Samson Carries Off the Gates of Gaza
1 One day while Samson was in Gaza, he saw a prostitute and went to her house to spend the night. 2 The people who lived in Gaza found out he was there, and they decided to kill him at sunrise. So they went to the city gate and waited all night in the guardrooms on each side of the gate.
3 But Samson got up in the middle of the night and went to the town gate. He pulled the gate doors and doorposts out of the wall and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them all the way to the top of the hill that overlooks Hebron, where he set the doors down, still closed and locked.
Delilah Tricks Samson
4 Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley. 5 The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, “Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 The next time Samson was at Delilah's house, she asked, “Samson, what makes you so strong? How can I tie you up so you can't get away? Come on, you can tell me.”
7 Samson answered, “If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have never been dried, it will make me just as weak as anyone else.”
8-9 The Philistine rulers gave seven new bowstrings to Delilah. They also told some of their soldiers to go to Delilah's house and hide in the room where Samson and Delilah were. If the bowstrings made Samson weak, they would be able to capture him.
Delilah tied up Samson with the bowstrings and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson snapped the bowstrings, as though they were pieces of scorched string. The Philistines had not found out why Samson was so strong.
10 “You lied and made me look like a fool,” Delilah said. “Now tell me. How can I really tie you up?”
11 Samson answered, “Use some new ropes. If I'm tied up with ropes that have never been used, I'll be just as weak as anyone else.”
12 Delilah got new ropes, and again some Philistines hid in the room. Then she tied up Samson's arms and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson snapped the ropes as if they were threads.
13 “You're still lying and making a fool of me,” Delilah said. “Tell me how I can tie you up!”
“My hair is in seven braids,” Samson replied. “If you weave my braids into the threads on a loom and nail the loom to a wall, then I will be as weak as anyone else.”
14 While Samson was asleep, Delilah wove his braids into the threads on a loom and nailed the loom to a wall. Then she shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson woke up and pulled the loom free from its posts in the ground and from the nails in the wall. Then he pulled his hair free from the woven cloth.
15 “Samson,” Delilah said, “you claim to love me, but you don't mean it! You've made me look like a fool three times now, and you still haven't told me why you are so strong.” 16 Delilah started nagging and pestering him day after day, until he couldn't stand it any longer.
17 Finally, Samson told her the truth. “I have belonged to God ever since I was born, so my hair has never been cut. If it were ever cut off, my strength would leave me, and I would be as weak as anyone else.”
18 Delilah realized that he was telling the truth. So she sent someone to tell the Philistine rulers, “Come to my house one more time. Samson has finally told me the truth.”
The Philistine rulers went to Delilah's house, and they brought along the silver they had promised her. 19 Delilah had lulled Samson to sleep with his head resting in her lap. She signaled to one of the Philistine men as she began cutting off Samson's seven braids. And by the time she was finished, Samson's strength was gone. Delilah tied him up 20 and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!”
Samson woke up and thought, “I'll break loose and escape, just as I always do.” He did not realize that the Lord had stopped helping him.
21 The Philistines grabbed Samson and poked out his eyes. They took him to the prison in Gaza and chained him up. Then they put him to work, turning a millstone to grind grain. 22 But they didn't cut his hair any more, so it started growing back.
23 The Philistine rulers threw a big party and sacrificed a lot of animals to their god Dagon. The rulers said:
Samson was our enemy,
but our god Dagon
helped us capture him!
24-25 Everyone there was having a good time, and they shouted, “Bring out Samson—he's still good for a few more laughs!”
The rulers had Samson brought from the prison, and when the people saw him, this is how they praised their god:
Samson ruined our crops
and killed our people.
He was our enemy,
but our god helped us
capture him.
They made fun of Samson for a while, then they told him to stand near the columns that supported the roof. 26 A young man was leading Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, “I need to lean against something. Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof.”
27 The Philistine rulers were celebrating in a temple packed with people and with 3,000 more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him.
28 Samson prayed, “Please remember me, Lord God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!”
29 Samson was standing between the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand. 30 Then he shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life.
31 His brothers and the rest of his family went to Gaza and took his body back home. They buried him in his father's tomb, which was located between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson was a leader of Israel for 20 years.
Simson puGaza
1 Esiku limwe Simson okwa yi koshilando shAafilisti edhina lyasho Gaza, nkoka i itsu ohonda e ta lala nayo. 2 Aantu yaGaza oya koneke kutya Simson oku li moshilando. Oya kunduka eha ndyoka noye mu tegelela uusiku auhe posheelo shoshilando. Oya li ya mwena uusiku auhe e taa dhiladhila: “Otatu tegelele sigo opepito lyetango, opo naanaa tu mu dhipage.” 3 Ihe Simson okwa ka lala ashike sigo pokati kuusiku. Nena okwa penduka e ta kwata iikulo yomweelo gwoshilando e te yi nakula mo — omiyelo, iikulo, iipatitho naayihe. Okwe yi itsike komapepe a ta yi nayo ayihe, sigo okondungu yondundu ya talathana naHebron.
Simson naDelila
4 Konima yaambika Simson okwa yaleke omukiintu a kala mesilu lyaSorek, edhina lye Delila. 5 Aakwaniilwa yatano yAafilisti oya yi kuye noya ti: “Enda Simson nawa, opo e ku lombwele kutya oonkondo dhe oonene odha kala peni. Otatu vulu oku mu sinda ngiini, tu mu mange notu mu ninge omukatalume gwowala? Nena shaa gumwe gwetu ote ke ku pa iimaliwa iisiliveli eyovi limwe nethele limwe.”
6 Delila okwa ti kuSimson: “Alikana, lombwela ndje shoka hashi ku nkondopaleke. Ngele ope na omuntu a hala oku ku manga, e ku ninge omukatalume, ote shi ningi ngiini?”
7 Simson okwa yamukula: “Ngele otaa manga ndje noothipa heyali oompe inaadhi kukuta, nena ote fe yakwetu.”
8 Onkee aakwaniilwa oye etele Delila oothipa heyali inaadhi kukuta, oye nokwa manga Simson. 9 Okwa li e na aalumentu yamwe ya langela mela ekwawo. Okwi igidha: “Simson! Aafilisti oyo mbo!” Ihe nguka okwa ndifula oothipa ndhoka dha fa oondali dha pya komulilo. Onkee inaa tseya oshiholekwa shoonkondo dhe.
10 Delila okwa ti kuSimson: “Ndati, ou wete ndje egoya, sho inoo lombwela ndje oshili. Alikana, kwatha ndje, u lombwele ndje kutya oto mangwa ngiini.”
11 Okwa yamukula: “Ngele otaa manga ndje noongodhi oompeempeka, ndhoka inaadhi longithwa nale, nena otandi fe yakwetu.”
12 Delila okwa kutha oongodhi oompe e te mu manga e ti igidha: “Simson! Aafilisti oyo mbo!” Aalumentu oya li ye mu langela mela ekwawo. Ihe okwa ndifula oongodhi komaako ge ngaashi oondali.
13 Delila okwa ti kuSimson: “Ngoye oto ningi ndje oshege, sho itoo lombwele ndje oshili. Lombwela ndje, oto mangwa ano ngiini?”
Okwa yamukula: “Ngele to tatakanithile moongodhi oondhinga heyali dhomafufu gandje e to dhi dhenge nawa kumwe, nena ote fe shaa ngoka.”
14 Delila okwe mu kotheke e ta tatakanithile moongodhi oondhinga heyali dhomafufu ge e te dhi dhenge kumwe e ti igidha: “Simson! Aafilisti oyo mbo!” Oye a papudhuka e ta nakula omafufu ge moongodhi.
15 Delila okwa ti kuye: “Oto vulu ngiini okutya, ou hole ndje, nando ino inekela ndje? Owa kotokele ndje lutatu, nonatango ino lombwela ndje shoka hashi ku nkondopaleke.” 16 Okwa dhiginine oku mu pula esiku nesiku. Simson okwa vulwa okutsitsimikwa 17 nohugunina okwe mu lombwele oshili: “Omafufu gandje ihaga tetwa. Ngame omunasiri, omuyoololelwa Omuwa okuza kevalo lyandje. Ngele onda kululwa, nena ote fe yakwetu.”
18 Delila sho a dhimbulula kutya e mu lombwela nduno dholela, okwa tumu etumwalaka kaakwaniilwa yAafilisti tali ti: “Endeleleni, mu ye huka. Okwa lombwele ndje oshili.” Oye ya noye etelele iimaliwa. 19 Delila okwa kothekele Simson mekolo lye. Sho a kumuka, okwi ithana omulumentu okukulula oondhinga dhomafufu ge. Nena okwa tameke oku mu ehameka, oshoka a kanitha oonkondo dhe. 20 Okwi igidha: “Simson! Aafilisti oyo mbo!” Simson okwa penduka nokwa dhiladhila: “Otandi tokoka mo e te manguluka ngoshito.” Ina tseya kutya Omuwa okwe mu thigi po. 21 Aafilisti oye mu kwata e taye mu tsiya omeho. Oye mu fala kuGaza e taye mu tula momalyenge e taye mu kweyitha emanya lyoshini, a tse iilya mondholongo. 22 Ihe omafufu ge oga koko ishewe.
Eso lyaSimson
23 Aakwaniilwa yAafilisti oya gongala, ya dhane oshituthi shokuhambelela kalunga kawo Dagon, ye mu yambele omayambo. Oyi imbi taa ti: “Kalunga ketu okwe tu sinditha omutondi gwetu Simson.” 24-25 Oya li ya shambukwa noya ti: “Ithaneni Simson, e tu shambudhe.” Sho ya ka tala Simson mondholongo, opo e ya shambudhe, oye mu thikameke pokati koongudhi. Aantu sho ye mu mono, oyi imbi omahambelelo taa tanga kalunga kawo taa ti: “Kalunga ketu okwe tu sinditha omutondi gwetu, ngoka a vunyagula po evi lyetu nokudhipaga oyendji.”
26 Simson okwa lombwele omumati ngoka a li e mu kwata keti a ti: “Kwatha ndje, ndi pampadhale oongundhi ndhoka dha humbata etungo. Onda hala okweegamena kudho.” 27 Etungo olya li lyu udhilila aalumentu naakiintu ndo. Aakwaniilwa yatano yAafilisti ayehe omo ya li, nokontala okwa li aalumentu naakiintu omayuvi gatatu taa tala Simson notaye mu nyana noku mu nyankela.
28 Nena Simson okwa galikana a ti: “Omuwa Omupangeliawike, dhimbulukwa ndje. Kalunga, pe ndje oonkondo dhandje polumwe, opo moshikando shika ndi geele Aafilisti omolwomeho gandje.” 29 Simson okwa kwata oongundhi ndhoka mbali dhopokati dha humbata etungo. Okwa kwata oshikaha shimwe kongundhi yimwe noshikwawo konkwawo, okwe dhi undula 30 e ti igidha: “Nandi sile pamwe nAafilisti.” Okwe dhi undula nomatha ge agehe, netungo olyo ongotele mumwe e tali fumvike aakwaniilwa yatano naayehe yalwe. Simson okwa dhipaga aantu oyendji peso lye shi vulithe pumboka a dhipagele, manga a li e na omwenyo. 31 Aamwayina naakwawo oye ya noya kutha po omudhimba gwe. Oye gu fala noye gu fumvike pokati kaSoar naEshtaol mombila yahe Manoak. Okwa li a wilike Israel omimvo omilongo mbali.
