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 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 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.
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 ɔbɔfoɔ yii ne ho kyerɛɛ Manoa yere kaa sɛ, “Ɛwom sɛ wonnyaa awoɔ deɛ, nanso, ɛrenkyɛre worebɛnyinsɛn 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 nsã a ano yɛ den biara. Na nni biribiara nso a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ.
[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 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.”
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 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.
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 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 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 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 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. Ɔbɔfoɔ no yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ no bio wɔ ɛberɛ a ɔwɔ afuom. 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 Ɔbaa no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔbɔɔ ne kunu amaneɛ sɛ, “Ɔbarima a ɔyii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me ɛda no no asane 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. Ɔduruu ɔbarima no ho no, ɔbisaa no sɛ, “Wo na wokaa biribi kyerɛɛ me yere no anaa?” Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Aane, 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 sɛ, “Sɛ nsɛm a woaka no ba mu a, mmara bɛn na ɛwɔ hɔ ma abarimaa no asetena ne nʼadwumayɛ?”
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 ɔbɔfoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Hwɛ sɛ wo yere bɛdi nhyehyɛeɛ a mekyerɛɛ noɔ no so.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave 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.”
[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 ɔbɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo, tena ha kɔsi sɛ yɛbɛsiesie abirekyie 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 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.)
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 ɔbɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Wo din de sɛn? Sɛ nsɛm yi nyinaa ba mu a, yɛpɛ sɛ yɛhyɛ wo animuonyam.”
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no bisaa no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wobisa me din? Sɛ mebɔ me din kyerɛ wo a, worente aseɛ.”
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 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 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 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.
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 Ɔbɔfoɔ no anyi ne ho adi bio ankyerɛ Manoa ne ne yere. Afei, Manoa hunuu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ,
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 sɛ, “Yɛbɛwuwu, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛahunu Onyankopɔn!”
So he said, “Now we will die, because 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 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 Ɔbaa no woo ne babarima no, wɔtoo ne din Samson. Na abɔfra no renyini no, Awurade hyiraa no.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Na ɛberɛ a ɔwɔ Mahane Dan a ɛwɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam no, Awurade Honhom hyɛɛ aseɛ baa ne so.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
