Ndị Ikpe 15
1 Mgbe oge nta gasịrị, nʼoge owuwe ihe ubi, mgbe a na-aghọ ọka, Samsin weere nwa ewu nta, gaa ileta nwunye ya. O gwara nna nwunye ya sị, “Ana m aga nʼọnụụlọ nwunye m.” Ma nna nwunye ya ekweghị ka ọ banye.
Some time later when the wheat was being harvested, Samson went to pay his wife a visit, taking with him a young goat as a present. “I want to go to my wife in her bedroom,” he said when he arrived, but her father would not let him go in.
2 Nna ya sịrị, “O doro m anya na ị kpọrọ nwa m nwanyị asị, ọ bụ nʼihi nke a ka m jiri kenye ya enyi gị nwoke ka ọ bụrụ nwunye ya. Nwanne ya nwanyị nke nta, ọ maghị mma karịa ya? Kpọrọ ya ka ọ nọchie anya ya.”
“I thought you must totally hate her, so I gave her to your best man,” he told Samson. “But her younger sister is even more attractive—why don't you marry her instead?”
3 Samsin sịrị ha, “Nʼoge a, o ziri m ezi ị bọkwara ọbọ nʼebe ndị Filistia nọ.” Aghaghị m imesi ha ike.
“This time I can't be blamed for the trouble I'm going to cause the Philistines,” Samson declared.
4 Ya mere, Samsin pụrụ gaa jide narị nkịta ọhịa atọ, wetakwa ọwa ụfọdụ. O kekọtara ọdụdụ ha abụọ abụọ. O kenyere ọwa nʼagbata otu nkịta ọhịa na ibe ya.
He went and caught three hundred foxes and tied their tails together, two by two.
5 Emesịa, ọ mụnyere ọkụ nʼọwa ahụ niile. O mekwara ka nkịta ọhịa ndị ahụ dọkpụrụ ọwa a mụnyere ọkụ baa nʼubi ọka ndị Filistia, si otu a rechapụ ọka niile guzoro eguzo nʼubi, na ubi vaịnị niile, ha na osisi oliv niile ọkụ.
He attached a torch to each of the tied tails and set them on fire. Then he let them loose in the grain fields of the Philistines, setting fire to all the grain, harvested and unharvested, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
6 Mgbe ndị Filistia chọpụtara ihe mere, ha jụrụ sị, “Onye mere ihe dị otu a?” A gwara ha, “Ọ bụ Samsin ọgọ onye Timna, nʼihi na a kpọnyere enyi ya nwunye ya.” Nʼihi nke a, ndị Filistia niile zukọtara kpọpụta nwaagbọghọ ahụ na nna ya kpọọ ha ọkụ.
“Who did this?” the Philistines asked. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the man from Timnah,” they were told. “That man gave Samson's wife to Samson's best man.” So the Philistines went and burned her and her father to death.
7 Ma Samsin gwara ha okwu sị, “Ebe ọ bụ na unu mere ihe dị otu a, agaghị akwụsị tutu m bọrọ ọbọ ihe ọjọọ unu mere.”
Samson told them, “If this is the way you're going to act, then I won't stop until I take my revenge on you!”
8 Ya mere, ọ pụkwuru ha ọzọ, site nʼoke iwe, gbuo ọtụtụ mmadụ nʼime ha. Mgbe nke a gasịrị, ọ gara biri nʼime otu ọgba nkume nke Etam.
He attacked them violently, killing them, and then left to go and live in a cave at the rock of Etam.
9 Ndị Filistia gara maa ụlọ ikwu ha nʼala Juda, gbasaa nʼala ahụ ruo obodo Lehi.
So the Philistine army came and camped in Judah, drawn up for battle near Lehi.
10 Ndị Juda jụrụ ajụjụ sị ha; “Ọ bụ gịnị mere unu ji bịa nʼebe a ibuso anyị agha?” Ha zara sị, “Anyị na-achọ ijide Samsin, ka anyị megwara ya ihe ọjọọ o mere anyị.”
The people of Judah asked, “Why have you invaded us?” “We've come to capture Samson, to do to him what he's done to us!” they replied.
11 Nʼihi nke a, ndị Juda zipụrụ puku ndị agha ka ha gaa jide Samsin nʼọgba nkume ahụ nke Etam. Ndị a bịara jụọ Samsin ajụjụ sị ya, “Gịnị bụ ihe a i mere anyị? Ọ bụ na ị maghị na ndị Filistia na-achị obodo anyị?” Samsin zara sị ha, “Ihe m mere bụ imegwata ha ihe ha mere m.”
Three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam and asked Samson, “Don't you understand that the Philistines rule over us? What do you think you're doing to us?” “I only did what they did to me,” he replied.
12 Ha sịrị ya, “Anyị abịala ka anyị kee gị agbụ, dọkpụrụ gị, nye nʼaka ndị Filistia.” Samsin sịrị ha, “Ṅụọrọnụ m iyi na unu agaghị eji aka unu gbuo m.”
“Well, we've come to take you prisoner and hand you over to the Philistines,” they told him. “Just swear to me that you're not going to kill me yourselves,” Samson answered.
13 Ha zara sị ya, “Anyị agaghị egbu gị kama anyị ga-eke gị agbụ.” Ya mere, ha kere ya agbụ, duru ya jekwuru ndị Filistia.
“No, we won't,” they assured him. “We'll only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines. We certainly aren't going to kill you!” They tied him using two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
14 Mgbe ọ na-abịaru Lehi, ndị Filistia tiiri mkpu, bịa izute ya. Mmụọ Onyenwe anyị bịakwasịrị Samsin nʼebe ọ dị ukwuu. Nke a mere ka eriri ahụ e kere ya nʼaka dịrị ka eriri ogho flakisi erere ọkụ, sitekwa nʼaka ya dapụsịa.
When Samson got close to Lehi, the Philistines ran towards him, shouting at him. But the Spirit of the Lord swept over him, and the ropes tying his arms together became as weak as burnt flax, and his hands broke free.
15 Mgbe ahụ Samsin lere anya gburugburu, hụ ọkpụkpụ agba ịnyịnya ibu nke tọgbọrọ nʼala nʼebe ahụ. Ọ tụtụlitere ya, were ya tigbuo puku ndị agha Filistia.
He grabbed the fresh jawbone of a donkey, using it to kill a thousand Philistines.
16 Mgbe ahụ, Samsin kwuru sị, “E ji m agba ịnyịnya ibu mee ka ha dị ka ịnyịnya ibu. E ji m agba ịnyịnya ibu tigbuo puku ndị ikom.”
Then Samson declared, “With a donkey's jawbone I have piled the dead into heaps. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men.”
17 Mgbe o kwuchara ihe ndị a, o tufuru ọkpụkpụ agba ịnyịnya ibu ahụ; a kpọkwara ebe ahụ Ramat Lehi.
After Samson had finished his speech, he threw away the jawbone, and he named the place Hill of the Jawbone.
18 Nʼoge a, akpịrị kpọrọ Samsin nkụ nke ukwuu, nʼihi ya, ọ kpọkuru Onyenwe anyị nʼekpere sị, “Lee, i nyela ohu gị mmeri a dị ukwuu! Ma ugbu a, ị ga-ekwe ka m nwụọ nʼihi akpịrị ịkpọ nku, si otu a daba nʼaka ndị a na-ebighị ugwu?”
He was now extremely thirsty, and he Samson called out to the Lord, saying, “You have achieved this amazing victory through your servant, but now do I have to die of thirst and be captured by the heathen?”
19 Chineke gbawara olulu ahụ nke dị nʼime Lehi, mee ka mmiri si na ya nupụta. Mgbe Samsin ṅụrụ mmiri ahụ, ike ya lọghachiri, mmụọ ya bịaghachikwara. Ya mere, a kpọrọ isi iyi ahụ En-Hakkore. Mmiri ala ahụ ka dịkwa na Lehi nʼebe ahụ ruo taa.
So God split open a rock seam in Lehi, and water came out of it. Samson drank and his strength returned—he felt much better. That's why he named it the Spring of the Caller, and it's still there in Lehi to this very day.
20 Ya mere, Samsin kpere ụmụ Izrel ikpe iri afọ abụọ nʼoge ndị Filistia.
Samson led Israel as judge for twenty years during the time of the Philistines.
