Jij 14
1 Samson te desann Thimna. La li te wè yon fanm Thimna; youn nan fi Filisten yo.
One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
2 Konsa, li te retounen pou te di papa l avèk manman l: “Mwen te wè yon fanm Thimna, youn nan fi Filisten yo. Alò pou sa, al chache li pou mwen kòm madanm.”
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.”
3 Papa l avèk manman l te di li: “Èske pa gen okenn fanm pami fi a fanmi ou yo, oswa pami tout pèp nou an, pou ou alepran yon madanm pami Filisten ensikonsi sa yo?” Samson te di a papa l: “Ale pran li pou mwen; paske selon mwen menm, li byen bèl.”
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!”
4 Alò, papa li avèk manman li pa t konnen ke sa se te yon bagay a SENYÈ a; paske Li t ap chache yon okazyon kont Filisten yo. Alò, nan tan sa a, Filisten yo t ap domine sou Israël.
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.
5 Epi Samson te desann Thimna avèk papa l avèk manman l e yo te avanse rive jis nan chan rezen a Thimna yo; epi vwala, yon jenn lyon tou ap gwonde te vin lonje sou li.
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.
6 Lespri SENYÈ a te vin monte byen fò sou li e li te chire li tankou yon moun ta chire yon jenn kabrit, malgre anyen pa t nan men li. Men li pa t pale ni papa l ni manman l sa li te fè a.
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.
7 Konsa, li te desann pale avèk fanm nan, epi li te fè kè l kontan.
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].
8 Lè l te retounen pita pou pran l, li te vire akote pou gade kadav lyon an. Epi vwala, yon desen myèl te nan kò lyon an.
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.
9 Konsa, li te fè yon grate lasi ak siwo myèl nan men li e li te fè wout li pandan li t ap manje. Lè li te vin kote papa l avèk manman l, li te bay yo, e yo te manje. Men li pa t di yo ke li te grate siwo a sòti nan kò lyon an.
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].
10 Alò, papa li te desann vè fanm nan; epi Samson te fè yon fèt la, paske jennonm yo te konn fè sa kòm koutim pa yo.
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.
11 Lè yo te wè li, yo te mennen trant zanmi parèy a yo pou yo ta kab la avèk li.
Thirty young man were invited to the party.
12 Samson te di yo: “Kite m bannou yon kont pou nou kab devine l. Si nou kab vrèman reponn pandan sèt jou ki ekoule nan fèt la pou twouve bout li, alò, mwen va bannou trant gwo manto fèt an len avèk trant echanj vètman.
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.
13 Men si nou pa kab reponn mwen, alò, nou va ban mwen trant echanj vètman.” Yo te di li: “Bannou kont lan pou nou kab koute li.”
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.”
14 Konsa, li te di yo: “Sòti nan sila ki konn manje, te parèt yon bagay pou manje. Sòti nan sila ki gen fòs, te parèt yon bagay ki dous.” Men nan twa jou, yo pa t kab ba li repons lan.
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.
15 Alò, li te vin rive ke nan katriyèm jou a, ke yo te di a madanm Samson an: “Mennen mari ou pou l kab bannou repons kont lan, oswa nou va brile ou menm avèk kay papa ou avèk dife. Èske se pou fè nou vin pòv ke ou te envite nou? Se pa sa w ap fè la a?”
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]?”
16 Madanm a Samson te kriye devan li e te di: “Se sèlman ke ou rayi mwen e ou pa renmen m. Ou te prezante yon kont a fis pèp mwen yo e ou pa t pale m de sa.” Li te di li: “Gade byen, mwen pa t pale l ni a manman m, ni a papa m. Èske se a ou menm pou m ta pale li?”
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?”
17 Men li te kriye devan li pandan sèt jou pandan fèt yo a t ap pase. Epi nan setyèm jou a, li te pale li kont lan, akoz li menm (fanm nan) te peze li rèd. Alò konsa, li al pale istwa a fis pèp li yo.
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.
18 Konsa, mesye lavil yo te di a li nan setyèm jou a avan solèy la te kouche: “Se kisa ki pi dous ke siwo myèl? Epi kisa ki pi fò pase yon lyon?” Li te reponn yo: “Si nou pa t raboure avèk gazèl bèf mwen, nou pa t ap dekouvri kont mwen an.”
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!”
19 Lespri SENYÈ a te vini sou li byen fò, e li te desann Askalon pou te touye trant nan Filisten yo. Li te pran piyaj pa yo e te bay echanj rad yo a sila ki te reponn kont lan. Epi kòlè li te monte, e li te monte vè lakay papa l.
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.
20 Men madanm a Samson an te vin bay a yon konpanyen li ki te bon zanmi li.
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].
