Lawkcengkung 14
1 Samson teh Timnah kho vah a cei teh, Filistinnaw e a canu napui buet touh a hmu.
One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
2 A manu hoi na pa koe a dei pouh. Timnah vah, Filistin tami napui buet touh ka hmu. Hatdawkvah, ka yu lah na lat pouh loe telah atipouh.
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 A manu hoi na pa niyah, na hmaunawnghanaw ni canu a tawn hoeh dawk maw, vuensom ka a hoeh e Filistin tami thung dawk e hah na yu lah khuet na tawng, telah atipouh. Samson ni, na lat pouh awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, ahni teh ka ngai poung telah atipouh.
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 Hatei, a manu hoi na pa ni hot teh, BAWIPA koehoi e doeh tie hah panuek roi hoeh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, Filistinnaw hanelah atueng a kâremnae a tawngnae doeh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, hatnae tueng nah Filistinnaw ni Isarelnaw hah a uk.
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 Hottelah, Samson teh a manu hoi na pa hoi Timnah vah a cei awh. Timnah misur hmuen koe a pha awh navah, sendektan ni hramki laihoi a cusin awh.
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 BAWIPA Muitha ni a tha kaawm poung lahoi a tak dawk a pha. A kut dawk banghai sin hoeh ei, hmaeca raphei e patetlah a raphei teh a thei. Hatei, a sak e hah a manu hoi na pa koe banghai dei pouh hoeh.
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 A cei teh hote tangla hoi a kâpan roi teh Samson mit dawk hote napui teh atueng.
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 Hathnukkhu hoi la hanelah a cei navah, Sendek e ro teh khet hanelah a phen teh, khenhaw! Sendek e a ro dawkvah khoi ao, a ratui hai ao.
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 Hot teh, a la teh, a cei laihoi a ca. A manu hoi na pa hai a poe. Hatei, khoitui teh Sendek dawk e a la e tie hah dei pouh hoeh.
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 Hahoi, a na pa teh hote napui koe a cei teh, thoundounnaw ni ouk a sak awh e patetlah, Samson ni pawi bu a paca awh.
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 Hahoi teh, hettelah doeh. Haw e taminaw ni Samson a hmu torei teh, a huinaw 30 touh ni a kâbang sin awh.
Thirty young man were invited to the party.
12 Samson ni kai ni pâveinae lawk buet touh na pacei awh han. Pawi sak hnin hnin sari hnin na dei thai awh pawiteh, kai ni hni yung 30, angki yung 30 na poe awh han.
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 Hatei, na dei thai awh hoehpawiteh, hnin yung 30, angki yung 30 nangmouh ni kai na poe awh han atipouh. Ahnimouh ni hote ka panuek thai nahanelah, pâveinae lawk hah na dei pouh haw atipouh awh.
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 Hat toteh, ahni ni a dei pouh, kacatkung thung hoi cakawi a tâco teh, athakaawme dawk hoi ka radip e a tâco. Hote pâveinae hah hnin thum touh thung dei thai awh hoeh.
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 Hatei, hnin sari hnin Samson e yu koevah, pâveinae hah ka panue thai awh nahan, na vâ hah pasawt haw. Telah hoehpawiteh, nang nama hoi na pa imthungkhu abuemlah hmai ngeng na sawi awh han. Ka tawn awh e hnonaw hah lawp hanelah na coun e namaw telah Samson e yu koe atipouh awh.
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 Hottelah, Samson e a yu teh, a hmalah thouk a ka teh, kai lung na pataw hoeh teh, na hmawt ngai hoeh toe khe, ka taminaw na pâvei teh, kai koehai na dei kalawn hoeh atipouh. Samson ni anu hoi apa patenghai ka dei pouh hoeh, nang koe khuet ka dei han yaw maw atipouh.
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 Hahoi, pawi ao hoehnahlan, hnin sari touh thung a yu ni a khuika sin. Napui ni kâhat laipalah pou a pacei toteh, napui koe a dei pouh toe. Hahoi teh, napui ni hote pâveinae lawk hah amamouh kho e a taminaw koe a dei pouh toe.
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 A khocanaw teh asari hnin kanî a loum hoehnahlan a tho awh teh, khoitui hlak bangmaw ka radip, Sendek hlak athakaawme bangmaw kaawm telah a dei pouh awh. Samson ni, nangmouh ni kaie maitola hoi na thawn awh hoeh pawiteh, kaie pâveinae teh na dei thai awh mahoeh, atipouh.
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 Hahoi teh, BAWIPA Muitha heh a tha kaawm poung lah Samson koe a pha teh, Askelon vah a cei teh, tami 30 touh a thei. Angki hoi hninaw a lawp teh, pâveinae lawk ka dei thai naw koe a poe. Hahoi a lung puenghoi a phuen teh, a na pa im lah a ban.
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 Hahoi Samson e a yu teh, a hui hah oun a poe pouh awh.
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].
