Bilombe 13
1 Bana ya Isalaele basalaki lisusu mabe na miso ya Yawe, mpe Yawe akabaki bango mibu tuku minei na maboko ya bato ya Filisitia.
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 Ezalaki na mobali moko, moto ya Tsorea, ya libota ya Dani, kombo na ye ezalaki Manoa; mwasi na ye azalaki ekomba, mpe abotelaki ye bana te.
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 Anjelu na Yawe abimelaki mwasi ya Manoa mpe alobaki: « Tala, ozali ekomba mpe ozali na bana te, kasi okokoma na zemi mpe okobota mwana mobali.
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 Sik’oyo, sala keba! Komela vino te to masanga mosusu ya makasi, mpe kolia te eloko nyonso ya mbindo;
[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 pamba te okozwa zemi mpe okobota mwana mobali. Bakoki te kokata suki ya moto na ye, pamba te mwana mobali yango akozala bule mpo na Nzambe wuta na libumu ya mama na ye. Akobanda kokangola Isalaele wuta na maboko ya bato ya Filisitia. »
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 Tango mwasi azongaki epai ya mobali na ye, ayebisaki ye: « Moto moko ya Nzambe ayaki epai na ngai, azalaki lokola Anjelu na Nzambe: azalaki somo mingi. Natunaki ye te soki awuti wapi, mpe ayebisaki ngai te kombo na ye.
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 Kasi alobaki na ngai: ‹ Okozwa zemi mpe okobota mwana mobali. Bongo komela vino to masanga mosusu ya makasi te mpe kolia eloko moko te ya mbindo, pamba te mwana mobali oyo okobota akozala bule mpo na Nzambe wuta na libumu ya mama na ye kino na mokolo na ye ya kufa. › »
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 Bongo Manoa asambelaki Yawe: « Oh Nkolo, nabondeli Yo: tika ete ozongisa lisusu moto na Nzambe, oyo otindelaki biso, mpo ete aya lisusu koteya biso nini tosengeli kosala mpo na mwana mobali oyo akobotama! »
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 Nzambe ayokaki Manoa, mpe Anjelu na Nzambe ayaki lisusu epai ya mwasi, wana avandaki na bilanga. Kasi mobali na ye, Manoa, azalaki elongo na ye te.
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 Mwasi ya Manoa akendeki mbangu koyebisa mobali na ye: « Tala, namoni moto oyo abimelaki ngai na mikolo oyo eleki! »
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 atelemaki mpe alandaki mwasi na ye. Tango akomaki epai ya moto yango, alobaki: — Boni, ezali yo nde osololaki na mwasi na ngai? Azongisaki: — Iyo, ezali ngai.
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 atunaki ye: — Tango maloba na yo ekokokisama, mibeko nini tosengeli kotosa mpo na bomoi ya mwana? Mpe ye mwana asengeli kosala nini?
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 Anjelu na Yawe azongiselaki Manoa: — Mwasi na yo asengeli kosala makambo nyonso oyo nayebisaki ye.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 Akolia eloko moko te oyo ewuti na nzete ya vino, akomela vino te to masanga mosusu ya makasi, akolia eloko moko te ya mbindo; asengeli kosala makambo nyonso oyo natindi ye.
[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 alobaki na Anjelu na Yawe: — Soki okoki kozela mwa moke, wana tozali kobongisela yo mwana ntaba.
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
16 Anjelu na Nzambe azongiselaki Manoa: — Ata ozelisi ngai, nakolia ata eloko na yo moko te; kasi soki obongisi mbeka ya kotumba, bonzela yango nde Yawe. Manoa asosolaki te ete oyo azali liboso na ye azali Anjelu na Yawe.
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 atunaki Anjelu na Yawe: — Kombo na yo nani mpo ete topesa yo lokumu tango elaka na yo ekokokisama?
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Anjelu na Yawe azongiselaki ye: — Mpo na nini ozali kotuna ngai kombo na ngai? Kombo na ngai ezali kombo ya kokamwa.
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 Boye Manoa azwaki mwana ntaba elongo na mbeka ya gato, abonzaki yango na likolo ya libanga, liboso ya Yawe. Wana Manoa mpe mwasi na ye bazalaki kotala, Yawe asalaki likambo moko ya kokamwa.
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 Ndenge moto ezalaki komata na likolo longwa na etumbelo, Anjelu na Yawe mpe amataki kati na moto. Tango bamonaki bongo, Manoa mpe mwasi na ye bakweyaki bilongi kino na mabele.
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 Tango Anjelu na Yawe alimwaki na miso ya Manoa mpe ya mwasi na ye, Manoa asosolaki ete ezalaki Anjelu ya Yawe.
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 alobaki na mwasi na ye: — Solo, tokufi na biso, pamba te tomoni Nzambe!
So he said, “Now we will die, because we have seen God!”
23 Kasi mwasi na ye azongisaki: — Soki Yawe asepelaki koboma biso, akokaki kondima te mbeka ya kotumba mpe mbeka ya gato oyo esalemi na maboko na biso to kolakisa biso makambo oyo nyonso to mpe koyebisa biso sik’oyo makambo oyo.
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 Mwasi ya Manoa abotaki mwana mobali mpe apesaki ye kombo « Samison. » Mwana akolaki, mpe Yawe apambolaki ye.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Molimo na Yawe abandaki kosalela ye tango azalaki na Maane Dani, na kati-kati ya Tsorea mpe Eshitaoli.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
