iwoyo, Samisoni kathama nzano ikweno ngoti kwakabekuli nja we bazhuzha. 11 Kwakati bathu bembona bakanzhisila thaka dzidze dzili makumi matatu (30) kubenaye. 12 Ngono Samisoni kabadwa kati, “Imani ndimu lipe, apa mungadibudza dabilo mu mazhuba ali tendeka e nzano, ndowomupa zwihempe zwili makumi matatu (30) ne zwiambalo zwakanaka zwili makumi matatu (30). 13 Koga apa mungakong'wa ne kundidabila, mowondipa zwihempe zwili makumi matatu (30) ne zwiambalo zwakanaka zwili makumi matatu (30).” Ngono bakandwa bakati, “Leba libha lilo tilihwe.” 14 Kababudza ilo kati,
“Mu nji kwakabuda zojiwa.
Muna wakasima, kukabuda butji.”
15 Kwakati mu zhuba le bunna bakadwa nkadzi wa Samisoni beti, “Tjengela nlume uwo ati tjenesele libha kuti lodwani, kusakajalo tomupisa iwe ne be nsha wa tate babo. Apa matikokela kuwotilonga bushayi kene?” 16 Ngono nkadzi wa Samisoni kalila mbeli kukwe eti, “Unondishima, autondida. Walibha bathu bakanyi kwedu ngono auzondibudza dabilo.” Ngono kandabila eti, “Bona, andizobudza tate kene mme, apa ndibudze iwe kene?” 17 Kalila mazhuba wose ali kutendeka e nzano, kwakati mu zhuba le butendeka kambudza, ngobe wakabe atjinlonga hapa na hapa. Ngono nkadzi kanotjenesela balume bakanyikukwe. 18 Zhuba lakati lisathu lamila mu zhuba le butendeka, balume be nzi bakandwa bakati,
“Ini tjinozipa kupinda butji gwe nyutji kene?
Ini tjakasima kupinda shumba kene?”
Ngono kabashandula eti, “Ha mungabe musalima ne gondolo langu, mungabe musatjenesa libha langu.”
19 Ngono Meya ya Yahwe ikazha munli nge simba, kayenda ku Ashikiloni, kabulaya balume bali makumi matatu (30) mu nzi, katola thundu dzabo, kapa balume batjenesa libha zwiambalo zwakanaka. Kabgwilila ku ng'umba ya tate babe nge bushongola gunothuta. 20 Nkadzi wa Samisoni kapiwa nzwalani uwe, iye wakabe ali ntjengeti uwe pa ndobolo iye.
Samson Gets Married
1 One day, Samson went to Timnah, where he saw a Philistine woman. 2 When he got back home, he told his parents, “I saw a Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want to marry her. Get her for me!”
3 His parents answered, “There are a lot of women in our clan and even more in the rest of Israel. Those Philistines are pagans. Why would you want to marry one of their women?”
“She looks good to me,” Samson answered. “Get her for me!”
4 At that time, the Philistines were in control of Israel, and the Lord wanted to stir up trouble for them. That's why he made Samson desire that woman.
5 As Samson and his parents reached the vineyards near Timnah, a fierce young lion suddenly roared and attacked Samson. 6 But the Lord's Spirit took control of Samson, and with his bare hands he tore the lion apart, as though it had been a young goat. His parents didn't know what he had done, and he didn't tell them.
7 When they got to Timnah, Samson talked to the woman, and he was sure that she was the one for him.
8 Later, Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding. And when he came near the place where the lion had attacked, he left the road to see what was left of the lion. He was surprised to see that bees were living in the lion's skeleton, and that they had made some honey. 9 He scooped up the honey in his hands and ate some of it as he walked along. When he got back to his parents, he gave them some of the honey, and they ate it too. But he didn't tell them he had found the honey in the skeleton of a lion.
10 While Samson's father went to make the final arrangements with the bride and her family, Samson threw a big party, as grooms usually did. 11 When the Philistines saw what Samson was like, they told 30 of their young men to stay with him at the party.
12 Samson told the 30 young men, “This party will last for seven days. Let's make a bet: I'll tell you a riddle, and if you can tell me the answer before the party is over, I'll give each of you a shirt and a full change of clothing. 13 But if you can't tell me the answer, then each of you will have to give me a shirt and a full change of clothing.”
“It's a bet!” the Philistines said. “Tell us the riddle.”
14 Samson said:
Once so strong and mighty—
now so sweet and tasty!
Three days went by, and the Philistine young men had not come up with the right answer. 15 Finally, on the seventh day of the party they went to Samson's bride and said, “You had better trick your husband into telling you the answer to his riddle. Have you invited us here just to rob us? If you don't find out the answer, we will burn you and your family to death.”
16 Samson's bride went to him and started crying in his arms. “You must really hate me,” she sobbed. “If you loved me at all, you would have told me the answer to your riddle.”
“But I haven't even told my parents the answer!” Samson replied. “Why should I tell you?”
17 For the entire seven days of the party, she had been whining and trying to get the answer from him. But that seventh day she put so much pressure on Samson that he finally gave in and told her the answer. She went straight to the young men and told them.
18 Before sunset that day, the men of the town went to Samson with this answer:
A lion is the strongest—
honey is the sweetest!
Samson replied,
This answer you have given me
doubtless came
from my bride-to-be.
19 Then the Lord's Spirit took control of Samson. He went to Ashkelon, where he killed 30 men and took their clothing. Samson then gave it to the 30 young men at Timnah and stormed back home to his own family.
20 The father of the bride made Samson's wife marry one of the 30 young men that had been at Samson's party.