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.
And again, the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands 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 certain man from Zorah, and of the stock of Dan, whose name was Manoah, having a barren wife.
3 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ yii ne ho kyerɛɛ Manoa yere kaa sɛ, “Ɛwom sɛ wonnyaa awoɔ deɛ, nanso, ɛrenkyɛre worebɛnyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima.
And an Angel of the Lord appeared to her, and he said: “You are barren and without children. But you shall conceive and bear a son.
4 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wonom bobesa anaa nsã a ano yɛ den biara. Na nni biribiara nso a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ.
Therefore, take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. Neither shall you 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 you shall conceive and bear a son, whose head no razor shall touch. For he shall be a Nazirite of God, from his infancy and from his mother’s womb. And he shall begin to free 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.
And when she had gone to her husband, she said to him: “A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an Angel, exceedingly terrible. And when I had inquired of him, who he was, and where he was from, and what name he was called, he was not willing to tell me.
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 responded: ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. And you shall not consume anything unclean. For the boy shall be a Nazirite of God from his infancy, from his mother’s womb, even 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.”
And so Manoah prayed to the Lord, and he said, “I beg you Lord, that the man of God, whom you sent, may come again, and may teach us what we ought to do about 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 the Lord heeded the prayer of Manoah, and the Angel of the Lord appeared again to his wife, sitting in a field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. And when she had seen the Angel,
10 Ɔbaa no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔbɔɔ ne kunu amaneɛ sɛ, “Ɔbarima a ɔyii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me ɛda no no asane aba bio!”
she hurried and ran to her husband. And she reported to him, saying, “Behold, the man appeared to me, whom I had seen before.”
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.”
And he rose up and followed his wife. And going to the man, he said to him, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?” And he responded, “I am.”
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?”
And Manoah said to him: “When will your word be fulfilled. What do you want the boy to do? Or from what should he keep himself?”
13 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Hwɛ sɛ wo yere bɛdi nhyehyɛeɛ a mekyerɛɛ noɔ no so.
And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah: “Concerning all the things about which I have spoken to your wife, she herself should abstain.
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.”
And let her eat nothing from the vine. She may not drink wine or strong drink. She may consume nothing unclean. And let her observe and keep what I have instructed to 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.”
And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “I beg you to agree to my petition, and to let us prepare a kid from the goats.”
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 answered him: “Even if you compel me, I will not eat from your bread. But if you are willing to offer a holocaust, offer it to the Lord.” And Manoah did not know that he was an 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.”
And he said to him, “What is your name, so that, if your word is fulfilled, we may honor you?”
18 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no bisaa no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wobisa me din? Sɛ mebɔ me din kyerɛ wo a, worente aseɛ.”
And he answered him, “Why do you ask my name, which is a wonder?”
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.
And so, Manoah took a kid from the goats, and libations, and he placed them upon a rock, as an offering to the Lord, who accomplishes wonders. Then he and his wife watched.
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.
And when the flame of the altar ascended to heaven, the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. And when Manoah and his wife had seen this, they fell prone on the ground.
21 Ɔbɔfoɔ no anyi ne ho adi bio ankyerɛ Manoa ne ne yere. Afei, Manoa hunuu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ,
And the Angel of the Lord no longer appeared to them. And immediately, Manoah understood him to be an Angel of the Lord.
22 na ɔka kyerɛɛ ne yere sɛ, “Yɛbɛwuwu, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛahunu Onyankopɔn!”
And he said to his wife, “We shall certainly die, since 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.”
And his wife answered him, “If the Lord wished to kill us, he would not have accepted the holocaust and the libations from our hands. He would not have revealed all these things to us, nor would he have told us the things that are in the future.”
24 Ɔbaa no woo ne babarima no, wɔtoo ne din Samson. Na abɔfra no renyini no, Awurade hyiraa no.
And so she bore a son, and she called his name Samson. And the boy grew up, 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 be with him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
