Abahluleli 13
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli babuya-ke benza okubi emehlweni eNkosi. INkosi yasibanikela esandleni samaFilisti iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
Again the Israeli people did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So Yahweh enabled the people of Philistia to conquer them. They ruled over the Israelis for 40 years.
2 Kwakukhona-ke umuntu othile weZora, owosendo lwakoDani, obizo lakhe lalinguManowa; lomkakhe wayeyinyumba engazali.
There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah [town]. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.
3 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kowesifazana yathi kuye: Khangela-ke, uyinyumba, kawuzali, kodwa uzathatha isisu uzale indodana.
One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, “Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Ngakho-ke ake uqaphelise, unganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, ungadli lalutho olungcolileyo,
[From now until he is born], you must not drink any wine or other alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that will make you unacceptable to God.
5 ngoba khangela, uzathatha isisu uzale indodana. Impuco kayiyikudlula ekhanda layo, ngoba umfana uzakuba ngumNaziri kaNkulunkulu kusukela esizalweni; yena uzaqala ukusindisa uIsrayeli esandleni samaFilisti.
After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue [many of] the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”
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 ran and told her husband, “A prophet came to me. He looked awesome, like an angel from God. I did not ask 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 told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Until then, you must not drink any wine or any alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that would make you unacceptable to God. Your son must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies.’”
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 Yahweh, saying, “O Yahweh, I plead with you, allow that prophet whom you sent to us to come again, and teach us how we should raise the boy who will be born to us.”
9 UNkulunkulu waselizwa ilizwi likaManowa, lengilosi kaNkulunkulu yafika futhi kowesifazana ehlezi egangeni; kodwa uManowa umkakhe wayengelaye.
God did what Manoah asked, and Yahweh again appeared to his wife in the form of an angel, while she was out in the field. But again her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Owesifazana wasehaluzela wagijima wabikela umkakhe wathi: Khangela, lowomuntu ubonakele kimi owafika kimi mhlalokhuyana.
So she quickly ran and said to her husband, “The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!”
11 UManowa wasesukuma walandela umkakhe, wafika kulowomuntu wathi kuye: Unguye yini lowomuntu owakhuluma kulowesifazana? Wasesithi: Nginguye.
Manoah ran back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who talked with my wife a few days ago?” He replied, “Yes, I am.”
12 UManowa wasesithi: Kaweze-ke amazwi akho; izakuba yini indlela yomfana, lomsebenzi wakhe?
Manoah asked him, “When what you promised occurs [and my wife gives birth to a son], what rules must he obey, and what work will he do [when he grows up]?”
13 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuManowa: Kukho konke engakutshoyo kowesifazana akuqaphelise;
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 angadli okolutho oluphuma evinini lewayini, anganathi wayini lokunathwayo okulamandla, angadli lutho olungcolileyo; konke engamlaya khona akugcine.
[Before the baby is born], she must not eat grapes, or drink wine or any other alcoholic/fermented drink, or eat anything that would make her unacceptable to God.”
15 UManowa wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ake sikubambelele, silungise phambi kwakho izinyane lembuzi.
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook 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.
Yahweh replied, “I will stay here, but I will not eat anything. However, you may kill an animal and sacrifice it as a burned offering to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not realize that the [man he thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.)
17 UManowa wasesithi kuyo ingilosi yeNkosi: Ungubani ibizo lakho, ukuze kuthi lapho amazwi akho esiza sikuhloniphe.
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Ubuzelani kanje ngebizo lami lokhu liyamangalisa?
Yahweh replied, “(Why do you ask me my name?/You should not ask me my name.) [RHQ] It is (wonderful/it cannot be understood).”
19 UManowa wasethatha izinyane lembuzi lomnikelo wokudla, wakunikela eNkosini phezu kwedwala, yasisenza ngokumangalisayo, njalo uManowa lomkakhe bekhangele.
Then Manoah killed a young goat and burned it on a rock, along with a grain offering, as a sacrifice to Yahweh. And Yahweh did an amazing thing while Manoah 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.
Flames from the altar blazed up toward the sky, and Yahweh ascended in the flames. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground.
21 Kodwa ingilosi yeNkosi kayiphindanga isabonakala kuManowa lomkakhe. Khona uManowa wazi ukuthi kwakuyingilosi yeNkosi.
Although Yahweh did not appear in the form of an angel to Manoah and his wife again, Manoah realized that the [man they thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.
22 UManowa wasesithi kumkakhe: Sizakufa lokufa ngoba sibone uNkulunkulu.
So he said, “Now we will die, because 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 said, “No, we will not die, because if Yahweh intended to kill us, he would not have accepted the burned offering and the grain offering. And he would not have appeared to us and told us the wonderful thing that would happen to us, and he would not have performed this miracle.”
24 Owesifazana wasebeletha indodana, wayitha ibizo layo wathi nguSamsoni; umfana wasekhula, leNkosi yambusisa.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 UMoya weNkosi waseqala ukumvusa enkambeni kaDani phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
