Samson at Gaza
1 One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he met a prostitute and went to bed with her. 2 The people of Gaza found out that Samson was there, so they surrounded the place and waited for him all night long at the city gate. They were quiet all night, thinking to themselves, “We'll wait until daybreak, and then we'll kill him.” 3 But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up and took hold of the city gate and pulled it up—doors, posts, lock, and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them far off to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron.
Samson and Delilah
4 After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley. 5 The five Philistine kings went to her and said, “Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?”
7 Samson answered, “If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I'll be as weak as anybody else.”
8 So the Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up. 9 She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted, “Samson! The Philistines are coming!” But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. So they still did not know the secret of his strength.
10 Delilah told Samson, “Look, you've been making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Please tell me how someone could tie you up.”
11 He told her, “If they tie me with new ropes that have never been used, I'll be as weak as anybody else.”
12 So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. Then she shouted, “Samson! The Philistines are coming!” The men were waiting in another room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “You're still making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Tell me how someone could tie you up.”
He told her, “If you weave my seven locks of hair into a loom, and make it tight with a peg, I'll be as weak as anybody else.”
14 Delilah then lulled him to sleep, took his seven locks of hair, and wove them into the loom. She made it tight with a peg and shouted, “Samson! The Philistines are coming!” But he woke up and pulled his hair loose from the loom.
15 So she said to him, “How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it? You've made a fool of me three times, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong.” 16 She kept on asking him, day after day. He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about it 17 that he finally told her the truth. “My hair has never been cut,” he said. “I have been dedicated to God as a nazirite from the time I was born. If my hair were cut, I would lose my strength and be as weak as anybody else.”
18 When Delilah realized that he had told her the truth, she sent a message to the Philistine kings and said, “Come back one more time. He has told me the truth.” Then they came and brought the money with them. 19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and then called a man, who cut off Samson's seven locks of hair. Then she began to torment him, for he had lost his strength. 20 Then she shouted, “Samson! The Philistines are coming!” He woke up and thought, “I'll get loose and go free, as always.” He did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with bronze chains, and put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison. 22 But his hair started growing back.
The Death of Samson
23 The Philistine kings met together to celebrate and offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They sang, “Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!” 24-25 They were enjoying themselves, and so they said, “Call Samson, and let's make him entertain us!” When they brought Samson out of the prison, they made him entertain them and made him stand between the columns. When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: “Our god has given us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!” 26 Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, “Let me touch the columns that hold up the building. I want to lean on them.” 27 The building was crowded with men and women. All five Philistine kings were there, and there were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching Samson entertain them.
28 Then Samson prayed, “Sovereign Lord, please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes.” 29 So Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. Putting one hand on each column, he pushed against them 30 and shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed with all his might, and the building fell down on the five kings and everyone else. Samson killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life.
31 His brothers and the rest of his family came down to get his body. They took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had been Israel's leader for twenty 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.
