The Birth of Samson
1 The Israelites sinned against the Lord again, and he let the Philistines rule them for forty years.
2 At that time there was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife had never been able to have children. 3 The Lord's angel appeared to her and said, “You have never been able to have children, but you will soon be pregnant and have a son. 4 Be sure not to drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food; 5 and after your son is born, you must never cut his hair, because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a nazirite. He will begin the work of rescuing Israel from the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God has come to me, and he looked as frightening as the angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he did tell me that I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me not to drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food, because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a nazirite as long as he lives.”
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, let the man of God that you sent come back to us and tell us what we must do with the boy when he is born.”
9 God did what Manoah asked, and his angel came back to the woman while she was sitting in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her, 10 so she ran at once and told him, “Look! The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me again.”
11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. He went to the man and asked, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”
“Yes,” he answered.
12 Then Manoah said, “Now then, when your words come true, what must the boy do? What kind of a life must he lead?”
13 The Lord's angel answered, “Your wife must be sure to do everything that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine; she must not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. She must do everything that I have told her.”
15-16 Not knowing that it was the Lord's angel, Manoah said to him, “Please do not go yet. Let us cook a young goat for you.”
But the angel said, “If I do stay, I will not eat your food. But if you want to prepare it, burn it as an offering to the Lord.”
17 Manoah replied, “Tell us your name, so that we can honor you when your words come true.”
18 The angel asked, “Why do you want to know my name? It is a name of wonder.”
19 So Manoah took a young goat and some grain, and offered them on the rock altar to the Lord who works wonders. 20-21 While the flames were going up from the altar, Manoah and his wife saw the Lord's angel go up toward heaven in the flames. Manoah realized then that the man had been the Lord's angel, and he and his wife threw themselves face downward on the ground. They never saw the angel again.
22 Manoah said to his wife, “We are sure to die, because we have seen God!”
23 But his wife answered, “If the Lord had wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our offerings; he would not have shown us all this or told us such things at this time.”
24 The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Lord's power began to strengthen him while he was between Zorah and Eshtaol in the Camp of Dan.
Ongwatero ya Simson
1 Ovaisrael va tura ondjo rukwao komurungu wa Muhona. Nu Muhona we ve yandja mouvara wOvafilisti oure wozombura omirongo vine.
2 Nu pa ri omurumendu wena ra Manoah, womuhoko wa Dan, ngwa zire kotjihuro Sora. Omukazendu we wa ri ongandji. 3 Omuengeri wa Muhona we rimunikisa komukazendu ngwi na tja ku ye: “Tara, oove ongandji, nungwari nambano mo rire otjingundi, nu mo panduka omuzandu. 4 Ritjevera kutja o ha nu omavinu poo omanuwa omazeu oparukaze, no ha ri ovikurya ovihakohoke. 5 Orondu ove mo rire otjingundi, nu mo panduka omuzandu. Ozondjise zomuzandu ngwi aze ha horwa, eye tjinga ama yapurirwa Ndjambi okurira Omunasirite okuza mezumo raina. Eye ma rire ingwi ngu ma utu okukutura Ovaisrael kOvafilisti.”
6 Okuzambo omukazendu wa karaera omurumendu we a tja: “Omundu wa Ndjambi weya ku ami, nombunikiro ye ya ri tjimuna oyomuengeri wa Ndjambi, neye wa ri omuurumise tjinene. Ami hi mu purire kutja ma zu pi, neye ke ndji raerere ena re. 7 Nungwari eye wa tja nai ku ami: ‘Tara, ove mo rire otjingundi, nu mo panduka omuzandu. Okuzamba o nu ko omavinu poo omanuwa omazeu, nu o ri ko ovikurya ovihakohoke, omuzandu ngwi tjinga ama yapurirwa Ndjambi okurira Omunasirite okuza kongwatero nga konḓiro ye.’ ”
8 Manoah wa kumba ku Muhona a tja: “Arikana, Muhona, omundu wa Ndjambi ingwi ngu wa hindire nga kotoke ku eṱe rukwao okuyekutuhonga kutja matu tjiti vi nomuzandu ngwi ngu ma pandukwa.”
9 Ndjambi wa zuvira ongumbiro ya Manoah, nomuengeri wa Ndjambi wa kotoka komukazendu, ngunda a haama mokuti; nomurumendu we Manoah ka ri puna ye. 10 Nomukazendu wa tupuka tjimanga komurumendu we ne kemu raera a tja: “Tara, omundu ngwi ngwe ere ku ami eyuva ndina we rimunikisa ku ami rukwao.”
11 Manoah wa sekama na kongorere omukazendu we. Eye wa ya ku ingwi omundu ne mu pura a tja: “Oove ngu u ri omundu ngu wa hungira kuna omukazendu wandje are?”
Neye wa zira nai: “Ii, owami.”
12 Manoah wa pura nai: “Omambo woye tji ya yenenisiwa, omuzandu ma sokuritjinda vi, nu ma sokuungura tjike?”
13 Nomuengeri wa Muhona wa zira Manoah a tja: “Omukazendu woye ma sokuritjaera koviṋa avihe mbi mbe mu raera. 14 Eye a roro ko otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tji matji zu komuvite, nu a nu ko otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tji matji zu komuvite, nu a nu ko omavinu poo omanuwa omazeu, nu a ri ko ovikurya ovihakohoke. Eye nga ṱakamise nawa ihi atjihe ami tji mbe mu raera.”
15 Manoah wa tja nai komuengeri wa Muhona: “Arikana, o yaruka tjimanga, tu esa tu ku terekere okangombona.”
16 Nungwari omuengeri wa Muhona wa zira nai ku Manoah: “Nandarire tji mba kara puna ove, ami himee ri ovikurya vyoye. Nu tji movanga okukeṱuna ke rire ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa ke punguhira Muhona.” Manoah ka tjivirwe kutja ingwi eye omuengeri wa Muhona.
17 Nu Manoah wa zira nai komuengeri wa Muhona: “Tu raera ena roye kutja imbi mbi wa hungire tji vya yenenisiwa tu ku yozike.”
18 Nomuengeri wa Muhona we mu pura a tja: “Mo vangere tjike okutjiwa ena randje? Oro ehimise.”
19 Manoah arire tja toora okangombona novirya ne vi punguhire Muhona kotjipunguhiro tjoruuwa. Nu ngunda ama punguha, tjandje Muhona ma tjiti ovihimise momurungu wa Manoah nomukazendu we. 20 Otururumo ngunda amatu rondo kombanda okuza kotjipunguhiro, owo va muna omuengeri wa Muhona ama rondo keyuru motururumo twi. Nowo va wa onḓurumika. 21 Nomuengeri wa Muhona ka munikire rukwao ku Manoah nomukazendu we. Manoah opa tjivirwa kutja ingwi wa ri omuengeri wa Muhona.
22 Manoah wa tja komukazendu we: “Eṱe, tjiri, matu koka, orondu twa munu Ndjambi.”
23 Nungwari omukazendu we we mu zira a tja: “Andakuzu Muhona wa vanga okutuzepa, katja yakura ozombunguhiro zetu. Eye ketje tu raisira avihe mbi poo okuturaera oviṋa otja imbi moruveze ndwi.”
24 Nomukazendu wa panduka omuzandu ne mu ruku Simson. Omuatje ngwi we kura, nu Muhona we mu sera ondaya. 25 Nombepo ya Muhona ya uta okumupa omasa, ngunda e ri mozondanda za Dan pokati ka Sora na Estaol.
