Abahluleli 15
1 Emva kwalokho, ngesikhathi sokuvuna ingqoloyi, uSamsoni wathatha izinyane lembuzi wethekelela umkakhe. Wathi, “Ngiya endlini yomkami.” Kodwa uyisezala wamalela ukuba angene.
But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a young goat. He said, “I will go in to my wife’s room.” But her father wouldn’t allow him to go in.
2 Wathi, “Ngangileqiniso lokuthi wawusumzonda kakhulu, ngasengimendisela kumkhaphi wakho. Umnawakhe kamuhle kulaye na? Thatha yena.”
Her father said, “I most certainly thought that you utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please, take her instead.”
3 USamsoni wathi kubo, “Khathesi sengilelungelo lokuphindisela okubi kumaFilistiya. Ngizawalimaza impela.”
Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in the case of the Philistines when I harm them.”
4 Ngakho wasuka wabamba amakhanka angamakhulu amathathu wawabophanisa imisila ngambilimbili. Wasebophela uluthi lomlilo emisileni yonke ayeyibophanisile,
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the middle between every two tails.
5 walumathisa izinti zomlilo wawayekela amakhanka angena emabeleni amiyo amaFilistiya. Watshisa ayesezizeni lamabele amiyo, lezivini kanye lezivande zama-oliva.
When he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the olive groves.
6 Kwathi amaFilistiya ebuza ukuthi, “Ngubani owenze lokhu na?” atshelwa ukuthi, “NguSamsoni, umkhwenyana womThimina ngoba umkakhe wendiselwa kumkhaphi wakhe.” Ngakho amaFilistiya ahamba ayatshisa umkaSamsoni kanye loyise, bafa.
Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” They said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” The Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
7 USamsoni wathi kubo, “Njengoba selenze lokhu, angiyikukhawula engikwenzayo ngize ngiphindisele kini.”
Samson said to them, “If you behave like this, surely I will take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.”
8 Wabahlasela kakubi wabulala abanengi babo. Emva kwalokho wahamba wayahlala ebhalwini edwaleni lase-Ethamu.
He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cave in Etam’s rock.
9 AmaFilistiya ahamba ayamisa koJuda, asabalala eduze leLehi.
Then the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
10 Abantu bakoJuda babuza bathi, “Lizesihlaselelani na?” Bona baphendula bathi, “Silande ukuzabopha uSamsoni, senze kuye lokhu akwenzayo kithi.”
The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”
11 Abantu bakoJuda abazinkulungwane ezintathu baya ebhalwini edwaleni lase-Ethamu bathi kuSamsoni, “Kawazi yini ukuthi amaFilistiya ayasibusa? Kuyini osusenzele khona ngempela?” Waphendula wathi, “Ngimane ngenza kuwo lokho akwenza kimi.”
Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in Etam’s rock, and said to Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” He said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”
12 Bathi kuye, “Thina silande ukuzakubopha sikunikele kuwo.” USamsoni wathi, “Fungani kimi ukuthi kaliyikungibulala lina ngokwenu.”
They said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.”
13 Baphendula bathi, “Siyavuma. Thina sizakubopha nje kuphela besesikunikela kuwo. Kasiyikukubulala.” Ngakho bambopha ngemichilo emibili emitsha, basebesuka laye edwaleni.
They spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will bind you securely and deliver you into their hands; but surely we will not kill you.” They bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.
14 Esebanga eLehi, amaFilistiya amhlangabeza eklabalala. UMoya kaThixo wehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla. Imichilo ezingalweni zakhe yaba njengesikusha esitshileyo, izibopho zawa ezandleni zakhe.
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. Then the LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire; and his bands dropped from off his hands.
15 Esethole ithambo lomhlathi kababhemi elitsha, walithatha wabulala ngalo abantu abayinkulungwane.
He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, put out his hand, took it, and struck a thousand men with it.
16 USamsoni wasesithi, “Ngethambo lomhlathi kababhemi, ngibenze baba ngobabhemi. Ngethambo lomhlathi kababhemi ngibulele amadoda ayinkulungwane.”
Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps on heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.”
17 Eseqedile ukukhuluma walilahla ithambo lomhlathi; indawo leyo yasithiwa yiRamathi-Lehi.
When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath Lehi.
18 Ngenxa yokuthi wayesome kakhulu, wakhala kuThixo wathi, “Uyiphile inceku yakho ukunqoba okukhulu. Pho sekumele ngibulawe yikoma yini njalo ngiwele ezandleni zabangasokanga na?”
He was very thirsty, and called on the LORD and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
19 UNkulunkulu wasevula umthonjana eLehi, kwaphuma amanzi kuwo. USamsoni esenathile, amandla akhe aphenduka, wavuseleleka. Ngakho umthombo lowo wathiwa yi-Eni Hakhore, njalo ulokhu ukhona eLehi.
But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day.
20 USamsoni wakhokhela abako-Israyeli iminyaka engamatshumi amabili ngesikhathi samaFilistiya.
He judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
