< Judges 15 >

1 Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.
Emva kwalokho, ngesikhathi sokuvuna ingqoloyi, uSamsoni wathatha izinyane lembuzi wethekelela umkakhe. Wathi, “Ngiya endlini yomkami.” Kodwa uyisezala wamalela ukuba angene.
2 “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”
Wathi, “Ngangileqiniso lokuthi wawusumzonda kakhulu, ngasengimendisela kumkhaphi wakho. Umnawakhe kamuhle kulaye na? Thatha yena.”
3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”
USamsoni wathi kubo, “Khathesi sengilelungelo lokuphindisela okubi kumaFilistiya. Ngizawalimaza impela.”
4 Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails.
Ngakho wasuka wabamba amakhanka angamakhulu amathathu wawabophanisa imisila ngambilimbili. Wasebophela uluthi lomlilo emisileni yonke ayeyibophanisile,
5 Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
walumathisa izinti zomlilo wawayekela amakhanka angena emabeleni amiyo amaFilistiya. Watshisa ayesezizeni lamabele amiyo, lezivini kanye lezivande zama-oliva.
6 “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.
Kwathi amaFilistiya ebuza ukuthi, “Ngubani owenze lokhu na?” atshelwa ukuthi, “NguSamsoni, umkhwenyana womThimina ngoba umkakhe wendiselwa kumkhaphi wakhe.” Ngakho amaFilistiya ahamba ayatshisa umkaSamsoni kanye loyise, bafa.
7 And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.”
USamsoni wathi kubo, “Njengoba selenze lokhu, angiyikukhawula engikwenzayo ngize ngiphindisele kini.”
8 And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.
Wabahlasela kakubi wabulala abanengi babo. Emva kwalokho wahamba wayahlala ebhalwini edwaleni lase-Ethamu.
9 Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi.
AmaFilistiya ahamba ayamisa koJuda, asabalala eduze leLehi.
10 “Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah. The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”
Abantu bakoJuda babuza bathi, “Lizesihlaselelani na?” Bona baphendula bathi, “Silande ukuzabopha uSamsoni, senze kuye lokhu akwenzayo kithi.”
11 In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.
Abantu bakoJuda abazinkulungwane ezintathu baya ebhalwini edwaleni lase-Ethamu bathi kuSamsoni, “Kawazi yini ukuthi amaFilistiya ayasibusa? Kuyini osusenzele khona ngempela?” Waphendula wathi, “Ngimane ngenza kuwo lokho akwenza kimi.”
12 But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
Bathi kuye, “Thina silande ukuzakubopha sikunikele kuwo.” USamsoni wathi, “Fungani kimi ukuthi kaliyikungibulala lina ngokwenu.”
13 “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
Baphendula bathi, “Siyavuma. Thina sizakubopha nje kuphela besesikunikela kuwo. Kasiyikukubulala.” Ngakho bambopha ngemichilo emibili emitsha, basebesuka laye edwaleni.
14 When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.
Esebanga eLehi, amaFilistiya amhlangabeza eklabalala. UMoya kaThixo wehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla. Imichilo ezingalweni zakhe yaba njengesikusha esitshileyo, izibopho zawa ezandleni zakhe.
15 He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.
Esethole ithambo lomhlathi kababhemi elitsha, walithatha wabulala ngalo abantu abayinkulungwane.
16 Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”
USamsoni wasesithi, “Ngethambo lomhlathi kababhemi, ngibenze baba ngobabhemi. Ngethambo lomhlathi kababhemi ngibulele amadoda ayinkulungwane.”
17 And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi.
Eseqedile ukukhuluma walilahla ithambo lomhlathi; indawo leyo yasithiwa yiRamathi-Lehi.
18 And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
Ngenxa yokuthi wayesome kakhulu, wakhala kuThixo wathi, “Uyiphile inceku yakho ukunqoba okukhulu. Pho sekumele ngibulawe yikoma yini njalo ngiwele ezandleni zabangasokanga na?”
19 So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, and it remains in Lehi to this day.
UNkulunkulu wasevula umthonjana eLehi, kwaphuma amanzi kuwo. USamsoni esenathile, amandla akhe aphenduka, wavuseleleka. Ngakho umthombo lowo wathiwa yi-Eni Hakhore, njalo ulokhu ukhona eLehi.
20 And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
USamsoni wakhokhela abako-Israyeli iminyaka engamatshumi amabili ngesikhathi samaFilistiya.

< Judges 15 >