Abahluleli 14
1 USamsoni waya eThimina wabona intombi engumFilistiya.
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines;
2 Esebuyele, wathi kuyise lonina, “Ngibone intombi engumFilistiya eThimina; ake liyengithathela yona ukuba ibe ngumkami.”
And when he came back he said to his father and mother, I have seen a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines: get her now for me for my wife.
3 Uyise lonina baphendula bathi, “Kanti akulantombi eyamukelekayo yini phakathi kwezihlobo zakho loba phakathi kwabantu bonke bakithi? Usungaze uye kumaFilistiya angasokanga ukuba uthathe umfazi na?” Kodwa uSamsoni wathi kuyise, “Ngithathela yena. Nguye ongifaneleyo.”
Then his father and mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your relations or among all my people, that you have to go for your wife to the Philistines, who are without circumcision? But Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is pleasing to me.
4 (Uyise lonina babengazi ukuthi lokhu kwakuvela kuThixo, owayefuna ithuba lokumelana lamaFilistiya; ngoba ngalesosikhathi ayebusa abako-Israyeli.)
Now his father and mother had no knowledge that this was the purpose of the Lord, who had the destruction of the Philistines in mind. Now the Philistines at that time were ruling over Israel.
5 USamsoni waya eThimina eloyise lonina. Bathe sebebanga ezivinini zeThimina kwathutsha ibhuklwana lesilwane libhonga liqonde yena.
Then Samson went down to Timnah (and his father and his mother, ) and came to the vine-gardens of Timnah; and a young lion came rushing out at him.
6 Umoya kaThixo wafika kuye ngamandla wasidabula ngezandla zakhe njengayengakwenza edabula izinyane lembuzi. Kodwa uyise lonina kabatshelanga ayekwenzile.
And the spirit of the Lord came on him with power, and, unarmed as he was, pulling the lion in two as one might do to a young goat, he put him to death; (but he said nothing to his father and mother of what he had done.)
7 Emva kwalokho wahamba wayakhuluma lowesifazane lowo, wezwa emthanda.
So he went down and had talk with the woman; and she was pleasing to Samson.
8 Emva kwesikhathi esithile, esebuyele ukuba ayemthatha, waphambuka ukuba abone isidumbu sesilwane. Phakathi kwaso kwasekulomtshitshi wezinyosi ziloluju,
Then after a time he went back to take her; and turning from the road to see the dead body of the lion, he saw a mass of bees in the body of the lion, and honey there.
9 waluthapha ngezandla zakhe, wahamba eludla. Esefike ebazalini bakhe, wabapha olunye kodwa kabatshelanga ukuthi wayeluthaphe esidunjini sesilwane.
And he took the honey in his hand, and went on, tasting it on the way; and when he came to his father and mother he gave some to them; but did not say that he had taken the honey from the body of the lion.
10 Uyise wahamba ukuyabona owesifazane lowo. USamsoni wenza idili khona, njengokwakungumkhuba wezinsizwa ezithathayo.
Then Samson went down to the woman, and made a feast there, as was the way among young men.
11 Ekufikeni kwakhe waphiwa abakhaphi abangamatshumi amathathu.
And he took thirty friends, and they were with him.
12 USamsoni wasesithi kubo, “Lalelani ngilitshele ilibho. Lingangitshela ukuthi litshoni phakathi kwensuku eziyisikhombisa zedili, ngizalinika izembatho zelineni ezingamatshumi amathathu lezigqoko ezingamatshumi amathathu.
And Samson said, Now I have a hard question for you: if you are able to give me the answer before the seven days of the feast are over, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing;
13 Nxa lingehluleka ukungitshela ukuthi litshoni, kumele linginike izembatho zelineni ezingamatshumi amathathu lezigqoko ezingamatshumi amathathu.” Bona bathi, “Sitshele ilibho lakho. Litsho silizwe.”
But if you are not able to give me the answer, then you will have to give me thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, Put your hard question and let us see what it is.
14 Waphendula wathi, “Kokudlayo, kwaphuma okudliwayo; kokulamandla kwaphuma okumnandi.” Behluleka ukuyitsho impendulo okwensuku ezintathu.
And he said, Out of the taker of food came food, and out of the strong came the sweet. And at the end of three days they were still not able to give the answer.
15 Ngosuku lwesine bathi kumkaSamsoni, “Ncenga umkakho asichazele ilibho, hlezi sikutshise wena labendlu yakwenu life. Kanti usinxusele ukuzasiphanga lapha na?”
So on the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, Get from your husband the answer to his question by some trick or other, or we will have you and your father's house burned with fire; did you get us here to take all we have?
16 Lapho-ke umkaSamsoni waziphosela phezu kwakhe, ebubula esithi, “Uyangizonda. Kawungithandi ngeqiniso. Unike abantu bakithi ilibho; kodwa mina kawungitshelanga ukuthi litshoni.” Yena waphendula wathi, “Angilichazanga lakubaba lomama, pho ngingalichazelani kuwe na?”
Then Samson's wife, weeping over him, said, Truly you have no love for me but only hate; you have put a hard question to the children of my people and have not given me the answer. And he said to her, See, I have not given the answer even to my father or my mother; am I to give it to you?
17 Owesifazane lowo wakhala zonke lezinsuku eziyisikhombisa zedili. Ngakho ngosuku lwesikhombisa wamtshela, ngoba wayelokhu emphikelela. Laye-ke walichaza ilibho ebantwini bakibo.
And all the seven days of the feast she went on weeping over him; and on the seventh day he gave her the answer, because she gave him no peace; and she sent word of it to the children of her people.
18 Kwathi ilanga lingakatshoni ngosuku lwesikhombisa abantu bakulowomuzi bathi kuye, “Kuyini okumnandi kuloluju na? Kuyini okulamandla kulesilwane na?” USamsoni wathi kubo, “Aluba kalilimanga ngethokazi lami, belingeke lilichaze ilibho lami.”
Then on the seventh day, before he went into the bride's room, the men of the town said to him, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not been ploughing with my cow you would not have got the answer to my question.
19 UMoya kaThixo wasusehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla. Waya e-Ashikheloni, wabulala abantu bakhona abangamatshumi amathathu, wabemuka konke ababelakho kwathi izigqoko zabo wazinika labo ababechaze ilibho lakhe. Waya endlini kayise evutha ulaka.
And the spirit of the Lord came rushing on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and, attacking thirty men there, took their clothing from them, and gave it to the men who had given the answer to his hard question. Then, full of wrath, he went back to his father's house.
20 UmkaSamsoni wasesendiselwa komunye wabakhaphi bakhe owayekhona edilini.
But Samson's wife was given to the friend who had been his best man.
