< Judges 16 >

1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and he went to have sex with her that night.
Ɛda bi, Samson kɔɔ Filistifoɔ kuropɔn Gasa mu, na ɔne ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ bi kɔdaa anadwo no.
2 The men of Gaza found out Samson was there, so they gathered to spend the night lying in wait for him at the town gates. They kept quiet all night, whispering to one another, “We'll kill him when it gets light.”
Ankyɛre na kuro mma no tee sɛ Samson wɔ hɔ, enti Gasa mmarima boaboaa wɔn ho ano na wɔtwɛnee kuro no ɛpono ano anadwo mu no nyinaa. Wɔyɛɛ komm anadwo no kaa sɛ, “Adeɛ kye a yɛbɛkum no.”
3 But Samson only stayed until halfway through the night. He grabbed hold of the town gates along with their two posts and ripped them up, along with the lock-bar. Putting them on his shoulders, he carried them to the hill opposite Hebron.
Na Samson daa hɔ ara kɔsii dasuo mu. Ɔsɔre sɔɔ kuro no apono no ne nʼaponnwa mmienu mu hodwoo no, na ɔtutuu dadeɛ abaa a ɛda akyire ne deɛ ɛkeka ho nyinaa. Ɔde ne nyinaa guu ne mmatire so, soa de kɔɔ bepɔ bi a ɛne Hebron di nhwɛanimu no atifi.
4 Later he fell in love with a woman named Delilah living in the Sorek Valley.
Akyire no, Samson nyaa ɔbaa bi wɔ Sorek bɔnhwa no mu a na wɔfrɛ no Delila.
5 The Philistine leaders approached her, saying, “See if you can seduce him and get him to show you the secret of his incredible strength, and find out how we can overpower him and tie him up so he can't do anything. We'll all give you eleven hundred shekels of silver each.”
Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ kɔɔ ɔbaa no nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Hwɛ sɛ wobɛtumi adaadaa Samson ma wakyerɛ wo deɛ ɛma ɔnya ahoɔden saa ne sɛdeɛ yɛbɛtumi adi ne so, akyekyere no pampee. Na yɛn mu biara bɛma wo nnwetɛbena kilogram dumienu ne fa.”
6 Delilah went and pleaded with Samson, “Please tell me where your incredible strength comes from, and what can be used to tie you up so you can't do anything.”
Enti, Delila ka kyerɛɛ Samson sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me deɛ ɛma wo ahoɔden saa ne deɛ ɛbɛyɛ a yɛbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee.”
7 “If I'm tied up with seven supple bowstrings that haven't dried out, I'll become just as weak,” Samson told her.
Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ obi de agyan so nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ kyekyere me a, mɛyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ onipa biara.”
8 The Philistine leaders brought her seven supple bowstrings that hadn't dried out, and she tied him up with them.
Enti, Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no de agyan so nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ brɛɛ Delila maa ɔde kyekyeree Samson.
9 Having arranged for men to hide in her bedroom ready to attack him, she shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a thread snaps when a flame touches it. So nobody found out where his strength came from.
Saa ɛberɛ yi na ɔde mmarima atɛ wɔ adan a ɛwɔ ne fie no mu baako mu, na ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson, Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!” Nanso, ɔtetee agyan nhoma nson a ɛnwoeɛ no mu te sɛ ahoma bi a wɔde aka ogya dɛreɛ. Enti, wɔanhunu nʼahoɔden no ahintasɛm.
10 Later Delilah said to Samson, “You've made me look stupid, telling me these lies! So now please tell me what can be used to tie you up.”
Akyire yi, Delila ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wodii me ho fɛ, twaa me nkontompo. Afei, mesrɛ wo kyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee.”
11 “If I'm tied up tight with new ropes that haven't been used before, I'll become just as weak as anyone else,” he told her.
Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ wɔde ntampehoma mono a wɔmfa nnii dwuma biara da kyekyere me a, meyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ onipa obiara.”
12 So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up with them. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” As before, men were hiding in her bedroom. But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thin threads.
Enti, Delila kɔfaa ntampehoma mono de kyekyeree no. Saa ɛberɛ no na mmarima no akɔtɛ wɔ dan mu te sɛ kane no. Bio, Delila teaam frɛɛ no sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ aba sɛ wɔrebɛkye wo!” Nanso, Samson tetee ntampehoma no mu firii ne nsa so te sɛ asaawa bi.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “You keep on making me look stupid, telling me these lies! Just tell me what can be used to tie you up!” “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the web on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as anyone else,” he told her. So while he was asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, weaving them into the web,
Delila ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wodii me ho fɛ, twaa me nkontompo! Worenkyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔbɛtumi akyekyere wo pampee anaa?” Samson buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ wonwono me tirinwi mmɛsa nson no bɔ ntoma bamma a ɛwɔ wʼakurokurowa no mu a, mɛyɛ mmerɛ te sɛ obiara.” Enti ɔdaeɛ no, Delila bɔɔ ne tirinwi mmɛsa nson no
14 and tightening the pin. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But Samson woke up and ripped out both the pin and the web from the loom.
de bɔɔ ntoma bamma a ɛwɔ akurokurowa no so. Bio, ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!” Ɛhɔ ara, Samson nyaneeɛ, twee akurokurowa no yii ne tirinwi no firii ntoma bamma no mu.
15 Then Delilah complained to Samson, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don't let me into your confidence? Three times you've me look stupid, not telling me where your incredible strength comes from!”
Delila sɔm nʼano kaa sɛ, “Wotumi ka sɛ wodɔ me, wɔ ɛberɛ a wonka wo kokoamsɛm nkyerɛ me? Woadi me ho fɛ mprɛnsa, nanso wonkaa deɛ ɛma wo ahoɔden no nkyerɛɛ me!”
16 She nagged and complained all the time, pestering him until he wanted to die.
Odwan ne ho adekyeɛ biara kɔsii sɛ afei na wabrɛ no.
17 Eventually Samson confided in her, sharing everything. “My hair has never been cut, because I've been dedicated as a Nazirite to God from my birth. If I'm shaved, my strength will leave me, and I'll become as weak as anyone else.”
Ne korakora no, Samson kaa nʼahintasɛm kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wɔnyii me tirinwi da, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔde me maa Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni firi awoɔ mu. Sɛ wɔyi me tirinwi a, mʼahoɔden no bɛfiri me mu ama mayɛ mmerɛ te sɛ obiara.”
18 Delilah realized that he had truly confided in her and shared everything, she sent a message to the Philistine leaders telling them, “Come back once more, because this time he's confided in me and told me everything.” So the Philistine leaders returned, bringing with them the money to give to her.
Delila hunuu sɛ afei deɛ waka nokorɛ akyerɛ no no, ɔsoma kɔfrɛɛ Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no sɛ, “Mommra bio, ɛfiri sɛ waka biribiara akyerɛ me.” Enti, Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no sane wɔn akyi kɔfaa sika no baeɛ.
19 Delilah soothed him sleep on her lap, and then called in someone to shave off the seven braids of hair. She started to torment him but he couldn't do anything for his strength left him.
Delila dɛfɛdɛfɛɛ Samson ma ɔdaeɛ a, ne ti da ne srɛ so. Ɔfrɛɛ ɔbarima bi baeɛ ma ɔbɛyii ne tirinwi sɛdeɛ ne kyere no bɛyɛ yie. Na nʼahoɔden no firii ne mu.
20 She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” Samson woke up and thought to himself, “I'll do like before and shake myself free.” But he didn't know that the Lord had left him.
Afei, ɔteaam sɛ, “Samson! Filistifoɔ no aba rebɛkye wo!” Ɔnyaneeɛ no, ɔkaa wɔ ne tirim sɛ, “Mɛyɛ sɛdeɛ kane no na meyɛ no mɛwoso me ho agye me ho.” Nanso na ɔnnim sɛ Awurade afiri ne mu.
21 The Philistines grabbed him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza where they imprisoned him in bronze chains. He was made to work grinding grain at the mill in the prison.
Na Filistifoɔ no kyeree no, tutuu nʼani. Wɔde no kɔɔ Gasa na wɔguu no kɔbere mfrafraeɛ mpokyerɛ ma ɔyamm atokoɔ wɔ nnedua fie.
22 But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
Nanso, ankyɛre na ne tirinwi no hyɛɛ aseɛ fuiɛ.
23 The Philistine leaders gathered for a great religious festival to sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us!”
Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ hyɛɛ fa kɛseɛ bi, bɔɔ afɔdeɛ maa wɔn nyame Dagon dii ahurisie kaa sɛ, “Yɛn nyame de Samson a ɔyɛ yɛn ɔtamfoɔ no ahyɛ yɛn nsam!”
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, and said, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who devastated our land and killed so many of us.”
Ɛberɛ a nnipa no hunuu no no, wɔkamfoo wɔn nyame kaa sɛ, “Yɛn nyame de yɛn ɔtamfoɔ ahyɛ yɛn nsam; deɛ ɔkunkumm yɛn mu bebree no yɛn nsa aka no!”
25 As they began to get drunk, they shouted, “Summon Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison to entertain them, and made him stand between the two main pillars of the building.
Nnipa no boroo nsã kakra no, wɔhyɛɛ sɛ, “Momfa Samson mmra na ɔmmɛgye yɛn ani.” Enti, wɔyii Samson firii nnedua fie. Wɔde no gyinaa asɔredan no mfimfini wɔ adum mmienu a ɛkura ɛdan no mmɔsoɔ no ntam.
26 Samson said to the servant boy who was leading him by the hand, “Leave me by the pillars on which the temple rests so I can feel them, and lean against them.”
Samson ka kyerɛɛ ɔsomfoɔ a ɔkura ne nsa rekyerɛ no kwan no sɛ, “Ma memfa me nsa nsosɔ adum mmienu no mu, na mennye mʼahome.”
27 The temple was full of people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and on the roof were the ordinary people watching what Samson was doing.
Na nnipa ahyɛ asɔrefie hɔ ma tɔ. Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no nyinaa wɔ hɔ bi. Na ɛdan no so mmɔsoɔ no nso na mmarima ne mmaa bɛyɛ mpensa wɔ so a wɔrehwɛ Samson na wɔredi ne ho fɛ.
28 Samson called out to the Lord, “Lord God, please remember me and give me strength. Please God, do this just once more, so that with one act I may pay the Philistines back in revenge for the loss of my two eyes.”
Na Samson su frɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Ao Otumfoɔ Awurade, kae me bio. Ao Onyankopɔn, mesrɛ wo ma me ahoɔden bio na mentua Filistifoɔ so ka wɔ mʼani a wɔatutu no so.”
29 Samson reached for the two middle pillars that supported the temple. With his right hand leaning on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
Afei Samson sosɔɔ adum mmienu a ɛwɔ asɔrefie no mfimfini no mu. Ɔde nʼahoɔden nyinaa piaeɛ.
30 Samson shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pushed with all his strength. The temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. So those killed at his death were more than he killed in his life.
Samson bɔɔ mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ma me ne Filistifoɔ no nwu.” Na asɔrefie no dwiri guu Filistifoɔ ntuanofoɔ no ne nnipa no nyinaa so. Enti, ɔkumm nnipa bebree sene dodoɔ a ɔkumm wɔn ɛberɛ a na ɔte ase no.
31 Then his brothers and his whole family came and took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He led Israel as judge for twenty years.
Akyire yi, ne nuammarima ne nʼabusuafoɔ a wɔaka kɔfaa no. Wɔde no kɔɔ ne kurom kɔsiee no wɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam, baabi a wɔsiee nʼagya Manoa hɔ. Samson dii Israelfoɔ so ɔtemmufoɔ mfeɛ aduonu.

< Judges 16 >