Laitloekkung 14
1 Samson te Timnah la a suntlak vaengah huta pakhat, Philisti nu te Timnah ah a hmuh.
One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
2 Te dongah ha bal tih a napa neh a manu taengah a thui pah tih, “Timnah ah Philisti nu huta ka hmuh tih anih te kai yuu la han lo laeh,” a ti nah.
When he returned home, he told his mother and father, “I saw a young Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want you to get her for me so I can marry her.”
3 Tedae a napa neh a manu loh, “Na manuca kah tanu lakli neh ka pilnam cungkuem lakli ah om pawt tih a? Philisti pumdul te yuu la loh ham tekah huta te na paan eh,” a ti nah. Tedae a napa taengah Samson loh, “Ka mik loh a nai coeng dongah anih mah kai ham han lo laeh,” a ti nah.
His mother and father objected very strongly. They said, “Is there no woman from our tribe, or from the other Israeli tribes, that you could marry? Why must you go to the heathen Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She is the one I want!”
4 Te vaeng tue ah Philisti loh Israel a ngol thil dongah BOEIPA loh Philisti taengah a tuetang a dawn te Samson kah a napa neh a manu loh ming pawh.
His mother and father did not realize that Yahweh was arranging this. He was preparing a way for [Samson to defeat] the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at that time.
5 Samson loh a manu a napa te Timnah la a suntlak puei tih Timnah misur a pha uh vaengah tah sathueng khuikah sathuengca loh samson cuuk thil ham tarha kawk.
So, as Samson was going down to Timnah, followed by his mother and father, a young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards close to Timnah.
6 BOEIPA Mueihla loh Samson te a thaihtak sak dongah maae ca a baeh bangla sathueng te a baeh tih, a kut dongah pakhat khaw kap pawh. Tedae a saii te a manu a napa taengah thui pawh.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit came upon Samson powerfully, with the result that he tore the lion apart with his hands. He did it [as easily] as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his mother and father about it.
7 Suntla tih huta taengah a cal vaengah mah Samson mik dongah thuem.
When they arrived in Timnah, Samson talked with the young woman, and he liked her very much. [And his father made arrangements for the wedding].
8 Khohnin a thok phoeiah a yuu te loh ham a mael vaengah sathueng a cungkunah te sawt ham a phael hatah sathueng rhok dongah khoi ana bop tih khoitui te lawt a hmuh.
Later, when Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to see the carcass of the lion. He discovered that [after other creatures had eaten all the flesh], a swarm of bees [had made a hive in the skeleton and] had made some honey.
9 Te dongah khoi te a kut neh a poh tih a caeh, a caeh doela a caak. A manu a napa taengah a pha vaengah amih rhoi te khaw a paek tih a caak rhoi. Tedae sathueng rhok khui lamkah khoitui a poh te amih rhoi taengah thui pawh.
So he scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate some of it as he was walking along. He also gave some of it to his mother and father, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the skeleton of the lion, [because anyone dedicated to God was not to touch any corpse].
10 Te phoeiah huta taengah a napa te cet tih tongpang rhoek loh a saii uh noek bangla Samson loh buhkoknah pahoi a saii.
As his father was making the final arrangements for the marriage, Samson gave a party [for the young men in that area]. That was the custom for men to do when they were about to be married.
11 Anih te a hmuh uh vaengah baerhoep sawmthum a khuen uh tih anih taengah om uh.
Thirty young man were invited to the party.
12 Amih te Samson loh, “Nangmih taengah ka thui olkael he buhkoknah hnin rhih khuiah kai taengah han thui rhoela han thui uh. Na puk uh atah hni sawmthum neh thovaelnah himbai sawmthum te nangmih kam pae eh.
Samson said to them, “Allow me to tell you a riddle. If you tel me the meaning of my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give each of you a linen robe and an extra set of clothes.
13 Tedae kai taengah na thui ham na coeng uh pawt atah kai he nangmih loh hni sawmthum neh thovaelnah himbai sawmthum nam paek uh van ni,” a ti nah. Te dongah Samsawn te, “Na olkael te thui lamtah ka hnatun uh lah eh,” a ti uh.
But if you cannot tell me the meaning, you must each give me a linen robe and an extra set of clothes.” They replied, “All right. Tell us your riddle.”
14 Te phoeiah amih te, “Aka hnom khui lamkah caak ha thoeng tih aka tlung khui lamkah didip ha thoeng,” a ti nah hatah olkael ming ham te hnin thum khuiah coeng uh thai voel pawh.
So he said, “From the thing that eats came something to eat; out of something strong came something sweet.” But for three days they could not tell him the meaning of the riddle.
15 Hnin rhih a pha vaengah Samson yuu taengah, “Na va te hloih lamtah olkael te kaimih ham thui laeh saeh, namah neh na pa imkhui hmai neh kang hoeh uh ve, kaimih talh ham nim kaimih taengla nang khue,” a ti na uh.
On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s bride, “Ask your husband to tell you the meaning of the riddle. If you do not do that, we will burn down your father’s house, with you inside it! Did you invite us here only to make us poor [by forcing us to buy a lot of clothes for your husband]?”
16 Te dongah Samson yuu te a taengah a rhah pah tih, “Kai nan nen tih nan lungnah pawt dongah ka pilnam khuikah ka nganpa rhoek te olkael neh na voek khaw kai taengah nan thui pawh,” a ti nah. Tedae Samson loh, “A nu a pa taengah pataeng ka thui pawt te nang taengah tarha ka thui aya?” a ti nah.
So Samson’s wife came to him, crying, and said to him, “You do not really love me. You hate me! You have told a riddle to my friends, but you have not told me the meaning of the riddle!” He replied, “I have not told the meaning of the riddle even to my mother and father, so why should I tell it to you?”
17 Amih ham buhkoknah a om duela hnin rhih khuiah samson te a rhah thil. Tedae a hnin rhih dongla a pha vaengah tah Samson te moelh a kilh dongah a yuu ham te a thui pah tih a yuu loh a pilnam khuikah a hlang rhoek taengah olkael te a thui pah.
She continued to cry every time she was with him, all during the rest of the celebration. Finally, on the seventh day, because she continued to nag him, he told her the meaning of the riddle. Then she told it to the young men.
18 Te dongah a hnin rhih dongah tah khopuei hlang rhoek loh vinhna bangla a hnai hlanah, “Khoitui lakah balae aka didip tih sathueng lakah balae aka tlung?” a ti nah. Tedae amih te Samson loh, “Kai kah vaito neh na phayai uh pawt koinih ka olkael he na puk uh mahpawh,” a ti nah.
So, before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him, “What/Nothing is sweeter than honey [RHQ]. What/Nothing is stronger than a lion [RHQ]!” Samson replied, “[You should not force a heifer to] plow a field [MET]. Similarly, if you had not forced my bride to ask me about the riddle [MET], you would not have known the answer to my riddle!”
19 BOEIPA Mueihla loh Samson te a thaihtak sak dongah Ashkelon la suntla tih hlang sawmthum a ngawn. Amih kah pumoep te a loh pah tih olkael aka thui rhoek te thovaelnah himbai te a paek. Tedae a thintoek a sai doeah a napa im la mael.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit powerfully took control of Samson. He went down to [the coast at] Ashkelon [town], and killed 30 men. He took their clothes [and went back to Timnah] and gave them to the men who had told him the meaning of the riddle. But he was very angry about what had happened, so he went back home to live with his mother and father.
20 Samson yuu te anih taengah aka luem a baerhoep taengla a om pah.
So (Samson’s wife was given/the bride’s father gave Samson’s wife) to the man who who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding, [but Samson did not know that].
