Abahluleli 14
1 USamsoni wasesehlela eThiminathi, wabona owesifazana eThiminathi wamadodakazi amaFilisti.
One day Samson went to Timnah, where a young Philistine woman attracted his attention.
2 Wenyuka wabatshela oyise lonina wathi: Ngibone owesifazana eThiminathi wamadodakazi amaFilisti. Ngakho-ke ngithatheleni yena abe ngumkami.
He went back home and told his father and mother, “A Philistine woman in Timnah caught my attention. Now get her for me because I want to marry her.”
3 Kodwa uyise lonina bathi kuye: Kakula owesifazana yini phakathi kwamadodakazi abafowenu loba phakathi kwabo bonke abantu bakithi ukuthi uyethatha umfazi kumaFilisti angasokanga? USamsoni wasesithi kuyise: Ngithathele yena ngoba yena uyathandeka emehlweni ami.
But his father and mother replied, “Can't you find a young woman from our tribe or from our own people? Do you have to go to the heathen Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Just get her for me, because she's the one I find her attractive.”
4 Kodwa uyise lonina babengazi ukuthi lokho kuvela eNkosini, ukuthi wayedinga ithuba lokumelana lamaFilisti; ngoba ngalesosikhathi amaFilisti ayebusa phezu kukaIsrayeli.
(His father and mother didn't realize that this was in the Lord's plans, who was looking for an opportunity to deal with the Philistines; because at that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.)
5 USamsoni wasesehla loyise lonina esiya eThiminathi, bafika ezivinini eThiminathi, khangela-ke, ibhongo lesilwane lambhongela.
Samson went to Timnah with his father and mother. When they passed the Timnah vineyards, all of a sudden young lion came roaring out to attack him.
6 UMoya weNkosi wasefika ngamandla phezu kwakhe; walidabula njengodabula izinyane; njalo kwakungelalutho esandleni sakhe; kodwa kabatshelanga oyise lonina lokho akwenzileyo.
The Spirit of the Lord swept over him, and he ripped the lion apart with his bare hands as easily as ripping apart a young goat. But he didn't tell his father or mother what he'd done. Then he went on his way.
7 Wasesehla, wakhuluma lowesifazana, njalo wayethandeka emehlweni kaSamsoni.
When Samson talked with the woman and decided she was right for him.
8 Lemva kwezinsuku wabuyela ukuyamthatha; waphambuka ukuthi abone isidumbu sesilwane, khangela-ke, kwakulomtshitshi wenyosi loluju esidunjini sesilwane.
Later on when Samson returned to marry her, he turned off the road to look for the lion's carcass. Inside the body was a swarm of bees and their honey.
9 Wazithapha ngezandla zakhe, wahamba, ehamba esidla, wafika kuyise lakunina, wabanika, badla. Kodwa kabatshelanga ukuthi wayethaphe uluju esidunjini sesilwane.
He scraped out some of honey into his hands and ate it as he walked. When he got back to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he didn't tell them he'd taken the honey from a lion's carcass.
10 Uyise wasesehla waya kowesifazana, loSamsoni wenza idili khona, ngoba ayesenza njalo amajaha.
While his father went to visit the woman, Samson held a drinking party there, because this was the custom among high-class young men.
11 Kwasekusithi lapho bembona bathatha abanakwabo abangamatshumi amathathu ukuze babe laye.
When the Philistine people saw him, they arranged for thirty men to accompany him.
12 USamsoni wasesithi kibo: Ake ngililibhe ngelibho; uba lingangitshela lona kuhle ensukwini eziyisikhombisa zedili, lilithole, ngizalinika izembatho zelembu elihle ezingamatshumi amathathu lezembatho zokuntshintsha ezingamatshumi amathathu.
“Let me pose a riddle to you,” Samson said to them. “If you can find its meaning and explain it to me during the seven days of the party, I'll give you thirty lines cloaks and thirty sets of clothes.
13 Kodwa uba lingelakho ukungitshela, khona lina lizanginika izembatho zelembu elihle ezingamatshumi amathathu lezembatho zokuntshintsha ezingamatshumi amathathu. Basebesithi kuye: Libha ilibho lakho ukuze silizwe.
But if you can't explain it to me, you'll give me thirty lines cloaks and thirty sets of clothes.” “Fine,” they replied. “Let's hear your riddle!”
14 Wasesithi kubo: Kodlayo kwaphuma ukudla, lakolamandla kwaphuma okumnandi. Kodwa babengelakulichasisa ilibho ensukwini ezintathu.
“Food came out of the eater, and sweetness came out of the strong,” he said. Three days later they still hadn't worked it out.
15 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesikhombisa bathi kumkaSamsoni: Huga umkakho ukuthi asichasisele ilibho, hlezi sikutshise lendlu kayihlo ngomlilo. Lisinxusele ukuthi lisithathele esilakho yini? Akunjalo yini?
On the fourth day they came to Samson's wife and told her, “Use your charms to get your husband to explain the riddle and then tell us, or we'll burn you and all your family to death. Did you bring us here just to rob us?”
16 UmkaSamsoni wasekhala inyembezi phambi kwakhe wathi: Uyangizonda nje, kawungithandi; uwalibhile ilibho amadodana abantu bakithi, kodwa mina kawungitshelanga. Wasesithi kuye: Khangela ubaba lomama kangibatshelanga, wena-ke ngizakutshela yini?
So Samson's wife went crying to him, saying, “You really do hate me, don't you! You don't love me at all! You have posed a riddle to my people, but haven't even explained it to me.” “So?” he replied. “I haven't even explained it to my father or mother! Why should I explain it to you?”
17 Wakhala inyembezi phambi kwakhe insuku eziyisikhombisa beseledili. Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesikhombisa wamtshela ngoba wamcindezela kakhulu. Wasewatshela amadodana abantu bakibo.
She cried in front of him for the whole time of the party, and eventually on the seventh day he explained it to her because she nagged him so much. Then she explained the meaning of the riddle to the Philistine young men.
18 Amadoda omuzi asesithi kuye ngosuku lwesikhombisa ilanga lingakatshoni: Kuyini okumnandi okwedlula uluju? Njalo kuyini okulamandla kulesilwane? Wasesithi kiwo: Uba belingalimanga ngethokazi lami, belingayikulithola ilibho lami.
Before the sun set on the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson and said, “What's sweeter than honey? What's stronger than a lion?” “If you hadn't used my cow to plough with, you wouldn't have found out the meaning of my riddle,” Samson replied.
19 UMoya weNkosi wasefika ngamandla phezu kwakhe, wehlela eAshikeloni, watshaya kuwo amadoda angamatshumi amathathu, wathatha izembatho zawo, wanika izembatho zokuntshintsha labo ababechasise ilibho. Intukuthelo yakhe yasivutha wasesenyukela endlini kayise.
The Spirit of the Lord swept over him and he went to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their clothing, and gave it to those who had explained the riddle. Furiously anger, Samson went back to his father's house.
20 Kodwa umkaSamsoni waba ngowomnakwabo, owayengumngane wakhe.
Samson's wife was given to his best man who had accompanied him at the wedding.
