< Waamuzi 15 >
1 Baada ya kitambo kidogo, wakati wa mavuno ya ngano, Samsoni akachukua mwana-mbuzi, kwenda kumzuru mkewe. Akasema, “Nataka kuingia chumbani kwa mke wangu.” Lakini baba yake huyo mwanamke hakumruhusu kuingia.
Now a short time after, at the time of the grain-cutting, Samson, taking with him a young goat, went to see his wife; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the bride's room. But her father would not let him go in.
2 Huyo baba mkwe wake akamwambia, “Nilikuwa na hakika kwamba ulimkataa, hivyo mimi nikampa rafiki yako. Je, mdogo wake wa kike si mzuri zaidi kuliko yeye? Mchukue huyo badala yake.”
And her father said, It seemed to me that you had only hate for her; so I gave her to your friend: but is not her younger sister fairer than she? so please take her in place of the other.
3 Samsoni akawaambia, “Wakati huu, nitakapowadhuru Wafilisti, sitakuwa na lawama.”
Then Samson said to them, This time I will give payment in full to the Philistines, for I am going to do them great evil.
4 Hivyo Samsoni akatoka akawakamata mbweha 300 na kuwafunga wawili wawili kwa mikia yao kila mmoja kwa mwingine. Kisha akafungia mwenge wa moto, kwenye mikia ya kila jozi moja ya mbweha aliyokuwa ameifunga,
So Samson went and got three hundred foxes and some sticks of fire-wood; and he put the foxes tail to tail with a stick between every two tails;
5 akawasha ile mienge na kuwaachia wale mbweha katika mashamba ya Wafilisti ya nafaka zilizosimamishwa katika matita. Akateketeza matita ya nafaka zilizosimama, pamoja na mashamba ya mizabibu na viunga vya mizeituni.
Then firing the sticks, he let the foxes loose among the uncut grain of the Philistines, and all the corded stems as well as the living grain and the vine-gardens and the olives went up in flames.
6 Ndipo Wafilisti wakauliza, “Ni nani aliyetenda jambo hili?” Wakaambiwa, “Ni Samsoni, yule mkwewe Mtimna, kwa sababu alimchukua mkewe akampa mwenzake.” Hivyo Wafilisti wakapanda wakamteketeza kwa moto yeye huyo mwanamke pamoja na baba yake.
Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his friend. So the Philistines came up and had her and her father's house burned.
7 Samsoni akawaambia, “Kwa kuwa mmetenda hivyo, hakika sitatulia mpaka niwe nimelipiza kisasi juu yenu.”
And Samson said to them, If you go on like this, truly I will take my full payment from you; and that will be the end of it.
8 Akawashambulia kwa ukali kwa mapigo makuu na kuwaua watu wengi sana. Kisha akateremka na kukaa katika ufa kwenye mwamba wa Etamu.
And he made an attack on them, driving them in uncontrolled flight, and causing great destruction; then he went away to his safe place in the crack of the rock at Etam.
9 Wafilisti wakapanda na kupiga kambi huko Yuda na kuenea huko Lehi.
Then the Philistines went and put up their tents in Judah, all round Lehi.
10 Watu wa Yuda wakawauliza, “Kwa nini mmekuja kupigana nasi?” Wakawajibu, “Tumekuja ili kumkamata Samsoni na kumtenda kama alivyotutendea.”
And the men of Judah said, Why have you come up against us? And they said, We have come up to take Samson, and to do to him as he has done to us.
11 Ndipo watu 3,000 toka Yuda walipoteremka na kwenda kwenye ufa wa mwamba huko Etamu, na kumwambia Samsoni, “Je, hujatambua kuwa Wafilisti wanatutawala? Ni nini hiki ulichotutendea?” Akawajibu, “Mimi nimewatendea tu kile walichonitendea.”
Then three thousand of the men of Judah went down to the crack of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Is it not clear to you that the Philistines are our rulers? What is this you have done to us? And he said to them, I only did to them as they did to me.
12 Wakamwambia, “Tumekuja kukufunga na kukutia mikononi mwa Wafilisti.” Samsoni akawaambia, “Niapieni kuwa hamtaniua ninyi wenyewe.”
Then they said to him, We have come down to take you and give you up into the hands of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Give me your oath that you will not make an attack on me yourselves.
13 Wakamjibu, “Sisi hatutakuua, bali tutakufunga tu na kukutia mikononi mwao.” Basi wakamfunga kwa kamba mbili mpya. Wakamchukua toka huko kwenye ufa katika mwamba.
And they said, No; we will take you and give you up into their hands, but truly we will not put you to death. So knotting two new cords round him they took him up from the rock.
14 Alipokaribia Lehi, Wafilisti wakamjia wakipiga kelele. Roho wa Bwana akamjia juu yake kwa nguvu. Kamba zilizomfunga mikono yake zikawa kama kitani iliyochomwa kwa moto, na vifungo vyake vikaanguka chini toka mikononi mwake.
And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines came out, meeting him with loud cries; then the spirit of the Lord came rushing on him, and the cords on his arms became like grass which has been burned with fire, and the bands came falling off his hands.
15 Ndipo akaona mfupa mpya wa taya la punda, akanyoosha mkono, akauchukua na kuua nao Wafilisti wapatao 1,000.
And taking up the mouth-bone of an ass newly dead, which he saw by chance on the earth, he put to death a thousand men with it.
16 Ndipo Samsoni akasema, “Kwa taya la punda malundo juu ya malundo. Kwa taya la punda nimeua watu 1,000.”
And Samson said, With a red ass's mouth-bone I have made them red with blood, with a red ass's mouth-bone I have sent destruction on a thousand men.
17 Alipomaliza kusema, akautupa ule mfupa wa taya; na mahali pale pakaitwa Ramath-Lehi.
And having said these words, he let the mouth-bone go out of his hand; so that place was named Ramath-lehi.
18 Kwa kuwa alikuwa amesikia kiu sana, akamlilia Bwana akisema, “Umempa mtumishi wako ushindi huu mkuu. Je, sasa nife kwa kiu na kuangukia mikononi mwa hawa watu wasiotahiriwa?”
After this, he was in great need of water, and crying out to the Lord, he said, You have given this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and now need of water will be my death; and I will be given into the hands of this people who are without circumcision.
19 Bwana akafunua shimo huko Lehi, pakatoka maji. Samsoni alipoyanywa, nguvu zikamrudia na kuhuika. Hivyo chemchemi ile ikaitwa En-Hakore, nayo iko mpaka leo huko Lehi.
Then God made a crack in the hollow rock in Lehi and water came out of it; and after drinking, his spirit came back to him and he was strong again; so that place was named En-hakkore; it is in Lehi to this day.
20 Samsoni akawa mwamuzi wa Waisraeli katika siku za Wafilisti kwa muda wa miaka ishirini.
And he was judge of Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.