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 mOgasa
1 Eyuva rimwe Simson wa ya kotjihuro tjOvafilisti Gasa. Neye wa kamuna ko omukazendu omukorondu na hiti moye. 2 Nu kwe ya ombuze kovandu va Gasa yokutja Simson weya mo. Nowo va kovera poṋa mbo nave mu tjungire ouṱuku auhe pomuvero wotjihuro. Nouṱuku auhe va porimana uriri amave ripura nai: “Tji pa tji otji matu mu zepa.” 3 Nungwari Simson wa rara nga mokati kouṱuku. Neye wa penduka na kambura imbi ovipapeko vivari vyomuvero wotjihuro ne vi zukura avihe nozongambezero zavyo notjipate. Eye we vi twa koviṱuve vye ne vi twara kondomba yondundu ndja ri ouhunga na Hebron.
Simson na Delila
4 Kombunda yanao Simson wa hura omukazendu wena Delila ngwa turire motjana tja Sorek. 5 Ozombara nḓa ndano zOvafilisti za ya ku Delila naze katja nai: “Hungirisa Simson nawa u konḓonone kutja omasa we omanene nga ye za pi, nokutja matu mu havere nomuhingo uṋe nokumungundiparisa. Auhe wetu me ku pe ovimariva ovisilveri eyovi rimwe nesere.”
6 Delila wa tja ku Simson: “Arikana, ndji raera kutja omasa woye omanene nai ye za pi, nokutja mo pandekwa na tjike u haverwe.”
7 Simson arire tje mu ziri a tja: “Tji mba pandekwa nomiko hambombari vyouta, mbi hiya kaha, otji me ngundipara ne sana otja omundu ngamwa auhe.”
8 Nozombara zOvafilisti otji za etera Delila omiko hambombari vyouta omitarazu, mbi hiya kaha, neye wa pandeka na vyo Simson. 9 Ovemutjendjereke ngunda ava haama metuwo rarwe, Delila arire tja ravaere na tja: “Simson, Ovafilisti owo mba kombanda yoye!” Neye wa pora imbi omiko vyouta tjimuna ozosepa tji maze poka tji kwa ṱunu omuriro; nomasa we kaye horokere ko.
10 Delila opa tjera nai ku Simson: “Tara, ove we ndji tikura nu we ndji korere ovizeze. Arikana, nambano ndji raera kutja u pandekwa na tjike.”
11 Neye we mu zira a tja: “Tji mba pandekwa tjinene okupamisiwa nozongoze ozombe nḓe hiya ungura otji me ngundipara ne sana otja omundu ngamwa auhe.”
12 Delila arire tja kambura ozongoze ozombe ne mu pandeke na zo na tja ku ye: “Simson, Ovafilisti owo mba kombanda yoye!” Imba ovemutjendjereke tjandje ve ri metuwo rarwe. Nungwari eye we ze pora otja ozosepa pomaoko we.
13 Nu Delila wa tja ku Simson: “Nga mba we ndji tikura nu we ndji korere ovizeze. Ndji raera kutja u pandekwa na tjike.”
Neye we mu zira a tja: “Tji wa kutire ozondjise hambombari nḓa wozewa motjiuru tjandje motjiwoze no ze papere nomboha, ami otji me ngundipara ne sana otja omundu ngamwa auhe.”
14 Delila we mu zezenga nga tja rara, tjazumba a kutire ozondjise hambombari nḓa wozewa motjiuru tje motjiwoze, ne ze papere nomboha, arire tja ravaere a tja: “Simson, Ovafilisti owo mba kombanda yoye!” Neye wa penduka mozomboṱu na zukura omboha puna ihi otjiwoze.
15 Nu Delila wa tja nai ku ye: “Ove mo sora vi okutja we ndji suvera, omutima woye ngunda au he ri pu ami. Ove nga mba we ndji tikura tutatu, nu ko hororere ku ami kutja omasa woye tji ye ri omanene nai opu tjike.” 16 Delila otje mu kendisa nomambo we eyuva arihe, ne he mu pe orusuvo nga Simson tja urwa azeri kutja a koke. 17 Korusenina Simson wa raera Delila ouatjiri auhe na tja: “Nga mba kaku na indu kwa ṱunine otjikonde kotjiuru tjandje, tjinga ambi ri Omunasirite wa Ndjambi okuza kongwatero yandje. Tji mba kondwa ozondjise, omasa wandje maye piti, nami otji me ngundipara ne sana otja omundu ngamwa auhe.”
18 Nu Delila tja muna kutja Simson we mu raere ouatjiri auhe wa hinda ombuze kozombara zOvafilisti a tja: “Otjikando hi kotokeye rumwe rukwao, orondu Simson we ndji raere ouatjiri auhe.” Nozombara zOvafilisti ze ya naze eterere ovimariva. 19 Nu Delila wa zezengera Simson pomatumbo we nga tja rara, na isana omurumendu ngwe ya okukonda ozondjise hambombari nḓa wozewa motjiuru tja Simson motjiwoze. Neye wa yendayenda ama ngundipara, nomasa we ya pita. 20 Delila wa ravaera a tja: “Simson, Ovafilisti owo mba kombanda yoye!” Neye tja penduka mozomboṱu we ripura nai: “Ami me rikutura ne kayenda uriri tjimuna ovikando avihe.” Orondu ka tjivirwe kutja Muhona wa zu po pu ye. 21 NOvafilisti va kambura Simson nave mu homona omeho, notji ve mu twara kOgasa. Nowo ve mu pandeka novipandeke vyovitenda, neye wa kara pokukweya ombako motjovakamburwa. 22 Nungwari inḓa ozondjise nḓa konderwe za uta okuhapa rukwao.
Onḓiro ya Simson
23 Ozombara nḓa zOvafilisti za wongara okutjita ombunguhiro onene kotjisenginina Dagon. Nozo za yoroka aze tja: “Omukuru wetu wotjisenginina we tu pa outoṋi komunavita na eṱe Simson!” 24 Notjiwaṋa tji tje mu muna tja tanga omukuru watjo wotjisenginina atji tja: “Omukuru wetu wotjisenginina we tu pa outoṋi komunavita na eṱe Simson ngwa nyona ehi retu na zepa ovengi vetu!” 25 Nowo va yoroka tjinene ave tja: “Kaisaneye Simson e ye okutuyorokisa.” Nowo va kapaha Simson motjovakamburwa; neye we ve yorokisa. Tjazumba ve mu kuramisa pokati kozongunḓe. 26 Nu Simson wa tja nai komukarere nguye mu nana korupangu: “Ndji esa mbi ṋuṋunge ozongunḓe ku kwa kuramena ondjuwo kutja mbi yame ku zo.” 27 Ondjuwo ye urire novarumendu novakazendu; nozombara zOvafilisti azehe wina omu za ri. Nu kombanda yomututu kwa ri ovarumendu novakazendu mangara omayovi yetatu mbaa ve tarere Simson tji meve yorokisa.
28 Simson wa kumba ku Muhona a tja: “Muhona Ndjambi, arikana rizemburuka na ami, nu ndji pa omasa rukwao otjikando hi uriri kutja mbi sutise Ovafilisti mena romeho wandje ayeyevari ngu va homona.” 29 Nu Simson wa kambura ozongunḓe nḓa mbari zopokati nḓa ṱizire ondjuwo, imwe nokunene kwe nongwao nokumuho kwe na yama ku zo. 30 Neye wa ravaera nai: “Ndji esa mbi koke puna Ovafilisti!” Neye wa puka ozongunḓe nḓa nomasa we aehe, nondjuwo ya wira kombanda yozombara novandu avehe mba ri mu yo. Imba ovaṱi Simson mba zepa meyuva ronḓiro ye va kapita imba mba zepere tja ri nomuinyo.
31 Nomuhoko wa Simson noveṱunḓu re avehe ve ya okupaha orurova rwe nave ru yarura okukerupaka meyendo ra ihe Manoah pokati kooSora na Estaol. Simson wa ri omunane mOisrael oure wozombura omirongo vivari.
