Atemmufo 13
1 Bio, Israelfo no yɛɛ nea ɛyɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, enti Awurade de wɔn hyɛɛ Filistifo nsam ma wɔhyɛɛ wɔn so mfe aduanan.
Again the Israeli people did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So Yahweh enabled the people of Philistia to conquer them. They ruled over the Israelis for 40 years.
2 Saa bere no, ɔbarima bi tenaa Sora a ne din de Manoa a ofi Dan abusuakuw mu. Na ne yere nnya awo, enti na wonni mma.
There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah [town]. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.
3 Awurade bɔfo yii ne ho kyerɛɛ Manoa yere kae se, “Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wonwoe de, nanso ɛrenkyɛ worebenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima.
One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, “Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wonom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den biara. Na nni biribiara nso a ɛyɛ akyiwade.
[From now until he is born], you must not drink any wine or other alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that will make you unacceptable to God.
5 Wubenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima, na hwɛ sɛ oyiwan renka ne ti, efisɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ Nasareni a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn fi awo mu. Obegye Israel afi Filistifo nsam.”
After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue [many of] the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”
6 Ɔbea no de mmirika kɔɔ ne kunu nkyɛn kɔbɔɔ no amanneɛ sɛ, “Onyankopɔn nipa bi yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me. Na ɔte sɛ Onyankopɔn abɔfo no mu baako a ne ho yɛ hu yiye. Mammisa no baabi a ofi bae, na ɔno nso ammɔ ne din ankyerɛ me.
The woman ran and told her husband, “A prophet came to me. He looked awesome, like an angel from God. I did not ask where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 Nanso ɔka kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Wubenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima. Enti nnom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den na nni biribiara a ɛyɛ akyiwade. Na wo babarima no bɛyɛ obi a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni fi awo mu kosi bere a obewu.’”
But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Until then, you must not drink any wine or any alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that would make you unacceptable to God. Your son must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies.’”
8 Na Manoa bɔɔ Awurade mpae se, “Ao Awurade, mesrɛ wo, ma Onyankopɔn nipa no nsan mmra yɛn nkyɛn na ɔmmɛkyerɛ yɛn nhyehyɛe a ɛfa abarimaa a wɔbɛwo no no ho.”
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh, saying, “O Yahweh, I plead with you, allow that prophet whom you sent to us to come again, and teach us how we should raise the boy who will be born to us.”
9 Onyankopɔn tiee Manoa. Ɔbɔfo no yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ no bio wɔ bere a ɔwɔ afum. Nanso na ne kunu Manoa nka ne ho wɔ hɔ.
God did what Manoah asked, and Yahweh again appeared to his wife in the form of an angel, while she was out in the field. But again her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Ɔbea no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔbɔɔ ne kunu amanneɛ se, “Ɔbarima a oyii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me da no aba bio!”
So she quickly ran and said to her husband, “The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!”
11 Manoa yɛɛ ntɛm dii ne yere akyi. Oduu ɔbarima no ho no, obisaa no se, “Wo na wokaa biribi kyerɛɛ me yere no ana?” Obuae se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me.”
Manoah ran back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who talked with my wife a few days ago?” He replied, “Yes, I am.”
12 Enti Manoa bisaa no se, “Sɛ nsɛm a woaka no ba mu a, mmara bɛn na ɛwɔ hɔ fa abarimaa no asetena ne nʼadwumayɛ ho?”
Manoah asked him, “When what you promised occurs [and my wife gives birth to a son], what rules must he obey, and what work will he do [when he grows up]?”
13 Awurade bɔfo no buae se, “Hwɛ sɛ wo yere bedi nhyehyɛe a mekyerɛɛ no no so.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 Ɛnsɛ sɛ odi bobe anaa biribiara a efi bobe mu. Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔnom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den. Ɛnsɛ sɛ odi aduan biara a ɛyɛ akyiwade.”
[Before the baby is born], she must not eat grapes, or drink wine or any other alcoholic/fermented drink, or eat anything that would make her unacceptable to God.”
15 Enti Manoa ka kyerɛɛ Awurade bɔfo no se, “Mesrɛ wo, tena ha kosi sɛ yebesiesie abirekyi ba bi ama woadi ansa na woakɔ.”
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
16 Awurade bɔfo no buae se, “Mɛtena, nanso, merenni biribiara. Mmom, mutumi siesie ɔhyew afɔre sɛ afɔrebɔde de ma Awurade.” (Na Manoa anhu sɛ ɔyɛ Awurade bɔfo.)
Yahweh replied, “I will stay here, but I will not eat anything. However, you may kill an animal and sacrifice it as a burned offering to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not realize that the [man he thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.)
17 Afei, Manoa bisaa Awurade bɔfo no se, “Wo din de dɛn? Sɛ nsɛm yi nyinaa ba mu a, yɛpɛ sɛ yɛhyɛ wo anuonyam.”
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Awurade bɔfo no bisaa no se, “Adɛn nti na wubisa me din? Sɛ mebɔ me din kyerɛ wo a, worente ase.”
Yahweh replied, “(Why do you ask me my name?/You should not ask me my name.) [RHQ] It is (wonderful/it cannot be understood).”
19 Afei, Manoa faa abirekyi ba no ne aduan afɔrebɔde de bɔɔ afɔre wɔ ɔbotan bi so maa Awurade. Na Manoa ne ne yere rehwɛ no, Awurade yɛɛ anwonwade bi.
Then Manoah killed a young goat and burned it on a rock, along with a grain offering, as a sacrifice to Yahweh. And Yahweh did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 Ogyaframa a ɛwɔ afɔremuka no mu no teɛ kɔɔ wim no, Awurade bɔfo no faa mu foro kɔe. Na Manoa ne ne yere huu saa no, wɔde wɔn anim butubutuw fam.
Flames from the altar blazed up toward the sky, and Yahweh ascended in the flames. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground.
21 Ɔbɔfo no anyi ne ho adi bio ankyerɛ Manoa ne ne yere. Afei, Manoa huu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade bɔfo,
Although Yahweh did not appear in the form of an angel to Manoah and his wife again, Manoah realized that the [man they thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.
22 na ɔka kyerɛɛ ne yere se, “Yebewuwu, efisɛ yɛahu Onyankopɔn!”
So he said, “Now we will die, because we have seen God!”
23 Nanso ne yere kae se, “Sɛ Awurade bekum yɛn a, anka wannye yɛn ɔhyew afɔre ne aduan afɔre no. Anka ɔrenyi ne ho adi nkyerɛ yɛn, nka anwonwasɛm nkyerɛ yɛn, nyɛ saa anwonwade yi nso.”
But his wife said, “No, we will not die, because if Yahweh intended to kill us, he would not have accepted the burned offering and the grain offering. And he would not have appeared to us and told us the wonderful thing that would happen to us, and he would not have performed this miracle.”
24 Ɔbea no woo ne babarima no, wɔtoo ne din Samson. Na abofra no renyin no, Awurade hyiraa no.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Na bere a ɔwɔ Mahane Dan a ɛwɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam no, Awurade Honhom fii ase baa ne so.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
