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 naDelila
1 Ndele Simson okwa ya kuGasa ndele oko a mona ombwada nokwa ya mo kuye. 2 Ovagasa eshi va shiivifilwa nokutya, Simson e uya mo, vo ove mu dingilila noku mu nangela oufiku aushe poshivelo shoshilando. Noufiku aushe va mwena ndele tava ti: Eluwa eshi tali tende, fye ohatu mu dipaa. 3 Ndele Simson okwa nangala fiyo opokati koufiku. Ndele pokati koufiku ye okwa penduka nokwa kwata omivelo doshivelo shoshilando noikulo ivali ndele okwe i dokola mo pamwe noiidilifo noivela aishe nokwe i leka komapepe aye ndele te i twala koxulo yomhunda ya shaama naHebron.
4 Pomafiku okomesho ye okwa hokwa omukainhu mefilu laSorek, edina laye Delila. 5 Opo nee ovakulunhu vOvafilisti ve uya kuDelila ndele tava ti kuye: Mu heka u mu faafae eenghono daye dinene odi li peni, ndele hatu dulu ngahelipi oku mu kwata noku mu manga tu mu shundule. Opo nee keshe umwe womufye ote ku pe eesekeli doshisiliveli eyovi limwe nefele limwe. 6 Opo nee Delila okwa pula kuSimson: Lombwele nge omolwashike u neenghono dinene, ndele u nokumangwa nashike ngeno u shunduke? 7 Ndele Simson ta ti kuye: Vo ngeenge hava mange nge neefipa heyali dipe, do inadi kukuta, opo nee eenghono tadi kana ndele handi kala ngaashi ovanhu vamwe. 8 Opo nee ovakulunhu Ovafilisti ve mu etela eefipa heyali dipe inadi kukuta ndele ye okwe mu manga nado. 9 Ndele fimbo monduda yaye yomeni mwa li ovanangeli, ye okwe mu lombwela: “Simson, Ovafilisti tave ku kwata?” Opo nee ye a tokaula eefipa ngaashi eengodi dongaho da lungwina. Ndelenee eenghono daye inadi shiivika apa da dja. 10 Opo nee Delila ta ti kuSimson: Tala, ove wa kengelela nge ndele wa lombwela nge oipupulu. Lombwele nge hano, ove to ka mangifwa nashike? 11 Nokwe mu nyamukula: Vo ngeenge tava mange nge neengodi dipe da pama, odo inadi longifwa, opo nee eenghono tadi kana ndele handi kala ngaashi ovanhu aveshe. 12 Opo nee Delila okwa kufa eengodi dipe nokwe mu manga nado ndele ta ti kuye: “Simson, Ovafilisti tave ku kwata,” fimbo ovanangeli va kala monduda. Ndelenee ye okwe di tokaula komaoko ngaashi ongodi. 13 Ndele Delila ta ti kuSimson: Fiyo paife wa kengelela nge ndele wa lombwela nge oipupulu. Lombwele nge hano, ove to ka mangifwa nashike? Ndele ye okwe mu nyamukula ta ti: Ove ngeenge to tungu omapando aheyali eexwiki dokomutwe wange kumwe noshiyata to shi tungu. 14 Opo nee ye e di finda noshifindifo ndele ta ti kuye: Simson, Ovafilisti otave ku kwata! Ndele ye okwa duduluka meemhofi daye nokwa tokola oshifindifo pamwe noshiyata. 15 Ove to dulu ngahelipi okutya: Ame ondi ku hole fimbo omutima woye uhe li mwaame? Lutatu nokuli wa kengelela nge ndele ino shiivifila nge kutya eenghono u di na oda dja peni? 16 Ndele ye eshi e mu fininika efiku keshe neendjovo daye noku mu hepeka, ye okwa loloka fiyo okufya. 17 Nokwe mu hepaululila omutima waye aushe ndele ta ti kuye: Oshimbi inashi kuma nande omutwe wange, osheshi ame Omunasiri waKalunga okudja medimo lameme. Ame ngeenge handi kululwa, eenghono dange tadi yapuka mwaame ndele eenghono dange tadi kana ndele handi ka kala ngaashi ovanhu aveshe. 18 Delila eshi a mona nokutya, ye okwe mu hepaululila omutima waye aushe, ye okwa ifana ovakulunhu vOvafilisti ndele ta ti: Ileni hano paife, osheshi winya okwa hepaululila nge omutima waye aushe. Opo nee ovakulunhu vOvafilisti ve uya kuye noimaliwa yavo. 19 Ndele ye okwe mu nangeka mekolo laye ndele te mu kofeke, ndele ta ifana omulumenhu umwe nokwa teta omapando aye aheyali eexwiki dokomutwe waye. Ndele ye okwa hovela oku mu shundula, neenghono daye da dja mo. 20 Opo nee ye ta ti: Simson, Ovafilisti tave ku kwata! Ndele ye eshi a duduluka meemhofi daye, ye ta ti: Ame ohandi ke limangulula ngaashi shito nokulitukumuna. Osheshi ye ina shiiva nokutya, Omwene e mu efa. 21 Opo nee Ovafilisti ve mu kwata ndele ve mu twiyula omesho aye, ndele ve mu twala kuGasa ndele tave mu mange nelyenge loshikushu; ndele ye e nokutwa moshini modolongo. 22 Ndelenee eexwiki daye dokomutwe da hovela vali okututuma, konima eshi da kululwa.
Efyo laSimson
23 Novakulunhu vOvafilisti va ongala va ka yambele kalunga kavo Dagon, eyambo linene nokuhafa; ndele tava ti: Kalunga ketu e tu pa omutondadi wetu Simson momake etu. 24 Novanhu eshi ve mu mona va hambelela kalunga kavo, shaashi va tile: “Kalunga ketu e tu pa omutondadi wetu nomuhanauni woshilongo shetu, ou a dipaa po vahapu vomufye.” 25 Ndele omitima davo eshi da li da nyakukwa pombada, tava ti: Ifaneni Simson, ye e tu shikile okaxumba! Ndele va ka tala Simson modolongo. Ndele ye okwa shika moipafi yavo ndele ve mu tula ofika pokati keengudi mbali; 26 ndele Simson ta ti komupiya ou e mu kwata komhango: Efe nge ndi kwatelele eengudi odo hadi humbata ongulu, opo ndi shiive oku di yaamena. 27 Nongulu i yadi ovalumenhu novakainhu, novakulunhu aveshe vOvafilisti omo va li. Nokombada yonduda pa li ovalumenhu novakainhu ngeno omayovi atatu, ava va tala Simson eshi ta shiki okaxumba. 28 Opo nee Simson ta kuu kOmwene ndele ta ti: Omwene Kalunga, dimbulukwe nge, u pameke nge lumwe aluke, akutu Kalunga, opo ndi shiive okukwatelela Ovafilisti eisho lange limwe lomomesho ange avali onghone! 29 Ndele Simson okwa papatela eengudi mbali odo da kwata ongulu, imwe e i kwata nokwooko kwokolulyo naikwao onokwooko kwokolumosho ndele ta yaamene kudo. 30 Ndele Simson ta ti: Nandi fye pamwe nOvafilisti! Nokwe lifidimika neenghono, opo ongulu ya wila mo kombada yovakulunhu nokombada yovanhu aveshe ava va li mo. Ovafi ava ye e va dipaa pefyo laye, va li vahapu, ve dule venya e va dipaa fimbo a li e nomwenyo. 31 Ovamwaina neumbo laye alishe, ve uya, ve mu kufa, ndele ve mu twala ndele tave mu pake pokati kaSorea naEstaol mombila yaxe Manoah. Ye okwa pangela Israel omido omilongo mbali.
