Judges 14
1 One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
| وَذَهَبَ شَمْشُونُ إِلَى تِمْنَةَ حَيْثُ رَاقَتْهُ فَتَاةٌ مِنْ بَنَاتِ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ | ١ |
2 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.”
| فَرَجَعَ إِلَى وَالِدَيْهِ وَأَخْبَرَهُمَا قَائِلاً: «رَاقَتْنِي امْرَأَةٌ فِي تِمْنَةَ مِنْ بَنَاتِ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ فَزَوِّجَانِي مِنْهَا». | ٢ |
3 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!”
| فَقَالَ لَهُ وَالِدَاهُ: «أَلَمْ تَجِدْ بَيْنَ بَنَاتِ أَقْرِبَائِكَ وَفِي قَوْمِنَا فَتَاةً، حَتَّى تَذْهَبَ وَتَتَزَوَّجَ مِنْ بَنَاتِ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ الْغُلْفِ؟» فَأَجَابَ شَمْشُونُ أَبَاهُ: «هَذِهِ هِيَ الْفَتَاةُ الَّتِي رَاقَتْنِي فَزَوِّجْنِي إِيَّاهَا». | ٣ |
4 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.
| وَلَمْ يُدْرِكْ وَالِدَاهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الأَمْرَ كَانَ مِنَ الرَّبِّ، الَّذِي كَانَ يَلْتَمِسُ عِلَّةً ضِدَّ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا آنَئِذٍ مُتَسَلِّطِينَ عَلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ. | ٤ |
5 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.
| فَانْحَدَرَ شَمْشُونُ وَوَالِدَاهُ إِلَى تِمْنَةَ حَتَّى بَلَغُوا كُرُومَهَا، وَإذَا بِشِبْلِ أَسَدٍ يَتَحَفَّزُ مُزَمْجِراً لِلانْقِضَاضِ عَلَيْهِ، | ٥ |
6 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.
| فَحَلَّ عَلَيْهِ رُوحُ الرَّبِّ فَقَبَضَ عَلَى الأَسَدِ وَشَقَّهُ إِلَى نِصْفَيْنِ وَكَأَنَّهُ جَدْيٌ صَغِيرٌ، مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَهُ سِلاحٌ. وَلَمْ يُنْبِئْ وَالِدَيْهِ بِمَا فَعَلَ. | ٦ |
7 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].
| ثُمَّ مَضَى إِلَى الْفَتَاةِ وَخَاطَبَهَا فَازْدَادَ بِها إِعْجَاباً. | ٧ |
8 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.
| وَعِنْدَمَا رَجَعَ شَمْشُونُ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ لِيَتَزَوَّجَ مِنْهَا مَالَ لِيُلْقِيَ نَظْرَةً عَلَى جُثَّةِ الأَسَدِ، فَوَجَدَ فِي جَوْفِهَا سَرْباً مِنَ النَّحْلِ وَبَعْضَ الْعَسَلِ، | ٨ |
9 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].
| فَتَنَاوَلَ مِنْهُ قَدْراً عَلَى كَفِّهِ وَمَضَى وَهُوَ يَأْكُلُ. ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى وَالِدَيْهِ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا فَأَكَلا، وَلَمْ يُخْبِرْهُمَا أَنَّهُ اشْتَارَ الْعَسَلَ مِنْ جَوْفِ الأَسْدِ. | ٩ |
10 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.
| وَذَهَبَ وَالِدُهُ إِلَى بَيْتِ الْعَرُوسِ، فَأَقَامَ شَمْشُونُ هُنَاكَ وَلِيمَةً كَمَا تَقْتَضِي أَعْرَافُ الزَّوَاجِ. | ١٠ |
11 Thirty young man were invited to the party.
| وَدَعَا الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ ثَلاثِينَ شَابّاً لِيُنَادِمُوهُ (فِي فَتْرَةِ الاحْتِفَالِ بِزَوَاجِهِ). | ١١ |
12 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.
| فَقَالَ لَهُمْ شَمْشُونُ: «سَأُلْقِي عَلَيْكُمْ أُحْجِيَّةً، فَإِنْ وَجَدْتُمْ حَلَّهَا الصَّحِيحَ فِي سَبْعَةِ أَيَّامِ الْوَلِيمَةِ أُعْطِيكُمْ ثَلاثِينَ قَمِيصاً وَثَلاثِينَ حُلَّةَ ثِيَابٍ. | ١٢ |
13 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.”
| أَمَّا إِنْ عَجَزْتُمْ عَنْهَا فَسَتُعْطُونِي أَنْتُمْ ثَلاثِينَ قَمِيصاً وَثَلاثِينَ حُلَّةَ ثِيَابٍ». فَقَالُوا لَهُ: «هَاتِ أُحْجِيَّتَكَ فَنَسْمَعَهَا». | ١٣ |
14 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.
| فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «مِنَ الآكِلِ خَرَجَ أُكْلٌ، وَمِنَ الْقَوِيِّ خَرَجَتْ حَلاوَةٌ». وَانْقَضَتْ ثَلاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَجِدُوا لَهَا حَلاً. | ١٤ |
15 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]?”
| وَفِي الْيَوْمِ الرَّابِعِ قَالُوا لِزَوْجَةِ شَمْشُونَ: «تَمَلَّقِي زَوْجَكِ لِيَكْشِفَ لَنَا عَنْ حَلِّ الأُحْجِيَّةِ، لِئَلّا نُضْرِمَ النَّارَ فِيكِ وَفِي بَيْتِ أَبِيكِ. أَدَعَوْتُمُونَا إِلَى الْوَلِيمَةِ لِتَسْلِبُونَا؟» | ١٥ |
16 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?”
| فَبَكَتِ امْرَأَةُ شَمْشُونَ لَدَيْهِ قَائِلَةً: «أَنْتَ تَمْقُتُنِي وَلا تُحِبُّنِي حَقّاً. فَقَدْ طَرَحْتَ عَلَى بَنِي قَوْمِي أُحْجِيَّةً وَلَمْ تُطْلِعْنِي عَلَى حَلِّهَا». فَقَالَ لَهَا: «هُوَذَا أَبِي وَأُمِّي لَمْ أُطْلِعْهُمَا عَلَى حَلِّهَا، فَلِمَاذَا أُخْبِرُكِ أَنْتِ بِهِ؟» | ١٦ |
17 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.
| فَظَلَّتْ تَبْكِي لَدَيْهِ طَوَالَ سَبْعَةِ أَيَّامِ الْوَلِيمَةِ. وَفِي الْيَوْمِ السَّابِعِ أَطْلَعَهَا عَلَى الْحَلِّ لِفَرْطِ مَا ضَايَقَتْهُ، فَأَسَرَّتْ بِهِ لِبَنِي قَوْمِهَا. | ١٧ |
18 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!”
| وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِ شَمْسِ الْيَوْمِ السَّابِعِ قَالَ لَهُ رِجَالُ الْمَدِينَةِ: «أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ، وَمَا هُوَ أَقْوَى مِنَ الأَسَدِ؟» فَقَالَ لَهُمْ شَمْشُونُ: «لَوْلا أَنَّكُمْ حَرَثْتُمْ عَلَى عِجْلَتِي لَمَا وَجَدْتُمْ حَلَّ أُحْجِيِّتِي». | ١٨ |
19 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.
| وَحَلَّ عَلَيْهِ رُوحُ الرَّبِّ فَانْحَدَرَ إِلَى مَدِينَةِ أَشْقَلُونَ وَقَتَلَ ثَلاثِينَ رَجُلاً مِنْهُمْ، وَأَخَذَ ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَعْطَاهَا لِلرِّجَالِ الَّذِينَ حَلُّوا لُغْزَهُ. وَلَكِنْ، إِذِ احْتَدَمَ غَضَبُهُ مَضَى إِلَى بَيْتِ وَالِدَيْهِ. | ١٩ |
20 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].
| وَمَا لَبِثَتِ امْرَأَةُ شَمْشُونَ أَنْ أَصْبَحَتْ زَوْجَةً لِصَاحِبِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ نَدِيماً لَهُ. | ٢٠ |
