< Abahluleli 16 >
1 USamsoni wasesiya eGaza, wabona khona umfazi, iwule, wangena kulo.
2 Kwabikwa kwabeGaza kuthiwa: USamsoni ufikile lapha. Bamzingelezela, bamcathamela ubusuku bonke esangweni lomuzi; bathula ubusuku bonke besithi: Kuze kukhanye ekuseni, khona sizambulala.
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.
4 Kwathi emva kwalokho wathanda owesifazana esihotsheni seSoreki, obizo lakhe linguDelila.
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.
6 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Ake ungitshele ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu, lokuthi ungabotshwa ngani ukukunqoba.
7 USamsoni wasesithi kuye: Uba bengibopha ngentambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
8 Iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zasezisenyusela kuye intambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga; wasembopha ngazo.
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.
10 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Khangela, udlale ngami wangitshela amanga. Khathesi ake ungitshele ukuthi ungabotshwa ngani.
11 Wasesithi kuye: Uba bengangibopha lokungibopha ngamagoda amatsha okungenziwanga msebenzi ngawo, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
12 Ngakho uDelila wathatha amagoda amatsha, wambopha ngawo, wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Abacathemeyo babehlezi endlini engaphakathi. Kodwa wawaqamula asuka engalweni zakhe njengomnxeba.
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.
14 Wasewaqinisa ngesikhonkwane; wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe, wasusa isikhonkwane seselukiso lentambo ezelukiweyo.
15 Wasesithi kuye: Ungatsho njani ukuthi: Ngiyakuthanda; nxa inhliziyo yakho ingelami? Lezizikhathi ezintathu udlale ngami, kawungitshelanga ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu.
16 Kwasekusithi lapho emcindezela ngamazwi akhe insuku zonke, wamkhathaza, kwaze kwathi umphefumulo wakhe wadabuka kwaze kwaba sekufeni.
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.
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.
19 Wasemlalisa ubuthongo emadolweni akhe, wabiza umuntu, wamgelisa amaxha ayisikhombisa enwele zekhanda lakhe. Waseqala ukumhlupha, lamandla akhe asuka kuye.
20 Wasesithi: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe wathi: Ngizaphuma njengakwezinye izikhathi, ngizinyikinye. Kodwa yena wayengazi ukuthi iNkosi isukile kuye.
21 Khona amaFilisti ambamba, amkopola amehlo, amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngezibopho zethusi; njalo wayechola entolongweni.
22 Kodwa inwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukukhula emva kokuphucwa kwakhe.
23 Khona iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zabuthana ukuze zihlabele uDagoni unkulunkulu wazo umhlatshelo omkhulu, zithokoze, zathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.
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.
25 Kwasekusithi lapho inhliziyo zabo zithokoza bathi: Bizani uSamsoni ukuze azesidlalela. Basebembiza uSamsoni evela entolongweni, wadlala phambi kwabo. Basebemmisa phakathi kwezinsika.
26 USamsoni wasesithi emfaneni owayembambe ngesandla: Ngiyekela ngithinte izinsika indlu emi phezu kwazo ukuze ngeyame kuzo.
27 Indlu yayigcwele-ke abesilisa labesifazana; lazo zonke iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zazikhona, laphezulu ephahleni kwakukhona abesilisa labesifazana abangaba zinkulungwane ezintathu ababebukele uSamsoni edlala.
28 USamsoni wasekhala eNkosini wathi: Nkosi Jehova, ngikhumbule ngiyakuncenga, ungiqinise ngiyakuncenga, kuphela ngalesisikhathi, Nkulunkulu, ukuze ngiziphindisele ngokuphindisela okukodwa kumaFilisti ngenxa yamehlo ami amabili.
29 USamsoni wasebamba insika ezimbili eziphakathi, indlu eyayimi kuzo, waqina ngazo, enye ngesandla sakhe sokunene lenye ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo.
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.
31 Kwasekusehla abafowabo labendlu yonke kayise, bamthatha, bamenyusa, bayamngcwabela phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli engcwabeni likaManowa uyise. Yena wahlulela uIsrayeli iminyaka engamatshumi amabili.
