Jueces 14
1 Sansón bajó a Timná, donde vio a una mujer de las hijas de los filisteos.
One day when Samson was in Timnah [town], he saw a young Philistine woman there.
2 Cuando subió (a su casa) habló a su padre y a su madre, diciendo: “He visto en Timná a una mujer de las hijas de los filisteos; ahora pues, tomádmela por mujer.”
When he returned home, he told his mother and father, “I saw a young Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want you to get her for me so I can marry her.”
3 Dijéronle su padre y su madre: “¿Acaso no hay mujer entre las hijas de tus hermanos, ni entre todo mi pueblo, para que tú vayas a tomar mujer de entre los incircuncisos filisteos?” Pero Sansón contestó a su padre: “Tómame a esa porque me gusta.”
His mother and father objected very strongly. They said, “Is there no woman from our tribe, or from the other Israeli tribes, that you could marry? Why must you go to the heathen Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She is the one I want!”
4 Su padre y su madre no sabían que esto venía de Yahvé, por cuanto buscaba ocasión contra los filisteos, pues los filisteos dominaban a la sazón a Israel.
His mother and father did not realize that Yahweh was arranging this. He was preparing a way for [Samson to defeat] the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at that time.
5 Bajó Sansón con su padre y su madre a Timná, y cuando llegaron a las viñas de Timná, he aquí que un leoncillo salió rugiendo a su encuentro.
So, as Samson was going down to Timnah, followed by his mother and father, a young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards close to Timnah.
6 Entonces vino el Espíritu de Yahvé sobre Sansón y sin tener nada a mano, lo desgarró como se desgarra un cabrito; pero no dijo ni a su padre ni a su madre lo que había hecho.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit came upon Samson powerfully, with the result that he tore the lion apart with his hands. He did it [as easily] as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his mother and father about it.
7 Bajó y habló con la mujer, y ella gustó a Sansón.
When they arrived in Timnah, Samson talked with the young woman, and he liked her very much. [And his father made arrangements for the wedding].
8 Pasado algún tiempo volvió para tomarla y se apartó del camino para ver el cuerpo del león; y he aquí que dentro del cuerpo del león había un enjambre de abejas y un panal de miel.
Later, when Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to see the carcass of the lion. He discovered that [after other creatures had eaten all the flesh], a swarm of bees [had made a hive in the skeleton and] had made some honey.
9 Lo tomó en sus manos, y siguiendo el camino comió, y cuando alcanzó a su padre y su madre, les dio y ellos comieron; mas no les dijo que había tomado la miel del cadáver del león.
So he scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate some of it as he was walking along. He also gave some of it to his mother and father, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the skeleton of the lion, [because anyone dedicated to God was not to touch any corpse].
10 Luego bajó su padre a casa de la mujer, y Sansón hizo allí un banquete; porque tal era la costumbre de los mozos.
As his father was making the final arrangements for the marriage, Samson gave a party [for the young men in that area]. That was the custom for men to do when they were about to be married.
11 Cuando ellos le vieron le dieron treinta compañeros para acompañarle;
Thirty young man were invited to the party.
12 a los cuales dijo Sansón: “Voy a proponeros un enigma; si me lo descifráis dentro de los siete días del banquete y encontráis el sentido, os daré treinta túnicas y treinta mudas de ropa.
Samson said to them, “Allow me to tell you a riddle. If you tel me the meaning of my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give each of you a linen robe and an extra set of clothes.
13 Pero si no podéis descifrármelo me daréis vosotros a mí treinta túnicas y treinta mudas de ropa.” Ellos respondieron: “Propón tu enigma para que lo oigamos.”
But if you cannot tell me the meaning, you must each give me a linen robe and an extra set of clothes.” They replied, “All right. Tell us your riddle.”
14 Les dijo entonces: “Del que come salió manjar, y del fuerte salió dulzura.” Y no pudieron descifrarle el enigma en tres días.
So he said, “From the thing that eats came something to eat; out of something strong came something sweet.” But for three days they could not tell him the meaning of the riddle.
15 Al séptimo día dijeron a la mujer de Sansón: “Persuade a tu marido, para que nos descifre el enigma; de lo contrario te quemaremos a ti y a la casa de tu padre. ¿Acaso nos habéis convidado para robarnos?”
On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s bride, “Ask your husband to tell you the meaning of the riddle. If you do not do that, we will burn down your father’s house, with you inside it! Did you invite us here only to make us poor [by forcing us to buy a lot of clothes for your husband]?”
16 Y lloraba la mujer de Sansón delante de él y le decía: “Solo me odias y no me amas; has propuesto este enigma a los hijos de mi pueblo, sin descifrármelo a mí.” Le contestó: “Mira, no lo he explicado ni a mi padre ni a mi madre. ¿Acaso he de explicártelo a ti?”
So Samson’s wife came to him, crying, and said to him, “You do not really love me. You hate me! You have told a riddle to my friends, but you have not told me the meaning of the riddle!” He replied, “I have not told the meaning of the riddle even to my mother and father, so why should I tell it to you?”
17 Mas ella lloraba delante de él los siete días que duró el banquete. Y al séptimo día él le dio la explicación, porque le molestaba mucho, y ella descifró el enigma a los hijos de su pueblo.
She continued to cry every time she was with him, all during the rest of the celebration. Finally, on the seventh day, because she continued to nag him, he told her the meaning of the riddle. Then she told it to the young men.
18 Le dijeron los hombres de la ciudad al séptimo día, antes de ponerse el sol: “¿Qué cosa más dulce que la miel? ¿qué más fuerte que el león?” Les respondió: “Si no hubierais arado con mi novilla, no habríais descifrado mi enigma.”
So, before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him, “What/Nothing is sweeter than honey [RHQ]. What/Nothing is stronger than a lion [RHQ]!” Samson replied, “[You should not force a heifer to] plow a field [MET]. Similarly, if you had not forced my bride to ask me about the riddle [MET], you would not have known the answer to my riddle!”
19 Y vino el Espíritu de Yahvé sobre él; bajó a Ascalón, mató allí treinta hombres, y quitándoles los despojos, dio las mudas de ropa a los que habían descifrado el enigma; y ardiendo de cólera subió a casa de su padre.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit powerfully took control of Samson. He went down to [the coast at] Ashkelon [town], and killed 30 men. He took their clothes [and went back to Timnah] and gave them to the men who had told him the meaning of the riddle. But he was very angry about what had happened, so he went back home to live with his mother and father.
20 Entretanto, la mujer de Sansón fue dada a uno de los compañeros que le había servido de amigo (en las bodas).
So (Samson’s wife was given/the bride’s father gave Samson’s wife) to the man who who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding, [but Samson did not know that].
