Abahluleli 16
1 USamsoni wasesiya eGaza, wabona khona umfazi, iwule, wangena kulo.
Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and he went to have sex with her that night.
2 Kwabikwa kwabeGaza kuthiwa: USamsoni ufikile lapha. Bamzingelezela, bamcathamela ubusuku bonke esangweni lomuzi; bathula ubusuku bonke besithi: Kuze kukhanye ekuseni, khona sizambulala.
The men of Gaza found out Samson was there, so they gathered to spend the night lying in wait for him at the town gates. They kept quiet all night, whispering to one another, “We'll kill him when it gets light.”
3 USamsoni waselala kwaze kwaba phakathi kobusuku; wavuka phakathi kobusuku, wabamba izivalo zesango lomuzi, lensika zombili, wazisiphuna lomgoqo, wakwetshata emahlombe akhe, wakwenyusela engqongeni yentaba ephambi kweHebroni.
But Samson only stayed until halfway through the night. He grabbed hold of the town gates along with their two posts and ripped them up, along with the lock-bar. Putting them on his shoulders, he carried them to the hill opposite Hebron.
4 Kwathi emva kwalokho wathanda owesifazana esihotsheni seSoreki, obizo lakhe linguDelila.
Later he fell in love with a woman named Delilah living in the Sorek Valley.
5 Njalo iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zenyukela kuye zathi kuye: Myenge ubone ukuthi akukuphi amandla akhe amakhulu, lokuthi singamehlula ngani, ukuthi simbophe ukuze simnqobe. Thina-ke sizakunika ngamunye izinhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane lekhulu.
The Philistine leaders approached her, saying, “See if you can seduce him and get him to show you the secret of his incredible strength, and find out how we can overpower him and tie him up so he can't do anything. We'll all give you eleven hundred shekels of silver each.”
6 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Ake ungitshele ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu, lokuthi ungabotshwa ngani ukukunqoba.
Delilah went and pleaded with Samson, “Please tell me where your incredible strength comes from, and what can be used to tie you up so you can't do anything.”
7 USamsoni wasesithi kuye: Uba bengibopha ngentambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
“If I'm tied up with seven supple bowstrings that haven't dried out, I'll become just as weak,” Samson told her.
8 Iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zasezisenyusela kuye intambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga; wasembopha ngazo.
The Philistine leaders brought her seven supple bowstrings that hadn't dried out, and she tied him up with them.
9 Abacathemeyo-ke bahlala laye endlini engaphakathi; wasesithi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Waziqamula intambo njengentambo yefilakisi iqamuka nxa isizwa umlilo. Ngakho amandla akhe kawaziwanga.
Having arranged for men to hide in her bedroom ready to attack him, she shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a thread snaps when a flame touches it. So nobody found out where his strength came from.
10 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Khangela, udlale ngami wangitshela amanga. Khathesi ake ungitshele ukuthi ungabotshwa ngani.
Later Delilah said to Samson, “You've made me look stupid, telling me these lies! So now please tell me what can be used to tie you up.”
11 Wasesithi kuye: Uba bengangibopha lokungibopha ngamagoda amatsha okungenziwanga msebenzi ngawo, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
“If I'm tied up tight with new ropes that haven't been used before, I'll become just as weak as anyone else,” he told her.
12 Ngakho uDelila wathatha amagoda amatsha, wambopha ngawo, wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Abacathemeyo babehlezi endlini engaphakathi. Kodwa wawaqamula asuka engalweni zakhe njengomnxeba.
So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up with them. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” As before, men were hiding in her bedroom. But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thin threads.
13 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Kuze kube khathesi udlale ngami, wangitshela amanga; ngitshela ukuthi ungabotshwa ngani. Wasesithi kuye: Uba useluka amaxha enwele zekhanda lami ayisikhombisa ngezintambo ezelukiweyo.
Delilah said to Samson, “You keep on making me look stupid, telling me these lies! Just tell me what can be used to tie you up!” “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the web on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as anyone else,” he told her. So while he was asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, weaving them into the web,
14 Wasewaqinisa ngesikhonkwane; wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe, wasusa isikhonkwane seselukiso lentambo ezelukiweyo.
and tightening the pin. She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” But Samson woke up and ripped out both the pin and the web from the loom.
15 Wasesithi kuye: Ungatsho njani ukuthi: Ngiyakuthanda; nxa inhliziyo yakho ingelami? Lezizikhathi ezintathu udlale ngami, kawungitshelanga ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu.
Then Delilah complained to Samson, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don't let me into your confidence? Three times you've me look stupid, not telling me where your incredible strength comes from!”
16 Kwasekusithi lapho emcindezela ngamazwi akhe insuku zonke, wamkhathaza, kwaze kwathi umphefumulo wakhe wadabuka kwaze kwaba sekufeni.
She nagged and complained all the time, pestering him until he wanted to die.
17 Ngakho wamtshela inhliziyo yakhe yonke wathi kuye: Impuco kayizanga ize phezu kwekhanda lami, ngoba ngingumNaziri kaNkulunkulu kusukela esizalweni sikamama. Uba ngiphucwa, amandla ami azasuka kimi, ngibe buthakathaka ngibe njengaye wonke umuntu.
Eventually Samson confided in her, sharing everything. “My hair has never been cut, because I've been dedicated as a Nazirite to God from my birth. If I'm shaved, my strength will leave me, and I'll become as weak as anyone else.”
18 Lapho uDelila ebona ukuthi umtshele inhliziyo yakhe yonke, wathuma wabiza iziphathamandla zamaFilisti esithi: Yenyukani ngalesisikhathi, ngoba ungitshele inhliziyo yakhe yonke. Iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zasezisenyukela kuye, zaletha imali esandleni sazo.
Delilah realized that he had truly confided in her and shared everything, she sent a message to the Philistine leaders telling them, “Come back once more, because this time he's confided in me and told me everything.” So the Philistine leaders returned, bringing with them the money to give to her.
19 Wasemlalisa ubuthongo emadolweni akhe, wabiza umuntu, wamgelisa amaxha ayisikhombisa enwele zekhanda lakhe. Waseqala ukumhlupha, lamandla akhe asuka kuye.
Delilah soothed him sleep on her lap, and then called in someone to shave off the seven braids of hair. She started to torment him but he couldn't do anything for his strength left him.
20 Wasesithi: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe wathi: Ngizaphuma njengakwezinye izikhathi, ngizinyikinye. Kodwa yena wayengazi ukuthi iNkosi isukile kuye.
She shouted out, “Samson, the Philistines are here to get you!” Samson woke up and thought to himself, “I'll do like before and shake myself free.” But he didn't know that the Lord had left him.
21 Khona amaFilisti ambamba, amkopola amehlo, amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngezibopho zethusi; njalo wayechola entolongweni.
The Philistines grabbed him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza where they imprisoned him in bronze chains. He was made to work grinding grain at the mill in the prison.
22 Kodwa inwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukukhula emva kokuphucwa kwakhe.
But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
23 Khona iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zabuthana ukuze zihlabele uDagoni unkulunkulu wazo umhlatshelo omkhulu, zithokoze, zathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.
The Philistine leaders gathered for a great religious festival to sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us!”
24 Lapho abantu bembona badumisa unkulunkulu wabo, ngoba bathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele esandleni sethu isitha sethu, ngitsho umchithi welizwe lakithi, njalo owenza baba banengi ababuleweyo bethu.
When the people saw him, they praised their god, and said, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who devastated our land and killed so many of us.”
25 Kwasekusithi lapho inhliziyo zabo zithokoza bathi: Bizani uSamsoni ukuze azesidlalela. Basebembiza uSamsoni evela entolongweni, wadlala phambi kwabo. Basebemmisa phakathi kwezinsika.
As they began to get drunk, they shouted, “Summon Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison to entertain them, and made him stand between the two main pillars of the building.
26 USamsoni wasesithi emfaneni owayembambe ngesandla: Ngiyekela ngithinte izinsika indlu emi phezu kwazo ukuze ngeyame kuzo.
Samson said to the servant boy who was leading him by the hand, “Leave me by the pillars on which the temple rests so I can feel them, and lean against them.”
27 Indlu yayigcwele-ke abesilisa labesifazana; lazo zonke iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zazikhona, laphezulu ephahleni kwakukhona abesilisa labesifazana abangaba zinkulungwane ezintathu ababebukele uSamsoni edlala.
The temple was full of people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and on the roof were the ordinary people watching what Samson was doing.
28 USamsoni wasekhala eNkosini wathi: Nkosi Jehova, ngikhumbule ngiyakuncenga, ungiqinise ngiyakuncenga, kuphela ngalesisikhathi, Nkulunkulu, ukuze ngiziphindisele ngokuphindisela okukodwa kumaFilisti ngenxa yamehlo ami amabili.
Samson called out to the Lord, “Lord God, please remember me and give me strength. Please God, do this just once more, so that with one act I may pay the Philistines back in revenge for the loss of my two eyes.”
29 USamsoni wasebamba insika ezimbili eziphakathi, indlu eyayimi kuzo, waqina ngazo, enye ngesandla sakhe sokunene lenye ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo.
Samson reached for the two middle pillars that supported the temple. With his right hand leaning on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
30 USamsoni wasesithi: Mina kangife lamaFilisti. Wasekhothama ngamandla; njalo indlu yawela phezu kweziphathamandla laphezu kwabo bonke abantu ababekuyo. Ngakho abafayo ababulala ekufeni kwakhe babe banengi okwedlula labo ababulala empilweni yakhe.
Samson shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pushed with all his strength. The temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. So those killed at his death were more than he killed in his life.
31 Kwasekusehla abafowabo labendlu yonke kayise, bamthatha, bamenyusa, bayamngcwabela phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli engcwabeni likaManowa uyise. Yena wahlulela uIsrayeli iminyaka engamatshumi amabili.
Then his brothers and his whole family came and took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He led Israel as judge for twenty years.
