Vatongi 16
1 Rimwe zuva Samusoni akaenda kuGaza, kwaakandoona chifeve. Akapinda usiku kuti andovata nacho.
One day Samson went to Gaza [city in the Philistia area]. He spent some time with a prostitute.
2 Vanhu veGaza vakaudzwa kuti, “Samusoni ari pano!” Saka vakakomba nzvimbo iyo vakamuvandira usiku pasuo reguta. Havana kumbosuduruka panguva yousiku vachiti, “Tichamuuraya panguva yamambakwedza.”
People soon found out that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together at the city gate and waited all night. They said to themselves, “When it dawns tomorrow morning, we will kill him [when he tries to leave the city].”
3 Asi Samusoni akavatamo kusvikira pakati pousiku chete. Ipapo akamuka akabata masasa amasuo eguta, pamwe chete namagwatidziro acho maviri akaavhomora, mazariro nezvose. Akaasimudza pamapfudzi ake akaatakura akaenda nawo pamusoro pechikomo chakatarisana neHebhuroni.
But Samson did not stay there all night. At midnight, he got up. He went to the city gate, he took hold of its two posts, and he lifted it up out of the ground, with its [connecting cross] bar still attached. He put it on his shoulders and carried it [many miles] uphill to Hebron.
4 Mushure menguva yakati kuti, akadanana nomukadzi aigara muMupata weSoreki; zita rake rainzi Dherira.
Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, [and started to live with her]. She lived in Sorek Valley [in the Philistia area].
5 Vatongi vavaFiristia vakaenda kwaari vakati, “Uone kana ungagona kumunyengetedza kuti akuratidze chakavanzika chesimba rake guru, uye kuti tingamukunda sei kuitira kuti tigomusunga timupfavise. Mumwe nomumwe wedu achakupa mashekeri esirivha mazana gumi nezana rimwe chete.”
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Find out from Samson what makes him so strong. And find out how we can subdue him and tie him up securely. If you do that, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 Saka Dherira akati kuna Samusoni, “Ndiudzewoka chakavanzika chesimba rako guru uye kuti ungasungwa sei kuti ukundwe.”
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong, and tell me how someone can subdue you and tie you up.”
7 Samusoni akamupindura akati, “Kana munhu upi zvake akandisunga netambo itsva nomwe dzisina kuomeswa, ndichava munhu asina simba, somumwewo munhu zvake.”
Samson said, “If someone ties me with seven new bowstrings, ones that are not dry yet, I will become as weak as other men.”
8 Ipapo vatongi vavaFiristia vakamuvigira tambo nomwe itsva dzisina kuomeswa, akamusunga nadzo.
So [after Delilah told that to the Philistine leaders], they brought seven new bowstrings to Delilah.
9 Varume vakavanda mukamuri, akadanidzira kwaari akati, “Samusoni, vaFiristia vasvika!” Asi akadambura tambo zviri nyore sokudambuka kunoita shinda kana yaiswa pedyo nomurazvo womoto. Saka chakavanzika chesimba rake hachina kuzivikanwa.
Then she hid the men in one of the rooms in her house. Then [while Samson was sleeping], she tied him up with the bowstrings. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come here to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as easily as though they were strings that had been singed in a fire. So the Philistines did not find out what made Samson so strong.
10 Ipapo Dherira akati kuna Samusoni, “Wandiita benzi; wareva nhema kwandiri. Zvino chindiudza kuti ungasungwa sei?”
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have deceived me and lied to me! Now tell me [the truth, ] how someone can tie you up securely.”
11 Iye akati, “Kana munhu akandisunga zvakasimba namabote matsva asati amboshandiswa, ndichava munhu asina simba somumwewo munhu zvake.”
Samson replied, “If someone ties me with new ropes, ones that have never been used, I will be as weak as other men.”
12 Saka Dherira akatora mabote matsva akamusunga nawo. Ipapo, aiva navarume vakanga vakavanda mukamuri, uye akadanidzira kwaari achiti, “Samusoni, vaFiristia vasvika!” Asi akadambura mabote mumaoko ake kunge akanga ari shinda.
So again, [she told the Philistine leaders, and] they [came and] hid in the room as they had done before. And again, while Samson was sleeping, she took the new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the ropes on his arms as easily as if they were threads.
13 Ipapo Dherira akati kuna Samusoni, “Kusvikira zvino, wanga uchingondiita benzi uye uchireva nhema kwandiri. Ndiudze kuti ungasungwa sei.” Akapindura akati, “Kana ukarukira mhotsi dzangu nomwe dzebvudzi rangu mumucheka wakarukwa uye ukadzirovera pasi nembambo, ini ndichava munhu asina simba somumwewo munhu zvake.” Saka paakanga avata, Dherira akatora mhotsi nomwe dzebvudzi romusoro wake, akadzirukira mumucheka unorukwa,
Then Delilah said, “You have deceived me and lied to me [again]! Please tell me how someone can tie you up securely!” Samson replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the threads you are weaving on the loom, and then fasten those threads with the pin [that makes the threads tight], then I will be as weak as other men.” So again, while Samson was sleeping on her lap, Delilah held the seven braids of his hair, and wove them into the threads on the loom,
14 akadzirovera pasi nembambo. Akadanidzira kwaari zvakare akati, “Samusoni, vaFiristia vasvika!” Akapepuka pahope dzake akavhomora mbambo nomucheka wakarukwa.
and she tightened them with the pin. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up and pulled out the pin, and pulled his hair from the threads on the loom.
15 Ipapo akati kwaari, “Unoti ‘Ndinokuda’ sei iwe usingandiudzi zvakavanzika zvako? Aka kava ketatu uchingondiita benzi uye hauna kutongonditaurira chakavanzika chesimba rako guru.”
Then Delilah said to him, “How can you say that you love me when you do not tell me the truth about yourself? You have deceived me three times, and you still have not told me what really makes you so strong!”
16 Pakupedzisira mushure mokunge atambudzwa namashoko ake, zuva nezuva, achimugombedzera, akaneta zvokusvika parufu.
Day after day she nagged him like that. He thought he would die from her nagging [IDM].
17 Saka akamuudza zvose. Akati, “Hapana chisvo chakatomboshandiswa kuveura musoro wangu, nokuti ndakaitwa muNaziri akatsaurirwa kuna Mwari kubva pakuberekwa kwangu. Kana musoro wangu ukaveurwa, simba rangu rinobva pandiri, uye ndinozova munhu asina simba, somumwewo munhu zvake.”
Finally Samson told her the truth. He said, “I have been set apart for God since the day I was born. And because of that, my hair has never been cut. If my hair were shaved off, my strength would be gone, and I would be as weak as other men.”
18 Dherira paakaona kuti akanga amuudza zvose, akatuma shoko kuvatongi vavaFiristia achiti, “Dzokai, zvakare; andiudza zvose.” Saka vatongi vavaFiristia vakadzoka vaine sirivha mumaoko avo.
Delilah realized that this time he had told her the truth. So she summoned the Philistine leaders again, saying, “Come back one more time, because Samson has really told me everything [about why he is so strong]”. So the Philistine leaders returned and brought to Delilah the money [that they promised to give her].
19 Akati amurarisa pamakumbo ake, akadana munhu kuti azoveura mhotsi nomwe dzebvudzi rake, nokudaro akatanga kumukunda. Uye simba rake rakabva paari.
Again she lulled Samson to sleep, with his head in her lap. Then she called one of the Philistine men to come and shave off Samson’s hair. As he did that, Samson began to get weaker. And finally his strength was all gone.
20 Ipapo akadana Samusoni akati, “Samusoni, vaFiristia vasvika!” Akapepuka pahope dzake akafunga akati, “Ndichabuda sezvandaiita kare uye ndichazvisunungura.” Asi akanga asingazivi kuti Jehovha akanga abva paari.
Then [after she tied him up], she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before. I will shake [these ropes] off myself and be free!” But he did not realize that Yahweh had left him.
21 Ipapo vaFiristia vakamubata vakatumbura meso ake vakamuendesa kundokuya mutorongo.
So the Philistine men seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza. There they put him in prison and bound him with bronze chains. They made him [turn a millstone to] grind grain [every day].
22 Asi bvudzi romusoro wake rakatanga kukurazve shure kwokumboveurwa.
But his hair started to grow again.
23 Zvino vatongi vavaFiristia vakaungana kuti vabayire chibayiro chikuru kuna Dhagoni mwari wavo uye kuti vapemberere vachiti, “Mwari wedu aisa Samusoni, muvengi wedu, mumaoko edu.”
[Several months later] the Philistine leaders celebrated a big festival. During the festival they offered sacrifices to their god Dagon. They praised him, saying, “Our god has enabled us to defeat our great enemy Samson!”
24 Vanhu vakati vamuona, vakarumbidza mwari wavo vachiti, “Mwari wedu aisa muvengi wedu mumaoko edu, iye akaparadza nyika yedu akawanza vakaurayiwa vedu.”
And when the other people saw Samson, they also praised their god Dagon, saying, “Samson ruined our crops and killed many of our people, but our god has put our enemy into our hands. Our god helped us to capture the one who has killed so many of us!”
25 Vari pakufara kukuru, vakadanidzira vachiti, “Budisai Samusoni kuti auye kuzotitandadza.” Saka vakadana Samusoni kuti abude mutorongo, uye akatamba pamberi pavo. Vakati vamumisa pakati pembiru,
By that time the people were half-drunk. They shouted, “Bring Samson out of the prison! Bring him here so that he can entertain us!” So they brought Samson from the prison and made fun of him. Then they made him stand in the center of the temple. They made him stand between the two pillars that held up the roof.
26 Samusoni akati kumuranda akanga akabata ruoko rwake, “Ndiise pandinogona kubata mbiru dzinotsigira temberi, kuitira kuti ndisendamire padziri.”
Samson said to the servant who was leading him by his hand, “Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them.”
27 Zvino temberi yakanga izere navarume navakadzi; vatongi vose vavaFiristia vakanga varimo uye padenga pakanga pane varume navakadzi vanenge zviuru zvitatu vakatarira Samusoni achitamba.
At that time the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine leaders were also there. And there were about 3,000 people on the roof, watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 Ipapo Samusoni akanyengetera kuna Jehovha akati, “Haiwa Ishe Jehovha, ndirangarirei. Imi Mwari, ndapota hangu, ndisimbisei henyu nguva ino bedzi, uye nditenderei kamwe chete kuti nditsive vaFiristia nokuda kwameso angu maviri.”
Then Samson prayed, saying, “Yahweh, my Lord, think about me again! Please give me strength one more time, so that I may get revenge on the Philistines for gouging out my eyes!”
29 Ipapo Samusoni akabata mbiru mbiri dzapakati dzakanga dzakatsigira temberi paakanga amire. Akadzisunda, ruoko rwake rworudyi rwuri pane imwe uye rworuboshwe rwuri pane imwe yacho.
Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars of the temple. He put his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other pillar.
30 Samusoni akati, “Regai ndife hangu navaFiristia!” Ipapo akasunda nesimba rake rose, temberi ikaondomokera pamusoro pavatongi vavaFiristia navanhu vose vaiva mairi. Naizvozvo akauraya vanhu vazhinji kwazvo pakufa kwake kupfuura paakanga ari mupenyu.
Then he shouted [to God], “Let me die with the Philistines!”, and he pushed with all his strength. [The pillars collapsed], and the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the other Philistine people, [and they all died]. So Samson killed more people when he died than he had killed all during his life.
31 Ipapo vanunʼuna vake nemhuri yose yababa vake vakaburuka, vakandomutora. Vakadzoka naye vakandomuviga pakati peZora neEshitaori muhwiro raManoa baba vake. Akanga atungamirira Israeri kwamakore makumi maviri.
Later his brothers and their relatives went down [from Zorah to Gaza] to get his body. They took it back home and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, at the place where Samson’s father Manoah was buried. Samson had been Israel’s leader for 20 years.
