< Judges 14 >

1 One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
Samsoni akateremkia Timna, akamwona mwanamke wa Kifilisti.
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.”
Alipopanda kutoka huko, akawaambia baba yake na mama yake, “Nimemwona mwanamke wa Kifilisti huko Timna; basi mnipe ili awe mke wangu.”
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!”
Baba yake na mama yake wakamjibu, “Je, hakuna mwanamke miongoni mwa jamaa yako au miongoni mwa ndugu zako, hata ulazimike kwenda kujitwalia mwanamke kutoka kwa hawa Wafilisti wasiotahiriwa?” Lakini Samsoni akamwambia baba yake, “Nipatieni huyo kwa maana ndiye alinipendeza.”
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.
(Baba yake na mama yake hawakujua kuwa jambo hili limetoka kwa Bwana, kwani alikuwa akitafuta sababu ya kukabiliana na Wafilisti; kwa kuwa wakati huo walikuwa wakiwatawala Waisraeli.)
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.
Samsoni akateremkia Timna pamoja na baba yake na mama yake. Walipofika kwenye mashamba ya mizabibu huko Timna, ghafula mwana simba akamjia akimngurumia.
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.
Roho wa Bwana akaja juu yake kwa nguvu, naye akampasua yule simba kwa mikono yake bila silaha yoyote kama vile mtu ampasuavyo mwana-mbuzi, wala hakumwambia baba yake wala mama yake aliyoyafanya.
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].
Basi akateremka na kuongea na yule mwanamke, naye akampendeza Samsoni.
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.
Baada ya muda aliporudi ili akamwoe, akatazama kando ili kuutazama mzoga wa yule simba, na tazama, kulikuwa na kundi la nyuki ndani ya ule mzoga wa simba na kulikuwa na asali;
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].
akachukua asali mkononi mwake akaendelea huku akila. Alipowafikia baba yake na mama yake, akawapa ile asali nao wakala. Lakini hakuwaambia kuwa alitwaa asali kutoka kwenye mzoga wa simba.
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.
Basi baba yake akateremka kumwona huyo mwanamke. Samsoni akafanya karamu huko, kama ilivyokuwa desturi ya vijana.
11 Thirty young man were invited to the party.
Watu walipomwona, wakaleta vijana wenzake thelathini ili kuwa pamoja naye.
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.
Samsoni akawaambia, “Niwape kitendawili, mkiweza kunipa jibu katika muda wa siku hizi saba za karamu, nitawapa mavazi thelathini ya kitani na mavazi mengine mivao thelathini.
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.”
Lakini msipoweza kufumbua, ndipo ninyi mtanipa mavazi thelathini ya kitani na mavazi mengine mivao thelathini.” Wakamwambia, “Tuambie hicho kitendawili, hebu na tukisikie.”
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.
Akawaambia, “Ndani ya mlaji, kulitoka kitu cha kuliwa, ndani ya mwenye nguvu, kulitoka kitu kitamu.” Kwa muda wa siku tatu hawakuweza kutoa jibu.
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]?”
Siku ya saba, wakamwambia mkewe Samsoni, “Mbembeleze mumeo ili atueleze hicho kitendawili, la sivyo tutakuchoma moto wewe na wa nyumba ya baba yako. Je, mmetualika ili mpate kutunyangʼanya kile tulicho nacho?”
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?”
Basi mke wa Samsoni akalia mbele yake na kumwambia, “Unanichukia! Hunipendi kabisa. Umewategea watu wangu kitendawili, lakini mimi hujaniambia jibu.” Samsoni akamwambia, “Wala sijamweleza baba yangu wala mama yangu, kwa nini nikufumbulie?”
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.
Mkewe akalia kwa muda wa zile siku zote saba za karamu. Hivyo siku ile ya saba Samsoni akamweleza, kwa kuwa aliendelea kumsisitiza sana. Naye akawaeleza watu wake kile kitendawili.
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!”
Siku ya saba kabla ya jua kutua, watu wa mji wakamwambia Samsoni, “Ni nini kitamu kama asali? Ni nini chenye nguvu kama simba?” Samsoni akawaambia, “Kama hamkulima na mtamba wangu, hamngeweza kufumbua kitendawili changu.”
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.
Ndipo Roho wa Bwana akamjia Samsoni kwa nguvu. Akateremka mpaka Ashkeloni, akawaua watu waume thelathini miongoni mwa watu wa mji, akatwaa mali zao na nguo zao, akawapa watu wale waliofumbua kile kitendawili. Akiwa na hasira, akakwea kurudi nyumbani kwa baba yake.
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].
Lakini huyo mke wa Samsoni akakabidhiwa kwa rafiki yake Samsoni ambaye alikuwa rafiki yake msaidizi siku ya arusi.

< Judges 14 >