Abahluleli 13
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli babuya-ke benza okubi emehlweni eNkosi. INkosi yasibanikela esandleni samaFilisti iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
And again, the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2 Kwakukhona-ke umuntu othile weZora, owosendo lwakoDani, obizo lakhe lalinguManowa; lomkakhe wayeyinyumba engazali.
Now there was a certain man from Zorah, and of the stock of Dan, whose name was Manoah, having a barren wife.
3 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kowesifazana yathi kuye: Khangela-ke, uyinyumba, kawuzali, kodwa uzathatha isisu uzale indodana.
And an Angel of the Lord appeared to her, and he said: “You are barren and without children. But you shall conceive and bear a son.
4 Ngakho-ke ake uqaphelise, unganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, ungadli lalutho olungcolileyo,
Therefore, take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. Neither shall you 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 you shall conceive and bear a son, whose head no razor shall touch. For he shall be a Nazirite of God, from his infancy and from his mother’s womb. And he shall begin to free 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.
And when she had gone to her husband, she said to him: “A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an Angel, exceedingly terrible. And when I had inquired of him, who he was, and where he was from, and what name he was called, he was not willing to tell me.
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 responded: ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. And you shall not consume anything unclean. For the boy shall be a Nazirite of God from his infancy, from his mother’s womb, even 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.
And so Manoah prayed to the Lord, and he said, “I beg you Lord, that the man of God, whom you sent, may come again, and may teach us what we ought to do about the boy who is to be born.”
9 UNkulunkulu waselizwa ilizwi likaManowa, lengilosi kaNkulunkulu yafika futhi kowesifazana ehlezi egangeni; kodwa uManowa umkakhe wayengelaye.
And the Lord heeded the prayer of Manoah, and the Angel of the Lord appeared again to his wife, sitting in a field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. And when she had seen the Angel,
10 Owesifazana wasehaluzela wagijima wabikela umkakhe wathi: Khangela, lowomuntu ubonakele kimi owafika kimi mhlalokhuyana.
she hurried and ran to her husband. And she reported to him, saying, “Behold, the man appeared to me, whom I had seen before.”
11 UManowa wasesukuma walandela umkakhe, wafika kulowomuntu wathi kuye: Unguye yini lowomuntu owakhuluma kulowesifazana? Wasesithi: Nginguye.
And he rose up and followed his wife. And going to the man, he said to him, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?” And he responded, “I am.”
12 UManowa wasesithi: Kaweze-ke amazwi akho; izakuba yini indlela yomfana, lomsebenzi wakhe?
And Manoah said to him: “When will your word be fulfilled. What do you want the boy to do? Or from what should he keep himself?”
13 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuManowa: Kukho konke engakutshoyo kowesifazana akuqaphelise;
And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah: “Concerning all the things about which I have spoken to your wife, she herself should abstain.
14 angadli okolutho oluphuma evinini lewayini, anganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, angadli lutho olungcolileyo; konke engamlaya khona akugcine.
And let her eat nothing from the vine. She may not drink wine or strong drink. She may consume nothing unclean. And let her observe and keep what I have instructed to her.”
15 UManowa wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ake sikubambelele, silungise phambi kwakho izinyane lembuzi.
And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “I beg you to agree to my petition, and to let us prepare a kid from the goats.”
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 answered him: “Even if you compel me, I will not eat from your bread. But if you are willing to offer a holocaust, offer it to the Lord.” And Manoah did not know that he was an Angel of the Lord.
17 UManowa wasesithi kuyo ingilosi yeNkosi: Ungubani ibizo lakho, ukuze kuthi lapho amazwi akho esiza sikuhloniphe.
And he said to him, “What is your name, so that, if your word is fulfilled, we may honor you?”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Ubuzelani kanje ngebizo lami lokhu liyamangalisa?
And he answered him, “Why do you ask my name, which is a wonder?”
19 UManowa wasethatha izinyane lembuzi lomnikelo wokudla, wakunikela eNkosini phezu kwedwala, yasisenza ngokumangalisayo, njalo uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele.
And so, Manoah took a kid from the goats, and libations, and he placed them upon a rock, as an offering to the Lord, who accomplishes wonders. Then he and his wife watched.
20 Kwasekusithi lapho ilangabi lisenyuka elathini liqonde emazulwini, ingilosi yeNkosi yenyuka ngelangabi lelathi, uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele, bathi mbo ngobuso babo emhlabathini.
And when the flame of the altar ascended to heaven, the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. And when Manoah and his wife had seen this, they fell prone on the ground.
21 Kodwa ingilosi yeNkosi kayiphindanga isabonakala kuManowa lomkakhe. Khona uManowa wazi ukuthi kwakuyingilosi yeNkosi.
And the Angel of the Lord no longer appeared to them. And immediately, Manoah understood him to be an Angel of the Lord.
22 UManowa wasesithi kumkakhe: Sizakufa lokufa ngoba sibone uNkulunkulu.
And he said to his wife, “We shall certainly die, since 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.
And his wife answered him, “If the Lord wished to kill us, he would not have accepted the holocaust and the libations from our hands. He would not have revealed all these things to us, nor would he have told us the things that are in the future.”
24 Owesifazana wasebeletha indodana, wayitha ibizo layo wathi nguSamsoni; umfana wasekhula, leNkosi yambusisa.
And so she bore a son, and she called his name Samson. And the boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.
25 UMoya weNkosi waseqala ukumvusa enkambeni kaDani phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to be with him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
