Abahluleli 16
1 USamsoni wasesiya eGaza, wabona khona umfazi, iwule, wangena kulo.
Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
2 Kwabikwa kwabeGaza kuthiwa: USamsoni ufikile lapha. Bamzingelezela, bamcathamela ubusuku bonke esangweni lomuzi; bathula ubusuku bonke besithi: Kuze kukhanye ekuseni, khona sizambulala.
The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light; then we will kill him.”
3 USamsoni waselala kwaze kwaba phakathi kobusuku; wavuka phakathi kobusuku, wabamba izivalo zesango lomuzi, lensika zombili, wazisiphuna lomgoqo, wakwetshata emahlombe akhe, wakwenyusela engqongeni yentaba ephambi kweHebroni.
Samson lay until midnight, then arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, with the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 Kwathi emva kwalokho wathanda owesifazana esihotsheni seSoreki, obizo lakhe linguDelila.
It came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 Njalo iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zenyukela kuye zathi kuye: Myenge ubone ukuthi akukuphi amandla akhe amakhulu, lokuthi singamehlula ngani, ukuthi simbophe ukuze simnqobe. Thina-ke sizakunika ngamunye izinhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane lekhulu.
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
6 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Ake ungitshele ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu, lokuthi ungabotshwa ngani ukukunqoba.
Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you might be bound to afflict you.”
7 USamsoni wasesithi kuye: Uba bengibopha ngentambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
8 Iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zasezisenyusela kuye intambo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha ezingomanga; wasembopha ngazo.
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Abacathemeyo-ke bahlala laye endlini engaphakathi; wasesithi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Waziqamula intambo njengentambo yefilakisi iqamuka nxa isizwa umlilo. Ngakho amandla akhe kawaziwanga.
Now she had an ambush waiting in the inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He broke the cords as a flax thread is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Khangela, udlale ngami wangitshela amanga. Khathesi ake ungitshele ukuthi ungabotshwa ngani.
Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies. Now please tell me how you might be bound.”
11 Wasesithi kuye: Uba bengangibopha lokungibopha ngamagoda amatsha okungenziwanga msebenzi ngawo, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengomunye umuntu.
He said to her, “If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
12 Ngakho uDelila wathatha amagoda amatsha, wambopha ngawo, wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Abacathemeyo babehlezi endlini engaphakathi. Kodwa wawaqamula asuka engalweni zakhe njengomnxeba.
So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, then said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” The ambush was waiting in the inner room. He broke them off his arms like a thread.
13 UDelila wasesithi kuSamsoni: Kuze kube khathesi udlale ngami, wangitshela amanga; ngitshela ukuthi ungabotshwa ngani. Wasesithi kuye: Uba useluka amaxha enwele zekhanda lami ayisikhombisa ngezintambo ezelukiweyo.
Delilah said to Samson, “Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what you might be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the fabric on the loom.”
14 Wasewaqinisa ngesikhonkwane; wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe, wasusa isikhonkwane seselukiso lentambo ezelukiweyo.
She fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He awakened out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam and the fabric.
15 Wasesithi kuye: Ungatsho njani ukuthi: Ngiyakuthanda; nxa inhliziyo yakho ingelami? Lezizikhathi ezintathu udlale ngami, kawungitshelanga ukuthi akukuphi amandla akho amakhulu.
She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”
16 Kwasekusithi lapho emcindezela ngamazwi akhe insuku zonke, wamkhathaza, kwaze kwathi umphefumulo wakhe wadabuka kwaze kwaba sekufeni.
When she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, his soul was troubled to death.
17 Ngakho wamtshela inhliziyo yakhe yonke wathi kuye: Impuco kayizanga ize phezu kwekhanda lami, ngoba ngingumNaziri kaNkulunkulu kusukela esizalweni sikamama. Uba ngiphucwa, amandla ami azasuka kimi, ngibe buthakathaka ngibe njengaye wonke umuntu.
He told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”
18 Lapho uDelila ebona ukuthi umtshele inhliziyo yakhe yonke, wathuma wabiza iziphathamandla zamaFilisti esithi: Yenyukani ngalesisikhathi, ngoba ungitshele inhliziyo yakhe yonke. Iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zasezisenyukela kuye, zaletha imali esandleni sazo.
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.
19 Wasemlalisa ubuthongo emadolweni akhe, wabiza umuntu, wamgelisa amaxha ayisikhombisa enwele zekhanda lakhe. Waseqala ukumhlupha, lamandla akhe asuka kuye.
She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 Wasesithi: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni! Wasevuka ebuthongweni bakhe wathi: Ngizaphuma njengakwezinye izikhathi, ngizinyikinye. Kodwa yena wayengazi ukuthi iNkosi isukile kuye.
She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the LORD had departed from him.
21 Khona amaFilisti ambamba, amkopola amehlo, amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngezibopho zethusi; njalo wayechola entolongweni.
The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
22 Kodwa inwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukukhula emva kokuphucwa kwakhe.
However, the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.
23 Khona iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zabuthana ukuze zihlabele uDagoni unkulunkulu wazo umhlatshelo omkhulu, zithokoze, zathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.
The lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”
24 Lapho abantu bembona badumisa unkulunkulu wabo, ngoba bathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele esandleni sethu isitha sethu, ngitsho umchithi welizwe lakithi, njalo owenza baba banengi ababuleweyo bethu.
When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, “Our god has delivered our enemy and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us, into our hand.”
25 Kwasekusithi lapho inhliziyo zabo zithokoza bathi: Bizani uSamsoni ukuze azesidlalela. Basebembiza uSamsoni evela entolongweni, wadlala phambi kwabo. Basebemmisa phakathi kwezinsika.
When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;
26 USamsoni wasesithi emfaneni owayembambe ngesandla: Ngiyekela ngithinte izinsika indlu emi phezu kwazo ukuze ngeyame kuzo.
and Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Allow me to feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean on them.”
27 Indlu yayigcwele-ke abesilisa labesifazana; lazo zonke iziphathamandla zamaFilisti zazikhona, laphezulu ephahleni kwakukhona abesilisa labesifazana abangaba zinkulungwane ezintathu ababebukele uSamsoni edlala.
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson performed.
28 USamsoni wasekhala eNkosini wathi: Nkosi Jehova, ngikhumbule ngiyakuncenga, ungiqinise ngiyakuncenga, kuphela ngalesisikhathi, Nkulunkulu, ukuze ngiziphindisele ngokuphindisela okukodwa kumaFilisti ngenxa yamehlo ami amabili.
Samson called to the LORD, and said, “Lord GOD, remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, only this once, God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
29 USamsoni wasebamba insika ezimbili eziphakathi, indlu eyayimi kuzo, waqina ngazo, enye ngesandla sakhe sokunene lenye ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo.
Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested and leaned on them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
30 USamsoni wasesithi: Mina kangife lamaFilisti. Wasekhothama ngamandla; njalo indlu yawela phezu kweziphathamandla laphezu kwabo bonke abantu ababekuyo. Ngakho abafayo ababulala ekufeni kwakhe babe banengi okwedlula labo ababulala empilweni yakhe.
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those who he killed in his life.
31 Kwasekusehla abafowabo labendlu yonke kayise, bamthatha, bamenyusa, bayamngcwabela phakathi kweZora leEshitawoli engcwabeni likaManowa uyise. Yena wahlulela uIsrayeli iminyaka engamatshumi amabili.
Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial site of Manoah his father. He judged Israel twenty years.
