Balam 16
1 Samusooni n’alaga e Gaza n’alabayo omukazi malaaya, n’ayingira gy’ali.
One day Samson went to Gaza [city in the Philistia area]. He spent some time with a prostitute.
2 Awo abantu ab’e Gaza ne bategeezebwa nga Samusooni bw’ali mu kifo ekyo. Ne bamuzingiza ne bamuteegera ku wankaaki w’ekibuga ekiro kyonna. Ne basiriikirira ekiro kyonna nga bagamba nti, “Obudde bwe bunaaba nga bunaatera okukya tunaamutta.”
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 Naye Samusooni ne yeebaka okutuusa ettumbi, n’agolokoka mu ttumbi, n’akwata enzigi ebbiri eza wankaaki w’ekibuga, n’emifuubeeto gyombi, n’abisimbula okuva mu bifo byabyo, n’agyawo n’ekisiba, n’abiteeka ku bibegaabega bye n’abitwala ku ntikko y’olusozi olutunuulidde Kebbulooni.
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 Awo oluvannyuma lw’ebyo n’aganza omukazi mu kiwonvu ky’e Soleki, erinnya lye Derira.
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 Abakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti ne bagenda gy’ali ne bamugamba nti, “Musendesende olabe amaanyi ge amangi mwe gasibuka, tulyoke tusinziire okwo okumusobola, tumusibe tumujeeze. Naffe tulikuwa buli omu ku ffe, ebitundu bya ffeeza lukumi mu kikumi.”
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 Awo Derira n’agamba Samusooni nti, “Kaakano mbuulira amaanyi go amangi mwe gasibuka, era n’ekiyinza okukusiba okukujeeza.”
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 Samusooni n’amugamba nti, “Bwe bansiba enkolokolo embisi musanvu, ezitakaze, olwo nnaanafuwa ne mbeera ng’omuntu omulala yenna.”
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 Abakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti ne baleetera omukazi enkolokolo musanvu embisi ezitakaze, n’azimusibya.
So [after Delilah told that to the Philistine leaders], they brought seven new bowstrings to Delilah.
9 Waaliwo abasajja abaali beekwese mu kisenge omwo omukazi mwe yali. Awo omukazi n’akoowoola Samusooni ng’agamba nti, “Samusooni Abafirisuuti bakuguddeko.” N’akutula enkolokolo, ng’omuntu bwe yandikutudde omuguwa oguyise mu muliro. Bwe kityo ensibuko y’amaanyi ge n’etazuulibwa.
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 Awo Derira n’agamba Samusooni nti, “Laba, onduulidde, era onnimbye. Kaakano mbuulira ekiyinza okukusiba.”
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 N’amugamba nti, “Bwe bansibya emiguwa emiggya egitakozesebwangako, nnaanafuwa, ne mbeera ng’omuntu omulala yenna.”
Samson replied, “If someone ties me with new ropes, ones that have never been used, I will be as weak as other men.”
12 Awo Derira n’addira emiguwa emiggya, n’amusiba, nga mu kisenge mulimu abasajja abeekwese. N’alyoka amukoowoola ng’agamba nti, “Samusooni, Abafirisuuti bakuguddeko.” N’agyekutulako ku mikono ng’ewuzi.
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 Awo Derira n’agamba Samusooni nti, “Okutuusa kaakano onduulidde era onnimbye. Mbuulira ekiyinza okukusiba.” N’amugamba nti, “Bw’onooluka emivumbo musanvu egiri ku mutwe gwange, n’engoye, n’obinyweza nzija kunafuwa, mbeere ng’omuntu omulala yenna.” N’aluka emivumbo omusanvu egy’ali ku mutwe gwe, n’engoye,
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 n’abinyweza n’olubambo. N’amukoowoola ng’agamba nti, “Samusooni Abafirisuuti bakuguddeko.” N’agolokoka okuva mu tulo, ne yeetakkuluza ku lubambo lw’omuti ogulukirwako n’engoye ezirukiddwa.
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 Awo Derira n’amugamba nti, “Oyinza otya okugamba nti onjagala, ate ng’omutima gwo teguli nange? Gino emirundi esatu onduulidde, n’otontegeeza amaanyi go amangi mwe gasibuka.”
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 Bw’atyo omukazi n’amusendasendanga n’ebigambo bye ennaku zonna ng’amubuuza okutuusa lwe yamwetamwa.
Day after day she nagged him like that. He thought he would die from her nagging [IDM].
17 Awo Samusooni n’amubuulira ebyali ku mutima gwe byonna. N’amugamba nti, “Simwebwangako nviiri, kubanga ndi muwonge eri Katonda okuva mu lubuto lwa mmange. Bwe mwebwako enviiri, olwo amaanyi gange gananvaako, ne nnafuwa, ne mbeera ng’omuntu omulala yenna.”
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 Awo Derira bwe yalaba ng’amutegeezezza byonna ebyali ku mutima gwe, n’atumira abakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti ng’agamba nti, “Mukomeewo omulundi guno gwokka, kubanga yantegeezezza ebiri mu mutima gwe byonna.” Awo Abafirisuuti ne bakomawo nga baleese ezaabu.
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 N’amwebasa ku maviivi ge, n’ayita omusajja n’amumwa emivumbo omusanvu egyali ku mutwe gwe, n’atandika okujeeza, amaanyi ge ne gamuvaako.
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 N’amukoowoola ng’agamba nti, “Samusooni, Abafirisuuti bakuguddeko.” N’agolokoka okuva mu tulo ng’agamba nti, “Nzija kwetakkuluza ŋŋende nga bulijjo.” Naye teyamanya nga Mukama Katonda amulese.
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 Awo Abafirisuuti ne bakwata Samusooni, ne bamuggyamu amaaso, ne bamuserengesa e Gaza nga musibe mu njegere ez’ekikomo, ne bamuteeka mu kkomera mu nnyumba omuseerebwa obuwunga.
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 Kyokka bwe yamala okumwebwa, enviiri ze ne zitandika okumera.
But his hair started to grow again.
23 Awo abakulembeze b’Abafirisuuti ne bakuŋŋaana okuwaayo ssaddaaka eri lubaale waabwe Dagoni, nga bwe basanyuka. Ne boogera nti, “Lubaale waffe agabudde Samusooni omulabe waffe mu mukono gwaffe.”
[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 Abantu bwe baalaba Samusooni, ne batendereza lubaale waabwe nga bwe boogera nti, “Lubaale waffe agabudde omulabe waffe mu mukono gwaffe, oyo eyazikiriza ensi yaffe, n’atta bangi ku ffe.”
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 Awo bwe baasanyuka ennyo, ne bawowoggana nga bwe bagamba nti, “Mutuyitire Samusooni atusanyuseemu.” Ne baleeta Samusooni abasanyuseemu, nga bamuggya mu kkomera. Ne bamuyimiriza wakati w’empagi.
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 Awo Samusooni n’agamba omuweereza eyali amukutte ku mukono nti, “Leka nkwate ku mpagi eziwaniridde essabo, nsobole okuzeesigama.”
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 Mu ssabo mwalimu ekibiina kinene eky’abasajja n’abakazi nga mulimu n’abakulembeze bonna ab’Abafirisuuti. Ne waggulu ku kasolya kwaliko abantu ng’enkumi ssatu abaali batunuulira Samusooni ng’abasanyusaamu.
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 Awo Samusooni n’asaba eri Mukama ng’agamba nti, “Mukama Katonda onzijukire kaakano, ompe amaanyi. Omulundi guno gwokka, ayi Katonda mpalane eggwanga ku Bafirisuuti olw’amaaso gange abiri.”
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 Samusooni n’akwata empagi zombi ezaali wakati mu ssabo we yali ayimiridde, n’azeesigamako, omukono gwe ogwa ddyo nga guli ku mpagi emu, n’omukono ogwa kkono nga guli ku ndala.
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 Samusooni n’ayogera nti, “Leka nfiire wamu n’Abafirisuuti.” N’asindika n’amaanyi ge gonna, essabo ne ligwa ku bakulembeze, n’abantu bonna abaalimu naye, era n’atta bangi mu kufa kwe okusinga ne be yatta nga mulamu.
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 Awo baganda be n’ennyumba yonna eya kitaawe ne bagenda ne baggyayo omulambo gwe, ne bagutwala ewaabwe, ne bamuziika mu ntaana ya kitaawe Manowa eyali wakati w’e Zola ne Esutaoli. Yali akulembedde Isirayiri okumala emyaka amakumi abiri.
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.
