Orukupo rwa Simson
1 Eyuva rimwe Simson wa ya kOtimna, na kahura ko omusuko Omufilisti. 2 Eye wa yaruka konganda na karaera ooihe na ina a tja: “Ami mba munu omusuko mokati kovasuko Ovafilisti mOtimna. Kendjiningirireye a rire omukazendu wandje.”
3 Nu ihe na ina va tja ku ye: “Nangwari kape na omusuko mokati komuhoko woye poo motjiwaṋa tjetu atjihe, tji we keripahera omusuko wOvafilisti mbe ha sukara are?”
Nungwari Simson wa zira ihe a tja: “Eye ongu me vanga kutja u kendjiningirire, tjinga e ri ngu mba huru.”
4 Ooihe na ina kave tjivirwe kutja ihi tja zire mu Muhona ngwa paha otjiwonga tjokurwisira po Ovafilisti. Orondu moruveze ndo Ovafilisti aave honaparere Ovaisrael.
5 Simson otja ya puna ihe na ina kOtimna; nu tji va kavaza kovikunino vyomivite vya Timna, ongeyama omutanda otji ye mu tjakanena mondjira amai tye ovimboro. 6 Nungwari kamanga ombepo ya Muhona ya yandja omasa ku Simson; nu eye wa nyondorora ongeyama ndji nokuhinotjiṋa meke otja omundu tji ma nyondorora okangombona. Neye ka serekarerere ku ihe na ina ihi tja tjita.
7 Tjazumba Simson wa ya na kahungira kuna omusuko nu Simson we mu hura. 8 Kombunda yomayuva tjiva Simson wa kotoka okuyekumukupa. Eye wa yepa mondjira okukatara ongeyama ndja zepere neye wa humisire i okuvaza mo ehapu rozonyutji nouitji momutundu wayo. 9 Eye wa tapera ouitji wozonyutji mbwi momake we na kayenda ama ri. Nu tje ya kooihe na ina arire tje ve pe, nowo va rya; nungwari eye ke ve tjivisire kutja ouitji mbwi wa isa momutundu wongeyama.
10 Ihe wa ya konganda ya ihe yomusuko ngwi omukupwa, nu Simson wa tjita omukandi koṋa ngo. Imbwi ombwa ri omuhingo wovazandu omitanda. 11 NOvafilisti tji ve mu muna va eta ovazandu omirongo vitatu okukara puna ye. 12 Simson wa tja nai ku wo: “Me mu pe otjihakwa okuhaka; tji mamu yenene okutjihaka moure womayuva hambombari nga womukandi, ami me mu pe omarapi omawa omirongo vitatu, notupera otuwa omirongo vitatu. 13 Nungwari eṋe tji mu hi nokusora okundji raera otjihakwa hi, mamu sokundjipa omarapi omawa omirongo vitatu, notupera otuwa omirongo vitatu.”
Nowo arire tji va tja nai ku ye: “Tu pa otjihakwa tjoye tu tji zuve.”
14 Neye wa tja nai ku wo: “Ovikurya vya pita momuvirye, nomuzeze wa pita momunamasa.” Oure womayuva yetatu kave na pu va mangurura otjihakwa hi.
15 Nu meyuva oritjaine owo va tja nai komukazendu wa Simson: “Popa omurumendu woye kutja e tu handjaurire otjihakwa; tji pe he ri nao, eṱe matu ku nyosa puna onganda yaiho aihe. Eṋe mwe tu ṋangere kutja mu yekutuhuura are?”
16 Omukazendu wa Simson opa ira komurumendu we ama riri na tja: “Ove we ndji tonda uriri, ko ndji suverere; wa yandja otjihakwa kovandu womuhoko wandje, nu ko ndji handjaurire omaheero watjo.”
Nu Simson wa zira ku ye a tja: “Tara, nandarire ootate na mama hi ve handjaurire omaheero watjo, nove me sokukuraerera tjike?” 17 Nomukazendu wa kara pokurira oure womayuva inga hambombari womukandi. Nu meyuva oritjahambombari Simson otje mu handjaurira omaheero watjo, tjinga e he mu pere orusuvo. Nomukazendu wa karaera omaheero wotjihakwa hi kovandu vomuhoko we. 18 Nu meyuva oritjahambombari, eyuva ngunda ari hiya hita, ovarumendu votjihuro otji va tja nai ku Simson:
“Otjikeṋa tji tji nomuzeze pouitji wozonyutji? Notjikeṋa tji tji nomasa pongeyama?” Nu Simson we ve zira a tja: “Andakuzu kamu taurire ehi nondana ondume yandje, katjamu haka otjihakwa tjandje.”
19 Kamanga ombepo ya Muhona ye mu pa omasa; neye wa ya kOaskelon, a kazepa ovarumendu omirongo vitatu, a kapunda oviṋa vyawo na kayandja ozombanda ku imba mba yandja omaziriro kotjihakwa. Tjazumba mokuṱomazenge otja yaruka konganda ya ihe. 20 Nungwari omukazendu wa Simson wa yandjwa kepanga re ngwe mu ṱikire morukupo kutja a rire omukazendu we.
Samson Gets Married
1 One day, Samson went to Timnah, where he saw a Philistine woman. 2 When he got back home, he told his parents, “I saw a Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want to marry her. Get her for me!”
3 His parents answered, “There are a lot of women in our clan and even more in the rest of Israel. Those Philistines are pagans. Why would you want to marry one of their women?”
“She looks good to me,” Samson answered. “Get her for me!”
4 At that time, the Philistines were in control of Israel, and the Lord wanted to stir up trouble for them. That's why he made Samson desire that woman.
5 As Samson and his parents reached the vineyards near Timnah, a fierce young lion suddenly roared and attacked Samson. 6 But the Lord's Spirit took control of Samson, and with his bare hands he tore the lion apart, as though it had been a young goat. His parents didn't know what he had done, and he didn't tell them.
7 When they got to Timnah, Samson talked to the woman, and he was sure that she was the one for him.
8 Later, Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding. And when he came near the place where the lion had attacked, he left the road to see what was left of the lion. He was surprised to see that bees were living in the lion's skeleton, and that they had made some honey. 9 He scooped up the honey in his hands and ate some of it as he walked along. When he got back to his parents, he gave them some of the honey, and they ate it too. But he didn't tell them he had found the honey in the skeleton of a lion.
10 While Samson's father went to make the final arrangements with the bride and her family, Samson threw a big party, as grooms usually did. 11 When the Philistines saw what Samson was like, they told 30 of their young men to stay with him at the party.
12 Samson told the 30 young men, “This party will last for seven days. Let's make a bet: I'll tell you a riddle, and if you can tell me the answer before the party is over, I'll give each of you a shirt and a full change of clothing. 13 But if you can't tell me the answer, then each of you will have to give me a shirt and a full change of clothing.”
“It's a bet!” the Philistines said. “Tell us the riddle.”
14 Samson said:
Once so strong and mighty—
now so sweet and tasty!
Three days went by, and the Philistine young men had not come up with the right answer. 15 Finally, on the seventh day of the party they went to Samson's bride and said, “You had better trick your husband into telling you the answer to his riddle. Have you invited us here just to rob us? If you don't find out the answer, we will burn you and your family to death.”
16 Samson's bride went to him and started crying in his arms. “You must really hate me,” she sobbed. “If you loved me at all, you would have told me the answer to your riddle.”
“But I haven't even told my parents the answer!” Samson replied. “Why should I tell you?”
17 For the entire seven days of the party, she had been whining and trying to get the answer from him. But that seventh day she put so much pressure on Samson that he finally gave in and told her the answer. She went straight to the young men and told them.
18 Before sunset that day, the men of the town went to Samson with this answer:
A lion is the strongest—
honey is the sweetest!
Samson replied,
This answer you have given me
doubtless came
from my bride-to-be.
19 Then the Lord's Spirit took control of Samson. He went to Ashkelon, where he killed 30 men and took their clothing. Samson then gave it to the 30 young men at Timnah and stormed back home to his own family.
20 The father of the bride made Samson's wife marry one of the 30 young men that had been at Samson's party.
