Ndị Ikpe 13
1 Ndị Izrel mehiekwara ọzọ nʼihu onyenwe anyị. Nʼihi nke a, Onyenwe anyị kwenyere ka ndị Filistia merie ha. Ndị Izrel nọrọ nʼokpuru ọchịchị ha iri afọ anọ.
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 Nʼoge ahụ, o nwere otu nwoke onye Zora aha ya bụ Manoa. Nwoke a si nʼagbụrụ Dan, nwunye ya bụ nwanyị aga nke mere na ọ mụtaghị nwa.
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 Otu ụbọchị, mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị gosiri nwanyị a onwe ya, gwa ya okwu sị, “Ọ bụ ezie na ị bụ nwanyị aga nke mere na ị mụtaghị nwa ma na mgbe na-adịghị anya, ị ga-atụrụ ime mụta nwa.
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 Ma site ugbu a, gaa nʼihu, aṅụkwala ihe ọṅụṅụ ọbụla na-aba nʼanya. Erikwala ihe ọbụla rụrụ arụ.
[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 Ị ga-atụrụ ime, mụkwaa nwa nwoke, onye agụba agaghị aba nʼisi ya, nʼihi na ọ ga-abụ onye e kewapụrụ nye Chineke site nʼime akpanwa. Ọ ga-ebute ụzọ nʼịgbapụta Izrel site nʼaka ndị Filistia.”
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 Nwanyị ahụ gbara ọsọ gbalaa gaa gwa di ya sị ya, “Otu onye nke Chineke egosila m onwe ya. O dokwara m anya na ọ bụ mmụọ ozi Chineke, nʼihi na ọ dị oke ebube nʼile anya. Ma ajụghị m ya ebe o siri bịa, ọ gwakwaghị m aha ya.
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 Kama ọ sịrị m, ‘Ị ga-adị ime, mụta nwa nwoke. Ma ugbu a, ị gaghị aṅụ mmanya vaịnị maọbụ ihe ọbụla na-aba nʼanya, maọbụ rie ihe ọbụla rụrụ arụ, nʼihi na nwantakịrị ahụ ga-abụ onye e doro nsọ nye Chineke, site nʼime akpanwa ruo nʼọnwụ ya.’”
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 Mgbe ahụ, Manoa kpere ekpere rịọọ Onyenwe anyị arịrịọ sị, “Biko, Onyenwe anyị, ka onye nke Chineke ahụ i ziteere anyị bịaghachikwa ọzọ, kuziere anyị otu anyị ga-esi zụlite nwa nwoke a ga-amụta.”
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 Chineke zara ekpere ya. Mmụọ ozi ahụ bịakwutekwara nwunye Manoa mgbe ọ nọ nʼubi; maọbụ naanị ya nọ, di ya anọghị ya.
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 Ya mere, nwanyị ahụ gbara ọsọ gaa gwa di ya sị, “Lee, nwoke ahụ bịakwutere m ụbọchị a, abịala ọzọ!”
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 biliri, soro nwunye ya. Mgbe o bịarutere ebe nwoke ahụ nọ, ọ jụrụ ya ajụjụ sị, “Ọ bụ gị bụ nwoke ahụ gwara nwunye m okwu nʼoge gara aga?” Ọ zara sị ya, “E, ọ bụ m.”
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 Manoa gwara ya okwu sị, “Mgbe okwu gị mezuru, gịnị bụ iwu banyere ndụ na ọrụ nwa nwoke a?”
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 Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị zaghachiri, “Nwunye gị aghaghị imezu ihe niile m nke m gwara ya.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 Ka ọ ghara iri ihe ọbụla si nʼosisi vaịnị, maọbụ ṅụọ mmanya ọbụla maọbụ ihe ọbụla na-aba nʼanya, maọbụ rie ihe rụrụ arụ ọbụla.”
[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 rịọrọ Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị si ya, “Ọ ga-amasị anyị ma ị nọdụ chere ka anyị kwadoro gị nwa ewu.”
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
16 Ma Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị zara ya, “A sịkwarị na i mee ka m nọrọ, agaghị m eri nri gị ọbụla. Ma ọ bụrụ na i kwadoo aja nsure ọkụ, were ya chụọrọ Onyenwe anyị aja.” Ma Manoa aghọtaghị na onye ahụ bụ Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Manoa jụrụ Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị ahụ, sị, “Biko, gịnị bụ aha gị, ka anyị nye gị nsọpụrụ dịịrị gị mgbe okwu gị mezuru?”
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Ọ zara, “Nʼihi gịnị kwa ka ị na-ajụ banyere aha m? Ọ bụ ihe karịrị nghọta.”
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 Mgbe ahụ, Manoa weere nwa ewu, ya na ụfọdụ mkpụrụ ọka, jiri ha chụọrọ Onyenwe anyị aja nʼelu nkume. Mgbe ahụ kwa, Onyenwe anyị mere ihe dị ebube nke ukwuu mgbe Manoa na nwunye ya guzo na-ele anya:
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 Mgbe ire ọkụ ahụ sitere nʼebe ịchụ aja ahụ na-arịgo na-aga elu, Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị wụliri elu soro ire ọkụ ahụ rigoro gawa nʼeluigwe! Mgbe Manoa na nwunye ya hụrụ ka nke a na-eme, ha kpuru ihu ha nʼala.
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 Mgbe Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị na-egosighị onwe ya ọzọ nye Manoa na nwunye ya, ka Manoa ghọtara na ọ bụ Mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị ka ha hụrụ.
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 gwara nwunye ya sị, “Anyị abụrụla ndị nwụrụ anwụ, nʼihi na anyị ahụla Chineke!”
So he said, “Now we will die, because we have seen God!”
23 Ma nwunye ya zara sị ya, “Ọ bụrụ na Onyenwe anyị chọrọ igbu anyị, ọ garaghị anara aja nsure ọkụ, na aja mkpụrụ ọka anyị chụrụ nye ya. Ọzọkwa, ọ garaghị egosi anyị ihe ndị a niile maọbụ gwa anyị ihe ndị a.”
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 Emesịa, nwanyị ahụ mụrụ nwa nwoke, onye ha gụrụ Samsin. Onyenwe anyị gọzikwara nwantakịrị ahụ mgbe ọ na-etolite.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Mmụọ Onyenwe anyị bidokwara na-agba ya ume nʼoge niile, mgbe ọ nọ Mahane Dan, nke dị nʼetiti Zora na Eshtaol.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
