Atemmufoɔ 13
1 Bio, Israelfoɔ no yɛɛ deɛ ɛyɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, enti Awurade de wɔn hyɛɛ Filistifoɔ nsam ma wɔhyɛɛ wɔn so mfeɛ aduanan.
Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2 Saa ɛberɛ no, ɔbarima bi tenaa Sora a ne din de Manoa a ɔfiri Dan abusuakuo mu. Na ne yere nnya awoɔ, enti na wɔnni mma.
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
3 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ yii ne ho kyerɛɛ Manoa yere kaa sɛ, “Ɛwom sɛ wonnyaa awoɔ deɛ, nanso, ɛrenkyɛre worebɛnyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima.
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
4 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wonom bobesa anaa nsã a ano yɛ den biara. Na nni biribiara nso a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ.
Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5 Wobɛnyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima, na hwɛ sɛ oyiwan nka ne tire, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ Nasareni a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn firi awoɔ mu. Ɔbɛgye Israel afiri Filistifoɔ nsam.”
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 Ɔbaa no de mmirika kɔɔ ne kunu nkyɛn kɔbɔɔ no amaneɛ sɛ, “Onyankopɔn onipa bi yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me. Na ɔte sɛ Onyankopɔn abɔfoɔ no mu baako a ne ho yɛ hu yie. Mammisa no baabi a ɔfiri baeɛ, na ɔno nso ammɔ ne din ankyerɛ me.
So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 Nanso, ɔka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, ‘Wobɛnyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima. Enti nnom bobesa anaa nsã a ano yɛ den na nni biribiara a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ. Na wo babarima no bɛyɛ obi a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni firi awoɔ mu kɔsi ɛberɛ a ɔbɛwu.’”
But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
8 Na Manoa bɔɔ Awurade mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ao Awurade, mesrɛ wo, ma Onyankopɔn onipa no nsane mmra yɛn nkyɛn na ɔmmɛkyerɛ yɛn nhyehyɛeɛ a ɛfa abarimaa a yɛbɛwo noɔ no ho.”
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
9 Onyankopɔn tiee Manoa. Ɔbɔfoɔ no yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ no bio wɔ ɛberɛ a ɔwɔ afuom. Nanso, na ne kunu Manoa nka ne ho wɔ hɔ.
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Ɔbaa no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔbɔɔ ne kunu amaneɛ sɛ, “Ɔbarima a ɔyii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me ɛda no no asane aba bio!”
The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”
11 Manoa yɛɛ ntɛm dii ne yere akyi. Ɔduruu ɔbarima no ho no, ɔbisaa no sɛ, “Wo na wokaa biribi kyerɛɛ me yere no anaa?” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Aane, ɛyɛ me.”
So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.
12 Enti, Manoa bisaa no sɛ, “Sɛ nsɛm a woaka no ba mu a, mmara bɛn na ɛwɔ hɔ ma abarimaa no asetena ne nʼadwumayɛ?”
Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
13 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Hwɛ sɛ wo yere bɛdi nhyehyɛeɛ a mekyerɛɛ noɔ no so.
So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.
14 Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔdi bobe anaa biribiara a ɛfiri bobe mu. Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔnom bobesa anaa nsã a ano yɛ den. Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔdi aduane biara a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ.”
She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15 Enti, Manoa ka kyerɛɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo, tena ha kɔsi sɛ yɛbɛsiesie abirekyie ba bi ama woadi ansa na woakɔ.”
“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
16 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Mɛtena, nanso, merenni biribiara. Mmom, motumi siesie ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ sɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ de ma Awurade.” (Na Manoa anhunu sɛ ɔyɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ.)
And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.
17 Afei, Manoa bisaa Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Wo din de sɛn? Sɛ nsɛm yi nyinaa ba mu a, yɛpɛ sɛ yɛhyɛ wo animuonyam.”
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
18 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no bisaa no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wobisa me din? Sɛ mebɔ me din kyerɛ wo a, worente aseɛ.”
“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
19 Afei, Manoa faa abirekyie ba no ne aduane afɔrebɔdeɛ de bɔɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ ɔbotan bi so maa Awurade. Na Manoa ne ne yere rehwɛ no, Awurade yɛɛ anwanwadeɛ bi.
Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.
20 Egyadɛreɛ a ɛwɔ afɔrebukyia no mu no tene kɔɔ ewiem no, Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no faa mu foro kɔeɛ. Na Manoa ne ne yere hunuu saa no, wɔde wɔn anim butubutuu fam.
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.
21 Ɔbɔfoɔ no anyi ne ho adi bio ankyerɛ Manoa ne ne yere. Afei, Manoa hunuu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ,
And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.
22 na ɔka kyerɛɛ ne yere sɛ, “Yɛbɛwuwu, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛahunu Onyankopɔn!”
“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
23 Nanso, ne yere kaa sɛ, “Sɛ Awurade bɛkum yɛn a, anka wannye yɛn ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne aduane afɔdeɛ no. Anka ɔrenyi ne ho adi nkyerɛ yɛn, nka anwanwasɛm nkyerɛ yɛn, nyɛ saa anwanwadeɛ yi nso.”
But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
24 Ɔbaa no woo ne babarima no, wɔtoo ne din Samson. Na abɔfra no renyini no, Awurade hyiraa no.
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25 Na ɛberɛ a ɔwɔ Mahane Dan a ɛwɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam no, Awurade Honhom hyɛɛ aseɛ baa ne so.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
