Jueces 14
1 Sansón bajó a Timna y vio en Timna 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 Subió y se lo contó a su padre y a su madre, diciendo: “He visto una mujer en Timna de las hijas de los filisteos. Consíguemela, pues, como esposa”.
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 Entonces su padre y su madre le dijeron: “¿No hay ninguna mujer entre las hijas de tus hermanos, o entre todo mi pueblo, para que vayas a tomar esposa de los filisteos incircuncisos?” Sansón dijo a su padre: “Tráemela, pues me agrada”.
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 Pero su padre y su madre no sabían que era de Yahvé, porque buscaba una ocasión contra los filisteos. En aquel tiempo los filisteos gobernaban sobre 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 Entonces Sansón bajó a Timná con su padre y su madre, y llegó a las viñas de Timná; y he aquí que un león joven rugió contra él.
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 El Espíritu de Yahvé vino poderosamente sobre él, y lo desgarró como se hubiera desgarrado un cabrito con sus propias manos, pero no dijo 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 se mostró complaciente con 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 Al cabo de un rato volvió para llevársela, y se acercó a ver el cadáver del león; y he aquí que en el cuerpo del león había un enjambre de abejas y 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 siguió adelante, comiendo a su paso. Se acercó a su padre y a su madre y les dio, y ellos comieron, pero no les dijo que había sacado la miel del cuerpo 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 Su padre bajó a la mujer, y Sansón hizo allí un banquete, pues los jóvenes solían hacerlo.
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 lo vieron, trajeron a treinta compañeros para que estuvieran con él.
Thirty young man were invited to the party.
12 Sansón les dijo: “Déjenme decirles ahora un acertijo. Si podéis decirme la respuesta dentro de los siete días de la fiesta, y la averiguáis, entonces os daré treinta vestidos de lino 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 decirme la respuesta, entonces me daréis treinta vestidos de lino y treinta mudas de ropa.” Le dijeron: “Dinos tu acertijo, para que lo escuchemos”.
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, “Del comensal salió la comida. De lo fuerte salió lo dulce”. En tres días no pudieron declarar el enigma.
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: “Incita a tu marido a que nos declare el enigma, no sea que te quememos a ti y a la casa de tu padre. ¿Nos has llamado para empobrecernos? ¿No es así?”
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 La mujer de Sansón lloró ante él y le dijo: “Sólo me odias y no me amas. Has contado un acertijo a los hijos de mi pueblo, y no me lo has contado a mí”. Él le dijo: “He aquí que no se lo he dicho a mi padre ni a mi madre, ¿por qué habría de decírtelo 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 Ella lloró delante de él los siete días que duró su fiesta; y al séptimo día se lo contó, porque ella lo presionó mucho; y ella contó el acertijo 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 Los hombres de la ciudad le dijeron al séptimo día, antes de que se pusiera el sol: “¿Qué es más dulce que la miel? ¿Qué es más fuerte que un león?” Les dijo, “Si no hubieras arado con mi vaquilla, no habrías descubierto mi acertijo”.
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 El Espíritu de Yahvé vino poderosamente sobre él, y bajó a Ascalón y golpeó a treinta hombres de ellos. Tomó su botín, y luego dio las mudas de ropa a los que declararon el enigma. Su ira ardió, y subió a la 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 Pero la mujer de Sansón fue entregada a su compañero, que había sido su amigo.
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].
