Abahluleli 13
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli babuya-ke benza okubi emehlweni eNkosi. INkosi yasibanikela esandleni samaFilisti iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
The Israelites continued to do what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines to rule them for forty years.
2 Kwakukhona-ke umuntu othile weZora, owosendo lwakoDani, obizo lakhe lalinguManowa; lomkakhe wayeyinyumba engazali.
At that time there was a man named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan and lived in the town of Zorah. His wife couldn't conceive 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 her and told her, “It's true that you couldn't conceive, and have no children, but now you're going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Ngakho-ke ake uqaphelise, unganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, ungadli lalutho olungcolileyo,
So then please be careful not to drink any wine or other alcoholic drink, and don't 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.
You're going to become pregnant and have a son whose head a razor must never touch, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth. He will start the process of saving Israel from 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.
The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the Angel of God, really frightening. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't 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 told me, ‘You're going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, and don't eat anything unclean. For the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth 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, Lord, let the man of God you sent us return to us to explain what we're supposed to do with the boy who is to be born.”
9 UNkulunkulu waselizwa ilizwi likaManowa, lengilosi kaNkulunkulu yafika futhi kowesifazana ehlezi egangeni; kodwa uManowa umkakhe wayengelaye.
God responded to Manoah's request, and the Angel of God returned to the woman while she was sitting out in the field. However, her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Owesifazana wasehaluzela wagijima wabikela umkakhe wathi: Khangela, lowomuntu ubonakele kimi owafika kimi mhlalokhuyana.
So she ran quickly to tell her husband, “Look! The man who appeared to me the other day has come back!”
11 UManowa wasesukuma walandela umkakhe, wafika kulowomuntu wathi kuye: Unguye yini lowomuntu owakhuluma kulowesifazana? Wasesithi: Nginguye.
Manoah got up and went back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife before?” “Yes I am,” he replied.
12 UManowa wasesithi: Kaweze-ke amazwi akho; izakuba yini indlela yomfana, lomsebenzi wakhe?
So Manoah said, “May your promise come true! What shall be decided for the boy, and what is to be his vocation?”
13 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuManowa: Kukho konke engakutshoyo kowesifazana akuqaphelise;
“Make sure your wife is careful to follow everything I told her,” the angel of the Lord replied.
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 or drink wine or any other alcoholic drink. She must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must follow everything I instructed her to do.”
15 UManowa wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ake sikubambelele, silungise phambi kwakho izinyane lembuzi.
Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us keep you here while we prepare a meal of 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.
The angel of the Lord replied, “I'll stay, but I won't eat your food. However, if you prepare a burnt offering, you can present it to the Lord.” (Manoah didn't know he was the angel of the Lord.)
17 UManowa wasesithi kuyo ingilosi yeNkosi: Ungubani ibizo lakho, ukuze kuthi lapho amazwi akho esiza sikuhloniphe.
Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so when your promise comes true we may honor you?”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Ubuzelani kanje ngebizo lami lokhu liyamangalisa?
“Why do you ask this?” the angel of the Lord responded. “My name is beyond comprehension.”
19 UManowa wasethatha izinyane lembuzi lomnikelo wokudla, wakunikela eNkosini phezu kwedwala, yasisenza ngokumangalisayo, njalo uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele.
Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and presented them on a rock to the Lord. As Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did something amazing.
20 Kwasekusithi lapho ilangabi lisenyuka elathini liqonde emazulwini, ingilosi yeNkosi yenyuka ngelangabi lelathi, uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele, bathi mbo ngobuso babo emhlabathini.
As the flame from the altar blazed up into the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Manoah and his wife saw what happened and fell with their faces to the ground.
21 Kodwa ingilosi yeNkosi kayiphindanga isabonakala kuManowa lomkakhe. Khona uManowa wazi ukuthi kwakuyingilosi yeNkosi.
The angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again, and Manoah realized that he was the angel of the Lord.
22 UManowa wasesithi kumkakhe: Sizakufa lokufa ngoba sibone uNkulunkulu.
“We're definitely going to die,” he told 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 wanted to kill us he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have shown us all these things, and he wouldn't have come now and announced this to us.”
24 Owesifazana wasebeletha indodana, wayitha ibizo layo wathi nguSamsoni; umfana wasekhula, leNkosi yambusisa.
She gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.
25 UMoya weNkosi waseqala ukumvusa enkambeni kaDani phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli.
The Spirit of the Lord began to prompt him at Mahaneh Dan, a place between Zorah and Eshtaol.
