< Balam 15 >

1 Awo ebbanga bwe lyayitawo, ng’ebiro eby’okukungula eŋŋaano bituuse, Samusooni n’agenda okukyalira mukazi we ng’amutwalidde akabuzi akato. N’ayogera nti, “Nnaagenda eri mukazi wange mu kisenge.” Naye kitaawe w’omukazi n’atamukkiriza kugenda yo.
And it came to pass, after a time, in the days of wheat-harvest, that Samson went to visit his wife, with a kid, and he said—I will go in unto my wife, in the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
2 Kitaawe w’omukazi n’agamba Samusooni nti, “Nze nalowooza nti wamukyayira ddala, kyennava mugabira mukwano gwo. Muganda we omuto amusinga okulabika obulungi. Kaakano gw’oba otwala mu kifo ky’oli.”
And her father said—I, thought, that thou didst, hate, her, so I gave her to thy companion, —Is not, her younger sister, fairer than she? Pray let her be thine, in her stead.
3 Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Ku mulundi guno sirina musango, Abafirisuuti bwe nnaabakola akabi.”
And Samson said of them, I shall be more blameless, this time, than the Philistines, —though I should do them a mischief.
4 Awo Samusooni n’agenda n’akwata ebibe ebikumi bisatu, n’asiba bibiri bibiri emikira, n’akwataganya emikira, n’addira ebitawuliro n’ateeka ekitawuliro wakati w’emikira kinneebirye.
So Samson went, and caught three hundred jackals, —and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put one torch between the two tails, in the midst.
5 N’akoleeza ebitawuliro, n’ata ebibe okugenda mu nnimiro z’Abafirisuuti. N’ayokya ebinywa n’eŋŋaano eyali tennakungulwa, n’ennimiro z’emizeeyituuni n’ennimiro z’emizabbibu.
And, when he had set fire to the torches, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, —and set fire, both to the stack of sheaves and to the standing corn, and besides to the olive plantation.
6 Awo Abafirisuuti bwe baabuuza akoze bwe kityo, ne boogera nti, “Ye Samusooni mukoddomi w’Omutimuna, kubanga Omutimuna yaddira mukazi wa Samusooni, n’amuwa mukwano gwa Samusooni.” Abafirisuuti ne bagenda ne bookya omukazi ne kitaawe omuliro.
Then said the Philistines—Who hath done this? And they said—Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father, with fire.
7 Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Olw’okuba nga mweyisizza bwe mutyo, sirirekayo okuggyako nga mbawalanyeeko eggwanga.”
And Samson said to them, Though ye do the like of this, yet will I be avenged upon you, and, afterwards, will I cease.
8 N’abalumba n’atta bangi nnyo ku bo, n’agenda n’abeera mu mpuku ey’omu lwazi lw’e Etamu.
So he smote them, leg on thigh, with a great smiting, —and went down and dwelt in a cleft of the crag Etam.
9 Abafirisuuti ne bayambuka ne basiisira mu Yuda, ne basaasaana okumpi ne Leki.
Then went up the Philistines, and encamped in Judah, —and were spread abroad in Lehi.
10 Abantu ba Yuda ne bababuuza nti, “Lwaki mutulumbye?” Abafirisuuti ne babaddamu nti, “Tuzze okuwamba Samusooni tumutwale nga musibe, tumwesasuze nga bwe yatukola.”
And the men of Judah said, Wherefore have ye come up against us? And they said—To bind Samson, are we come up, to do unto him as he hath done unto us.
11 Awo abasajja enkumi ssatu okuva mu Yuda ne bagenda ku mpuku y’olwazi lw’e Etamu ne bagamba Samusooni nti, “Tewamanya ng’Abafirisuuti be batufuga? Kaakano kiki kino ky’otukoze?” N’abaddamu nti, “Nneesasuzza kye bankola.”
Then went down three thousand men out of Judah, unto the cleft of the crag Etam, and said unto Samson—Knowest thou not that the Philistines are lording it over us? What, then, is this thou hast done to us? And he said unto them, As they have done to me, so, have I done to them.
12 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Tuzze okukusiba tukuweeyo mu mukono gw’Abafirisuuti.” Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Mundayirire nga temunzitte mmwe mwennyini.”
And they said to him—To bind thee, are we come down, to deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me, that ye will not fall upon me, yourselves.
13 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Tukkiriziganyizza. Tujja kukusiba busibi, tukuweeyo mu mukono gwabwe, naye tetujja kukutta.” Ne bamusiba emiguwa ebiri emiggya ne bamuggyayo mu mpuku.
And they answered him, saying—Nay; but we will, bind, thee, and deliver thee into their hand, but we will not, put thee to death. So they bound him with two new ropes, and took him up from the crag.
14 Bwe yali asemberera Leki Abafirisuuti ne bajja gy’ali nga baleekaana. Awo Omwoyo wa Mukama Katonda n’amukkako, emiguwa egyali gimusibye emikono ne giba ng’obugoogwa obwokeddwa omuliro, ne gisumulukuka okuva ku mikono gye.
He, was coming in as far as Lehi, and, the Philistines, came shouting to meet him, —when the Spirit of Yahweh came suddenly over him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as threads of flax which have been ignited with fire, so that his bonds melted from off his hands.
15 N’alaba oluba lw’endogoyi olutannavunda, n’alukwata, n’akuba abasajja lukumi.
Then found he the jawbone of an ass newly-slain, —so he thrust forth his hand, and took it, and smote therewith, a thousand men.
16 Samusooni n’alyoka ayogera nti, “Nkozesezza oluba lw’endogoyi okukola entuumu bbiri; nkozesezza oluba lw’endogoyi okutta abasajja lukumi.”
And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, —have I piled them up in heaps! With the jawbone of an ass, have I smitten a thousand men!
17 Bwe yamala okwogera ekyo, n’akanyuga oluba n’alusuula, ekifo ekyo n’akituuma Lamasuleki.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, —and called the name of that place, Ramath-lehi.
18 N’alumwa nnyo ennyonta, n’akabira Mukama Katonda ng’agamba nti, “Omuddu wo omuwadde obuwanguzi olw’amaanyi; ne kaakano nfe, ngwe mu mukono gw’abatali bakomole?”
And he was sore athirst, so he cried unto Yahweh, and said, Thou thyself, hast given, into the hand of thy servant, this great salvation, —and, now, must I die of thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
19 Katonda n’akola ekinnya mu Leki, ne muvaamu amazzi, kwe yanywa n’addamu amaanyi, n’aba mulamu. Ekifo ekyo kyeyava akituuma Enkakkole, era kikyaliyo mu Leki n’okutuusa leero.
So then God clave open the hollow that is in Lehi, and there came therefrom water, and he drank, and his spirit came back, and he revived, —for this cause, called he the name thereof—Ain-hakkore, which is in Lehi, until this day.
20 Samusooni n’akulembera Isirayiri mu biro by’Abafirisuuti, okumala emyaka amakumi abiri.
And he judged Israel, in the days of the Philistines, twenty years.

< Balam 15 >