Iudicum 16
1 Abiit quoque in Gazam, et vidit ibi mulierem meretricem, ingressusque est ad eam.
One day Samson went to Gaza [city in the Philistia area]. He spent some time with a prostitute.
2 Quod cum audissent Philisthiim, et percrebruisset apud eos, intrasse urbem Samson, circumdederunt eum, positis in porta civitatis custodibus: et ibi tota nocte cum silentio præstolantes, ut facto mane exeuntem occiderent.
People soon found out that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together at the city gate and waited all night. They said to themselves, “When it dawns tomorrow morning, we will kill him [when he tries to leave the city].”
3 Dormivit autem Samson usque ad medium noctem: et inde consurgens apprehendit ambas portæ fores cum postibus suis, et sera, impositasque humeris suis portavit ad verticem montis, qui respicit Hebron.
But Samson did not stay there all night. At midnight, he got up. He went to the city gate, he took hold of its two posts, and he lifted it up out of the ground, with its [connecting cross] bar still attached. He put it on his shoulders and carried it [many miles] uphill to Hebron.
4 Post hæc amavit mulierem, quæ habitabat in Valle Sorec, et vocabatur Dalila.
Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, [and started to live with her]. She lived in Sorek Valley [in the Philistia area].
5 Veneruntque ad eam principes Philisthinorum, atque dixerunt: Decipe eum, et disce ab illo, in quo habeat tantam fortitudinem, et quo modo eum superare valeamus, et vinctum affligere. quod si feceris, dabimus tibi singuli mille et centum argenteos.
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Find out from Samson what makes him so strong. And find out how we can subdue him and tie him up securely. If you do that, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 Locuta est ergo Dalila ad Samson: Dic mihi, obsecro, in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo, et quid sit quo ligatus erumpere nequeas?
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong, and tell me how someone can subdue you and tie you up.”
7 Cui respondit Samson: Si septem nerviceis funibus necdum siccis, et adhuc humentibus ligatus fuero, infirmus ero ut ceteri homines.
Samson said, “If someone ties me with seven new bowstrings, ones that are not dry yet, I will become as weak as other men.”
8 Attuleruntque ad eam satrapæ Philisthinorum septem funes, ut dixerat: quibus vinxit eam,
So [after Delilah told that to the Philistine leaders], they brought seven new bowstrings to Delilah.
9 latentibus apud se insidiis, et in cubiculo finem rei expectantibus, clamavitque ad eum: Philisthiim super te Samson. Qui rupit vincula, quo modo si rumpat quis filum de stuppæ tortum putamine, cum odorem ignis acceperit: et non est cognitum in quo esset fortitudo eius.
Then she hid the men in one of the rooms in her house. Then [while Samson was sleeping], she tied him up with the bowstrings. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come here to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as easily as though they were strings that had been singed in a fire. So the Philistines did not find out what made Samson so strong.
10 Dixitque ad eum Dalila: Ecce illusisti mihi, et falsum locutus es: saltem nunc indica mihi quo ligari debeas.
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have deceived me and lied to me! Now tell me [the truth, ] how someone can tie you up securely.”
11 Cui ille respondit: Si ligatus fuero novis funibus, qui numquam fuerunt in opere, infirmus ero, et aliorum hominum similis.
Samson replied, “If someone ties me with new ropes, ones that have never been used, I will be as weak as other men.”
12 Quibus rursum Dalila vinxit eum, et clamavit: Philisthiim super te Samson, in cubiculo insidiis præparatis. Qui ita rupit vincula quasi fila telarum.
So again, [she told the Philistine leaders, and] they [came and] hid in the room as they had done before. And again, while Samson was sleeping, she took the new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the ropes on his arms as easily as if they were threads.
13 Dixitque Dalila rursum ad eum: Usquequo decipis me, et falsum loqueris? ostende quo vinciri debeas. Cui respondit Samson: Si septem crines capitis mei cum licio plexueris, et clavum his circumligatum terræ fixeris, infirmus ero.
Then Delilah said, “You have deceived me and lied to me [again]! Please tell me how someone can tie you up securely!” Samson replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the threads you are weaving on the loom, and then fasten those threads with the pin [that makes the threads tight], then I will be as weak as other men.” So again, while Samson was sleeping on her lap, Delilah held the seven braids of his hair, and wove them into the threads on the loom,
14 Quod cum fecisset Dalila, dixit ad eum: Philisthiim super te Samson. Qui consurgens de somno extraxit clavum cum crinibus et licio.
and she tightened them with the pin. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up and pulled out the pin, and pulled his hair from the threads on the loom.
15 Dixitque ad eum Dalila: Quo modo dicis quod amas me, cum animus tuus non sit mecum? Per tres vices mentitus es mihi, et noluisti dicere in quo sit maxima fortitudo tua.
Then Delilah said to him, “How can you say that you love me when you do not tell me the truth about yourself? You have deceived me three times, and you still have not told me what really makes you so strong!”
16 Cumque molesta esset ei, et per multos dies iugiter adhæreret, spatium ad quietem non tribuens, defecit anima eius, et ad mortem usque lassata est.
Day after day she nagged him like that. He thought he would die from her nagging [IDM].
17 Tunc aperiens veritatem rei, dixit ad eam: Ferrum numquam ascendit super caput meum, quia nazaræus, id est, consecratus Deo sum de utero matris meæ: si rasum fuerit caput meum, recedet a me fortitudo mea, et deficiam, eroque sicut ceteri homines.
Finally Samson told her the truth. He said, “I have been set apart for God since the day I was born. And because of that, my hair has never been cut. If my hair were shaved off, my strength would be gone, and I would be as weak as other men.”
18 Vidensque illa quod confessus ei esset omnem animum suum, misit ad principes Philisthinorum ac mandavit: Ascende adhuc semel, quia nunc mihi aperuit cor suum. Qui ascenderunt assumpta pecunia, quam promiserant.
Delilah realized that this time he had told her the truth. So she summoned the Philistine leaders again, saying, “Come back one more time, because Samson has really told me everything [about why he is so strong]”. So the Philistine leaders returned and brought to Delilah the money [that they promised to give her].
19 At illa dormire eum fecit super genua sua, et in sinu suo reclinare caput. Vocavitque tonsorem, et rasit septem crines eius, et cœpit abigere eum, et a se repellere: statim enim ab eo fortitudo discessit:
Again she lulled Samson to sleep, with his head in her lap. Then she called one of the Philistine men to come and shave off Samson’s hair. As he did that, Samson began to get weaker. And finally his strength was all gone.
20 dixitque: Philisthiim super te Samson. Qui de somno consurgens, dixit in animo suo: Egrediar sicut ante feci, et me excutiam, nesciens quod recessisset ab eo Dominus.
Then [after she tied him up], she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before. I will shake [these ropes] off myself and be free!” But he did not realize that Yahweh had left him.
21 Quem cum apprehendissent Philisthiim, statim eruerunt oculos eius, et duxerunt Gazam vinctum catenis, et clausum in carcere molere fecerunt.
So the Philistine men seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza. There they put him in prison and bound him with bronze chains. They made him [turn a millstone to] grind grain [every day].
22 Iamque capilli eius renasci cœperunt,
But his hair started to grow again.
23 et principes Philisthinorum convenerunt in unum ut immolarent hostias magnificas Dagon deo suo, et epularentur, dicentes: Tradidit Deus noster inimicum nostrum Samson in manus nostras.
[Several months later] the Philistine leaders celebrated a big festival. During the festival they offered sacrifices to their god Dagon. They praised him, saying, “Our god has enabled us to defeat our great enemy Samson!”
24 Quod etiam populus videns, laudabat deum suum, eademque dicebat: Tradidit Deus noster adversarium nostrum in manus nostras, qui delevit terram nostram, et occidit plurimos.
And when the other people saw Samson, they also praised their god Dagon, saying, “Samson ruined our crops and killed many of our people, but our god has put our enemy into our hands. Our god helped us to capture the one who has killed so many of us!”
25 Lætantesque per convivia, sumptis iam epulis, præceperunt ut vocaretur Samson, et ante eos luderet. Qui adductus de carcere ludebat ante eos, feceruntque eum stare inter duas columnas.
By that time the people were half-drunk. They shouted, “Bring Samson out of the prison! Bring him here so that he can entertain us!” So they brought Samson from the prison and made fun of him. Then they made him stand in the center of the temple. They made him stand between the two pillars that held up the roof.
26 Qui dixit puero regenti gressus suos: Dimitte me, ut tangam columnas, quibus omnis imminet domus, et recliner super eas, et paululum requiescam.
Samson said to the servant who was leading him by his hand, “Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them.”
27 Domus autem erat plena virorum ac mulierum, et erant ibi omnes principes Philisthinorum, ac de tecto et solario circiter tria millia utriusque sexus spectantes ludentem Samson.
At that time the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine leaders were also there. And there were about 3,000 people on the roof, watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 At ille invocato Domino ait: Domine Deus, memento mei, et redde mihi nunc fortitudinem pristinam Deus meus, ut ulciscar me de hostibus meis, et pro amissione duorum luminum unam ultionem recipiam.
Then Samson prayed, saying, “Yahweh, my Lord, think about me again! Please give me strength one more time, so that I may get revenge on the Philistines for gouging out my eyes!”
29 Et apprehendens ambas columnas, quibus innitebatur domus, alteramque earum dextera, et alteram læva tenens,
Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars of the temple. He put his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other pillar.
30 ait: Moriatur anima mea cum Philisthiim. concussisque fortiter columnis, cecidit domus super omnes principes, et ceteram multitudinem, quæ ibi erat: multoque plures interfecit moriens, quam ante vivus occiderat.
Then he shouted [to God], “Let me die with the Philistines!”, and he pushed with all his strength. [The pillars collapsed], and the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the other Philistine people, [and they all died]. So Samson killed more people when he died than he had killed all during his life.
31 Descendentes autem fratres eius et universa cognatio tulerunt corpus eius, et sepelierunt inter Saraa et Esthaol in sepulchro patris sui Manue: iudicavitque Israel viginti annis.
Later his brothers and their relatives went down [from Zorah to Gaza] to get his body. They took it back home and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, at the place where Samson’s father Manoah was buried. Samson had been Israel’s leader for 20 years.
