Ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo 13
1 Israelviwo gawɔ nu si nye vɔ̃ le Yehowa ŋkume, ale Yehowa tsɔ wo de asi na Filistitɔwo ƒe blaene sɔŋ.
Again the Israeli people did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So Yahweh enabled the people of Philistia to conquer them. They ruled over the Israelis for 40 years.
2 Ŋutsu aɖe nɔ Zora du la me, eŋkɔe nye Manoa, tso Dan ƒe to la me. Manoa srɔ̃ tsi ko, medzi vi kpɔ o.
There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah [town]. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.
3 Yehowa ƒe dɔla aɖe ɖe eɖokui fiae eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Wò la, ètsi ko eye mèdzi vi o gake èle fu fɔ ge adzi ŋutsuvi.
One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, “Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Azɔ la, kpɔ egbɔ be mèno wain alo aha muame aɖeke o, eye màɖu naneke si ŋuti mekɔ o
[From now until he is born], you must not drink any wine or other alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that will make you unacceptable to God.
5 elabena àfɔ fu eye àdzi ŋutsuvi. Talũhɛ maka eƒe ta ŋu o, elabena ŋutsuvi la anye Naziritɔ, ame si woɖe ɖe aga na Mawu tso dadaa ƒe dɔ me, eye eyae adze Israelviwo ɖeɖe tso Filistitɔwo ƒe asi me gɔme.”
After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue [many of] the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”
6 Tete nyɔnu la yi srɔ̃a gbɔ eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Mawu ƒe ame aɖe va gbɔnye, edzi ŋɔ ŋutɔ eye wòdze abe Mawudɔla ene. Nyemebia afi si wòtso lae o, eye meyɔ eƒe ŋkɔ hã nam o.
The woman ran and told her husband, “A prophet came to me. He looked awesome, like an angel from God. I did not ask where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 Egblɔ nam be, ‘Èle fu fɔ ge, àdzi ŋutsuvi, eya ta azɔ la, mègano wain alo aha muame bubu aɖeke o eye mègaɖu nu makɔmakɔ aɖeke o elabena ŋutsuvi la anye Naziritɔ na Mawu tso eƒe dzigbe va se ɖe eƒe kugbe.’”
But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Until then, you must not drink any wine or any alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that would make you unacceptable to God. Your son must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies.’”
8 Tete Manoa do gbe ɖa na Yehowa be, “Oo, Aƒetɔ, míeɖe kuku, na ame si tso Mawu gbɔ la, nagava mía gbɔ eye wòafia nu mí tso ale si míahe ɖevi si dzi ge míala la ŋu.”
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh, saying, “O Yahweh, I plead with you, allow that prophet whom you sent to us to come again, and teach us how we should raise the boy who will be born to us.”
9 Mawu se Manoa ƒe gbedodoɖa eye Mawudɔla la gaɖe eɖokui fia srɔ̃a esime wònɔ agble me. Eya ɖeka koe nɔ afi ma: Manoa menɔ afi ma o
God did what Manoah asked, and Yahweh again appeared to his wife in the form of an angel, while she was out in the field. But again her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 eya ta nyɔnu la ƒu du sesĩe ɖagblɔ na srɔ̃a be, “Eyae nye ekem! Ŋutsu si va gbɔnye nyitsɔ la, eya kee gava.”
So she quickly ran and said to her husband, “The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!”
11 Manoa ƒu du kple srɔ̃a yi ŋutsu la gbɔ eye Manoa biae be, “Wòe nye ŋutsu si ƒo nu kple srɔ̃nye nyitsɔa?” Ŋutsu la ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, nyee.”
Manoah ran back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who talked with my wife a few days ago?” He replied, “Yes, I am.”
12 Ale Manoa biae be, “Ne wò nyawo va eme la, ɖoɖo kawoe anɔ ɖevia ƒe agbenɔnɔ kple eƒe dɔwɔna ŋu?”
Manoah asked him, “When what you promised occurs [and my wife gives birth to a son], what rules must he obey, and what work will he do [when he grows up]?”
13 Yehowa ƒe dɔla ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Ele be srɔ̃wò nawɔ nu sia nu si megblɔ nɛ.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 Mele be wòaɖu waintsetse alo ano wain alo aha muame o eye mele be wòaɖu nu makɔmakɔ aɖeke hã o. Ele be wòawɔ nu sia nu si ƒe se mede nɛ.”
[Before the baby is born], she must not eat grapes, or drink wine or any other alcoholic/fermented drink, or eat anything that would make her unacceptable to God.”
15 Manoa gblɔ na Yehowa ƒe dɔla la be, “Míadi be nànɔ mía gbɔ va se ɖe esime míalé gbɔ̃vi aɖe aɖa nui na wò.”
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
16 Yehowa ƒe dɔla la ɖo eŋu be, “Togbɔ be mielém ɖi hã la, nyemaɖu miaƒe nuɖaɖa ƒe ɖeke o gake ne miedzra numevɔsa aɖe ɖo la, mitsɔe na Yehowa.” Manoa menya be Yehowa ƒe dɔlae wònye o.
Yahweh replied, “I will stay here, but I will not eat anything. However, you may kill an animal and sacrifice it as a burned offering to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not realize that the [man he thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.)
17 Manoa bia Yehowa ƒe dɔla la be “Wò ŋkɔ ɖe? Ale be ne wò nya la va eme la, ne míade bubu ŋuwò.”
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Eɖo eŋu be, “Nu ka ŋuti nèle nye ŋkɔ biam ɖo? Nye ŋkɔ ƒo gɔmesese ta.”
Yahweh replied, “(Why do you ask me my name?/You should not ask me my name.) [RHQ] It is (wonderful/it cannot be understood).”
19 Manoa lé gbɔ̃vi aɖe kpe ɖe nuɖuvɔsa ŋu eye wòsa vɔ na Yehowa le agakpe aɖe dzi. Tete Yehowa wɔ nukunu aɖe le Manoa kple srɔ̃a ŋkume.
Then Manoah killed a young goat and burned it on a rock, along with a grain offering, as a sacrifice to Yahweh. And Yahweh did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 Esi dzo ƒe aɖewo tso vɔsamlekpui la dzi ɖo ta dziŋgɔli me la, Yehowa ƒe dɔla la to dzo la me yi dziƒo. Esi Manoa kple srɔ̃a kpɔ esia la, wotsyɔ mo anyi.
Flames from the altar blazed up toward the sky, and Yahweh ascended in the flames. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground.
21 Esi Yehowa ƒe dɔla la megaɖe eɖokui fia Manoa kple srɔ̃a o la, Manoa kpɔe dze sii be Yehowa ƒe dɔlae.
Although Yahweh did not appear in the form of an angel to Manoah and his wife again, Manoah realized that the [man they thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.
22 Manoa do ɣli gblɔ na srɔ̃a be, “Aléle, míedze na ku elabena míekpɔ Mawu.”
So he said, “Now we will die, because we have seen God!”
23 Ke srɔ̃a gblɔ nɛ be, “Nenye ɖe Yehowa le mía wu ge la, anye ne maxɔ míaƒe numevɔsa kple nuɖuvɔsa o eye maɖe eɖokui afia mí, agblɔ nya wɔnuku sia na mí eye wòawɔ nukunu siawo o.”
But his wife said, “No, we will not die, because if Yahweh intended to kill us, he would not have accepted the burned offering and the grain offering. And he would not have appeared to us and told us the wonderful thing that would happen to us, and he would not have performed this miracle.”
24 Esi wodzi ɖevia la, wona ŋkɔe be Samson. Mawu yrae eye wòtsi.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Yehowa ƒe Gbɔgbɔ de asi edzidzedze me le Dan ƒe asaɖa me le Zora kple Estaol duawo dome.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
