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.
During the time that they harvested wheat, Samson took a young goat to Timnah as a present for his wife. He planned to sleep with [EUP] his wife, but her father would not let him go into [her room].
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.”
He said to Samson, “I really thought that you hated her. So I gave her to the man who had been your best man at the wedding, and she married him. But look, her younger sister is [RHQ] more beautiful than she is. You can marry her!”
3 Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Ku mulundi guno sirina musango, Abafirisuuti bwe nnaabakola akabi.”
Samson replied, “No! And this time I have a right to get revenge on you Philistines!”
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.
Then he went out [into the fields] and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together, two-by-two. He fastened torches to each pair of tails.
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.
Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the fields of the Philistines. The fire [from the torches] burned all the grain to the ground, including the grain that had been cut and piled in bundles. The fire also burned down their grapevines and their olive trees.
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.
The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” Someone told them, “Samson did it. He married a woman from Timnah, but then his father-in-law gave her to the man who was Samson’s best man at the wedding, and she married him.” So the Philistines went [to Timnah] and got the woman and her father, and burned them to death.
7 Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Olw’okuba nga mweyisizza bwe mutyo, sirirekayo okuggyako nga mbawalanyeeko eggwanga.”
Samson [found out about that, and he] said to them, “Because you have done this, I will not stop until I get revenge on you!”
8 N’abalumba n’atta bangi nnyo ku bo, n’agenda n’abeera mu mpuku ey’omu lwazi lw’e Etamu.
So he attacked the Philistines furiously, and killed many of them. Then he went [to hide] in a cave in the large rock at a place called Etam.
9 Abafirisuuti ne bayambuka ne basiisira mu Yuda, ne basaasaana okumpi ne Leki.
The Philistines [did not know where he was, so they] went up to where the descendants of Judah lived, set up their tents near Lehi [town and then raided the town].
10 Abantu ba Yuda ne bababuuza nti, “Lwaki mutulumbye?” Abafirisuuti ne babaddamu nti, “Tuzze okuwamba Samusooni tumutwale nga musibe, tumwesasuze nga bwe yatukola.”
The men there asked the Philistines, “Why have you attacked us?” The Philistines replied, “We have come to capture Samson. We have come to get revenge on him for what he did to 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.”
[Someone there knew where Samson was hiding]. So 3,000 men from Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock where he was hiding. They said to Samson, “Do you not realize that the people of Philistia are ruling over us? Do you not realize what they will do to us?” Samson replied, “The only thing I did was that I got revenge on them for what they did to me.”
12 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Tuzze okukusiba tukuweeyo mu mukono gw’Abafirisuuti.” Samusooni n’abagamba nti, “Mundayirire nga temunzitte mmwe mwennyini.”
But the men from Judah said to him, “We have come to tie you up and put you in the hands of the Philistines.” Samson said, “All right, but promise me that you yourselves will not kill me!”
13 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Tukkiriziganyizza. Tujja kukusiba busibi, tukuweeyo mu mukono gwabwe, naye tetujja kukutta.” Ne bamusiba emiguwa ebiri emiggya ne bamuggyayo mu mpuku.
They replied, “We will just tie you up and take you to the Philistines. We will not kill you.” So they tied him with two new ropes, and led him away from the cave.
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.
When they arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came toward him, shouting [triumphantly]. But Yahweh’s Spirit came upon Samson powerfully. He snapped the ropes on his arms as easily as if they were stalks of burned flax, and the ropes fell off his wrists.
15 N’alaba oluba lw’endogoyi olutannavunda, n’alukwata, n’akuba abasajja lukumi.
Then he saw a donkey’s jawbone lying on the ground. It was fresh, [so it was hard]. He picked it up and killed about 1,000 Philistine men with it.
16 Samusooni n’alyoka ayogera nti, “Nkozesezza oluba lw’endogoyi okukola entuumu bbiri; nkozesezza oluba lw’endogoyi okutta abasajja lukumi.”
Then Samson wrote this poem: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have made them like a heap of [dead] donkeys. With the jawbone of a donkey I killed 1,000 men.”
17 Bwe yamala okwogera ekyo, n’akanyuga oluba n’alusuula, ekifo ekyo n’akituuma Lamasuleki.
When he finished killing those men, he threw the jawbone away, and later that place was called Jawbone Hill.
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?”
Then Samson was very thirsty, so he called out to Yahweh, “You have given me strength to win a great victory. So now must I die because of being thirsty, with the result that those heathen Philistines will take away my body [and mutilate it]?”
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 God caused water to gush out of a depression in the ground at Lehi. Samson drank from it and soon felt strong again. He named that place ‘The spring of the one who called out’. That spring is still there at Lehi.
20 Samusooni n’akulembera Isirayiri mu biro by’Abafirisuuti, okumala emyaka amakumi abiri.
Samson was the leader of the Israeli people for 20 years, but during that time the Philistines [were the ones who really ruled over the land].
