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Ukwati wa Samsoni

14 Samsoni anapita ku Timna ndipo kumeneko anaonako mtsikana wa Chifilisiti. Atabwerera kwawo, anawuza abambo ndi amayi ake kuti, “Ine ndaona mtsikana wa Chifilisiti ku Timna, tsono mukanditengere ameneyo kuti akhale mkazi wanga.”

Koma abambo ndi amayi ake anayankha kuti, “Kodi palibe mkazi pakati pa abale akowa kapena pakati pa anthu a mtundu wako, kuti iwe upite kukapeza mkazi kwa Afilisti anthu osachita mdulidwe?”

Koma Samsoni anawuza abambo ake kuti, “Kanditengereni ameneyu basi, pakuti ndamukonda.” (Abambo ndi amayi ake sankadziwa kuti zimenezi zinali zochokera kwa Yehova, pakuti Yehova amafuna powapezera chifukwa Afilistiwo. Nthawi imeneyo nʼkuti Afilisti akulamulira Aisraeli). Choncho Samsoni pamodzi ndi abambo ake anapita ku Timna. Akuyandikira minda ya mpesa ya ku Timna, mwadzidzidzi anamva kubuma kwa mkango waungʼono ukubwera kumene kunali iye. Tsono Mzimu wa Yehova unafika ndi mphamvu pa Samsoni ndipo ngakhale analibe chida mʼmanja mwake, iye anakadzula mkangowo ngati akukadzula mwana wambuzi. Koma sanawuze abambo kapena amayi ake zimene anachitazo. Kenaka Samsoni anapita kukakambirana ndi mkaziyo, ndipo anamukonda mtsikanayo.

Patapita nthawi, Samsoni anabwerera kukatenga mtsikana uja. Panjira anapatuka kukaona mkango unawupha uja, ndipo anangoona njuchi zili mu mkangowo pamodzi ndi uchi wake. Tsono anakomberako uchi uja mʼmanja mwake ndi kumapita akudya. Atabwereranso kwa abambo ndi amayi ake, anawapatsako uchiwo ndipo anadya. Koma sanawawuze kuti uchi umenewo anawufula mu mkango wakufa.

10 Tsopano Samsoni anapita ku nyumba kwa mtsikanayo. Ndipo kumeneko Samsoni anakonza phwando monga ankachitira anyamata. 11 Makolo a mkwatibwiyo atamuona, anasankha anyamata makumi atatu kuti akhale naye.

12 Samsoni anawawuza kuti, “Bwanji ndikuphereni mwambi. Mukandiwuza tanthauzo lake asanathe masiku asanu ndi awiri aphwandowa, ndidzakupatsani zovala makumi atatu za bafuta ndi zina makumi atatu za tsiku la chikondwerero. 13 Koma ngati simutha kundiwuza tanthauzo lake, inuyo mudzandipatsa zovala makumi atatu zabafuta ndi zina za tsiku la chikondwerero.”

Iwo anamuyankha kuti, “Tiwuze mwambi wakowo tiwumve.”

14 Iye anati,

“Chakudya chinatuluka mu chinthu chodya chinzake;
    ndipo chozuna chinatuluka mu chinthu champhamvu.”

Panapita masiku atatu anthuwo akulephera kumasulira mwambiwo.

15 Tsiku lachinayi anthuwo anawuza mkazi wa Samsoni kuti, “Umunyengerere mwamuna wako kuti akuwuze tanthauzo la mwambiwu. Ngati sutero tikutentha iweyo pamodzi ndi nyumba ya abambo ako. Kodi unatiyitana kuti mudzatilande zinthu zathu?”

16 Kenaka mkazi wa Samsoni anayamba kulira pamaso pake namuwuza kuti, “Inu mumandida ndipo simundikonda. Mwaphera anyamata a mtundu wathu mwambi, koma ine wosandiwuza tanthauzo lake.”

Samsoni anamuyankha kuti, “Taona sindinawuze abambo kapena amayi anga, ndiye ndiwuze iweyo?” 17 Mkaziyo anamulirira masiku onse asanu ndi awiri aphwandowo. Choncho pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chiwiri anamuwuza tanthauzo lake popeza amamukakamiza. Ndipo mkaziyo anakawuza abale ake aja tanthauzo la mwambiwo.

18 Pambuyo pake anthu a mu mzinda aja anamuwuza Samsoni pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chiwiri dzuwa lisanalowe kuti,

“Chozuna nʼchiyani choposa uchi?
    Champhamvu nʼchiyani choposa mkango?”

Samsoni anawawuza kuti,

“Mukanapanda kutipula ndi ngʼombe yanga yayingʼono,
    simukanatha kumasulira mwambi wangawu.”

19 Ndipo Mzimu wa Yehova unafika pa iye mwamphamvu. Choncho anatsikira ku Asikeloni naphako anthu makumi atatu, natenga zovala zawo za tsiku la chikondwerero napereka kwa anthu amene anamasulira mwambi wake. Kenaka anabwerera ku nyumba ya abambo ake ndi mkwiyo waukulu. 20 Ndipo mkazi wa Samsoniyo anamukwatitsa kwa amene anali mnzake womuperekeza pa ukwati paja.

Samson’s Marriage

14 Samson(A) went down to Timnah(B) and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”(C)

His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people?(D) Must you go to the uncircumcised(E) Philistines to get a wife?(F)

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord,(G) who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;(H) for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)(I)

Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him(J) so that he tore the lion apart(K) with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.

10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast,(L) as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.

12 “Let me tell you a riddle,(M)” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast,(N) I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.(O) 13 If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”

14 He replied,

“Out of the eater, something to eat;
    out of the strong, something sweet.”(P)

For three days they could not give the answer.

15 On the fourth[a] day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax(Q) your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death.(R) Did you invite us here to steal our property?”

16 Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me.(S) You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”

“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” 17 She cried the whole seven days(T) of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,

“What is sweeter than honey?
    What is stronger than a lion?”(U)

Samson said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
    you would not have solved my riddle.”

19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.(V) He went down to Ashkelon,(W) struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger,(X) he returned to his father’s home. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions(Y) who had attended him at the feast.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 14:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew seventh