Abahluleli 13
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli babuya-ke benza okubi emehlweni eNkosi. INkosi yasibanikela esandleni samaFilisti iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2 Kwakukhona-ke umuntu othile weZora, owosendo lwakoDani, obizo lakhe lalinguManowa; lomkakhe wayeyinyumba engazali.
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
3 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kowesifazana yathi kuye: Khangela-ke, uyinyumba, kawuzali, kodwa uzathatha isisu uzale indodana.
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
4 Ngakho-ke ake uqaphelise, unganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, ungadli lalutho olungcolileyo,
Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5 ngoba khangela, uzathatha isisu uzale indodana. Impuco kayiyikudlula ekhanda layo, ngoba umfana uzakuba ngumNaziri kaNkulunkulu kusukela esizalweni; yena uzaqala ukusindisa uIsrayeli esandleni samaFilisti.
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 Owesifazana wasesiza wabikela indoda yakhe esithi: Kufikile kimi umuntu kaNkulunkulu, ukubonakala kwakhe kwakunjengokubonakala kwengilosi kaNkulunkulu, kusesabeka kakhulu; kodwa kangimbuzanga ukuthi uvela ngaphi, futhi kangitshelanga ibizo lakhe.
So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 Kodwa uthe kimi: Khangela, uzathatha isisu, uzale indodana; khathesi-ke unganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, ungadli lalutho olungcolileyo, ngoba umfana uzakuba ngumNaziri kaNkulunkulu kusukela esizalweni kuze kube sosukwini lokufa kwakhe.
But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
8 UManowa waseyincenga iNkosi wathi: Hawu Nkosi yami, umuntu kaNkulunkulu omthumileyo ake abuye futhi kithi, asifundise ukuthi sizakwenza njani emfaneni ozazalwa.
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
9 UNkulunkulu waselizwa ilizwi likaManowa, lengilosi kaNkulunkulu yafika futhi kowesifazana ehlezi egangeni; kodwa uManowa umkakhe wayengelaye.
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Owesifazana wasehaluzela wagijima wabikela umkakhe wathi: Khangela, lowomuntu ubonakele kimi owafika kimi mhlalokhuyana.
The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”
11 UManowa wasesukuma walandela umkakhe, wafika kulowomuntu wathi kuye: Unguye yini lowomuntu owakhuluma kulowesifazana? Wasesithi: Nginguye.
So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.
12 UManowa wasesithi: Kaweze-ke amazwi akho; izakuba yini indlela yomfana, lomsebenzi wakhe?
Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
13 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuManowa: Kukho konke engakutshoyo kowesifazana akuqaphelise;
So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.
14 angadli okolutho oluphuma evinini lewayini, anganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, angadli lutho olungcolileyo; konke engamlaya khona akugcine.
She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15 UManowa wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ake sikubambelele, silungise phambi kwakho izinyane lembuzi.
“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
16 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuManowa: Uba ungibambelela, kangiyikudla okwesinkwa sakho; njalo uba ulungisa umnikelo wokutshiswa, unikele eNkosini. Ngoba uManowa wayengazi ukuthi yayiyingilosi yeNkosi.
And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.
17 UManowa wasesithi kuyo ingilosi yeNkosi: Ungubani ibizo lakho, ukuze kuthi lapho amazwi akho esiza sikuhloniphe.
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Ubuzelani kanje ngebizo lami lokhu liyamangalisa?
“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
19 UManowa wasethatha izinyane lembuzi lomnikelo wokudla, wakunikela eNkosini phezu kwedwala, yasisenza ngokumangalisayo, njalo uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele.
Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.
20 Kwasekusithi lapho ilangabi lisenyuka elathini liqonde emazulwini, ingilosi yeNkosi yenyuka ngelangabi lelathi, uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele, bathi mbo ngobuso babo emhlabathini.
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.
21 Kodwa ingilosi yeNkosi kayiphindanga isabonakala kuManowa lomkakhe. Khona uManowa wazi ukuthi kwakuyingilosi yeNkosi.
And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.
22 UManowa wasesithi kumkakhe: Sizakufa lokufa ngoba sibone uNkulunkulu.
“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
23 Kodwa umkakhe wathi kuye: Uba iNkosi ibithanda ukusibulala, ibingayikwemukela esandleni sethu umnikelo wokutshiswa lomnikelo wokudla, njalo ibingayikusitshengisa zonke lezizinto, njalo ibingayikusizwisa ngalesisikhathi izinto ezinjengalezi.
But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
24 Owesifazana wasebeletha indodana, wayitha ibizo layo wathi nguSamsoni; umfana wasekhula, leNkosi yambusisa.
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25 UMoya weNkosi waseqala ukumvusa enkambeni kaDani phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
