Simsonni Gasas tawa
1 ǀGuitsēb ge Simsonna Filisteǁîn ǃās Gasas ǁga ge ǃgû; tsîb ge ǁnāpa ǀai-aos ǀkha ge ǀhao tsî ǁîsa ge ǁgoe-ū. 2 Gasas di khoen ge Simsonni ǁnāpa hâsa ge ǂanǂui tsîn ge ǁnā ǃkhaisa ǃnamiǂgā tsî ǁîba hoaraga tsuxuba ǃās di dao-ams tawa ge ǃâuǁgoe. ǁÎn ge ǃnōse ǁgoe tsî ǁîn ǃnâ gere ǂâi: “Sores ǁhais ǀkha da ge ǁarikam ǁgoaga nî ǃgam bi.” 3 Xawe Simsonni ge tsuxuǃgâǁaeb kōse ǀgui ge ǁgoe. ǁÎb ge khâimâ tsî ǃās di dao-amra ǁîra mâ-ai haigu hoagu ǀkha ge ǃhomǁnâ. Tsîb ge ǁîn hoana ǃhōkha âb ai ū tsî Hebrons ǃoagu mâ ǃhommi ai ge taniǃapa.
Simsonni tsî Delilas
4 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Simsonna Delila ti ǀon hâ khoes Sorekǃgoaǃnāb ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ isa ge ǀnam. 5 O gu ge koro gao-aogu Filisteǁîn diga ǁîs tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Simsonna ǃhoaǁnâdana, îb mîba si tarexab ǁnātikōse a ǀgaisas tsî mâti ge ǁîba ǀgaidā, ǃgaeǃnon tsî ǀgaio kai ǁkhāsa. Mâb sige dib hoab ge ǀguiǀoadisi tsî kaidisi ǀhaiǀuri ǃâde nî mā si.”
6 Os ge Delilasa Simsonna ǃoa ge mî: “Tare-i nētikōse ra ǀgai kai tsi ǃkhaisa toxopa mîba te re. Khoe-i ga satsa ǃgaeǃnon tsî ǀgaidā ǂgao-o, mâti i nî dī?”
7 Ob ge Simsonna ge ǃeream: “Hû, ǀâ ǁapagu khās digu ǀkhan ga ǃgae te, o ta ge nau khoen ǁkhān khami nî ǂkhabusa.”
8 O gu ge Filisteǁîn gao-aoga hû, ǀâ ǁapagu khās diga ge hā-ūba, tsîs ge Simsonna ǁîgu ǀkha ge ǃgae. 9 ǁÎs ge khoega ǀnî ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ge ǃâu kai hâ i, tsîs ge “Simsontse, Filisteǁîgu ge ra hā” ti ge ǃau. Xaweb ge ǁîba khās ǁapaga ge ǂgaeǃgao, ǂomǁapagu ǀaes xa gu ga ǂhubihe o ra ǃgâugu khami. ǁNātin ge ǁîb ǀgaib di ǂganǃgâsiba ǂan tama ge i.
10 Os ge Delilasa Simsonna ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ge tita gâ khoe-i khami go ī kai tsî amaba mîba te tama go i. Toxopa mîba te re mâti i khoe-e a ǃgae tsi ǁkhā ǃkhaisa?”
11 Ob ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “ǀAsa tsurigu, noxopa sîsenūhe tamagu ǀkhan ga ǃgae te, o ta ge nau khoen ǁkhān khami nî ǂkhabusa.”
12 Delilas ge tsuriga ū tsî ge ǃgae bi. Tsîs ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ ge ǃau: “Simsontse, Filisteǁîgu ge ra hā.” Khoegu ge ǁkhawa ǀnî ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ge ǃâu hâ i. Xaweb ge ǁîba tsuriga ǁîb ǁôakha xu ǁapa-i khami ge ǂgaeǃgao.
13 Os ge Delilasa Simsonna ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ge noxopa tita gâ khoese ra ī kai, tsîts ge amaba mîba te tama hâ. Mâti i khoe-e nî ǃgae tsi ǃkhaisa mîba te re.”
Ob ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Ti hû ǂgomasa ǀûga saran ǂgapu-ūxūs ǃnâ ǂgomaǀhao, î ǀgaisase ǃgaeǁapo, o ta ge nau khoen ǁkhān khami nî ǂkhabusa.”
14 Simsonni ǁom hâ, hîas ge Delilasa ǁîb du hû ǂgomasa ǀûga ū tsî ǀurib ǀkha ǃgaeǁapoǁapo tsî ge ǃau: “Simsontse, Filisteǁîgu ge ra hā.” Xaweb ge ǂkhai tsî ǀûgu âba ǃgaesa gu ge iba xu ǀurib hoab ǀkha ge ǃhomǂui.
15 Os ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Mâtits kha ǀnam si ta a ti a mî ǁkhā, titats ga ǂgomǃgâ tama io? ǃNona ǃnādets ge nēsi gâ khoe-i khami go ī kai, xawets ge tare-i nēti ra ǀgai kai tsisa noxopa mîba te tama hâ.” 16 ǁÎs ge tsēkorobe ǀûs ose gere dî ka dî bi, egab ge sī nē dîheb xa tsau tsî ǁkhā ǁoas kōse. 17 Tsîb ge ǁîsa amaba ge mîba: “Ti ǀûn ge noxopa ǂkhomhetsâ tama hâ. Tita ǃnae ta gesa xu Nasirǁîse Eloba khaibahe hâ. Ti ǀûn ga ǂkhomǁnâhe, o ta ge ti ǀgaiba nî ǂoaǃnâ tsî ta ge nau khoen ǁkhān khami nî ǂkhabusa.”
18 Amabab go mîba si ǃkhaisas ge ǂan, os ge Delilasa Filisteǁîn di gao-aoga ge haisiba: “ǁKhawa go oaǀkhī re, amabab go mîba te xuige.” O gu ge ǁga ge hā tsî mari-e ge hā-ūsao. 19 Os ge Delilasa Simsonna tîǂams âs ai ǁomǁom tsî ǀgui khoeba ge ǂgai, tsîb ge ǁîba Simsonni di hû ǂgomasa ǀûga ge ǂkhomǁnâ. ǁNās khaoǃgâs ge ǁîba ge tsûtsûtsoatsoa, ǀgaib âbab ge ǂoaǃnâ xui-ao. 20 Tsîs ge “Simsontse, Filisteǁîgu ge ra hā” ti ge ǃau, ob ge ǁîba ǂkhai tsî ge ǂâi “Nē ǃnās tsîna ta nau ǃnādi ais ǁkhās khami xoresen tsî nî ǂoa” ti. ǁÎb ge ǃKhūb go ǁnāxū bi ǃkhaisa ge ǀū i. 21 Filisteǁîgu ge ǃkhō bi tsî mûra âba ge ǃkhāǂui. Tsî gu ge Gasas ǃoa ǃgû-ū bi brons khedekha ǀkha ge ǃgae bi tsî ǃkhō-oms ǃnâ ǁkhamisa gere ǁkhami kai bi. 22 Xawen ge ǀnîn âba ǁkhawa ge ǀomtsoatsoa.
Simsonni di ǁōb
23 Filisteǁîn di gao-aogu ge ge ǀhao ǁâudī-e dī tsî gu ǁîn elob Dagonna kai ǁguiba-e nî ǁguibase. ǁÎgu ge ge mî: “Sida elob ge sida khākhoeb Simsonni ǂama dansa go mā da.” 24-25 ǁÎn ge kaise dâ tsî ge mî: “Simsonna ǂgai îb ǁkhoaxasi-e hā dība da.” Simsonni ge ǃkhō-omsa xu a hā-ūhe, on ge ǁîba ǁkhoaxasi-e dī kai tsî ǂkhâǃnâhaikha ǁaegu ge mâ kai. Tsî Filisteǁîn ge ǁîban ge mûo, ǁîn di eloba ge koaǁnaeba: “Sida elob ge sida khākhoeb, sida ǃhūba hîkākā tsî ge ǂguin âda a ǃgammi ǂama dansa go mā da.” 26 Simsonni ge ǁîba ǃkhōǁôa hâ axaba ǃoa ge mî: “A ta tempeli ǁîkha ai a ǁapoǁaposa ǂkhâǃnâhaikha tsâǀkhā re, î ta ǁîkha ai ǃgâsen.” 27 Ommi ge aorekhoegu tsî tarekhoedi tsîn xa ge ǀoa hâ i. Hoa koro Filisteǁî gao-aogu ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i, tsî ommi ǂamǃnâs ain ge ǃnonaǀoadisi nî i khoegu tsî khoedi tsîna ge hâ i, Simsonni ra dī ǁkhoaxasina gere kōna.
28 Ob ge Simsonna ge ǀgore: “ǃKhū Elotse tita xa ǂâi re. Nē ǃnās ǀguisa ǁkhawa ǀgaiǀgai te re, î ta nē ǀgui dīb ǀkha Filisteǁîna ǀkhaobasen, ti mûran ge ūǂui ǃkhais ǃaroma.” 29 Simsonni ge ǁaegub ǃnâ mâ ǂkhâǃnâhaikha, ommi ǁîkha ai ǁapoǁapohe hâkha ge ǃkhō. ǀGuiba amǀkhāb ǁôab ǀkha tsî nauba ǁareǀkhāb ǁôab ǀkha ǃkhō 30 tsî ge ǃau: “A ta Filisteǁîn ǀkha ǁō re.” Tsîb ge ǁîb di ǀgaib hoab ǀkha ge ǂgae, tsîb ge omma Filisteǁîn di koro gao-aogu tsî ǁîb ǃnâ hâ khoen hoan ai ge ǃkhom. ǁNātib ge Simsonna ǁîb di ǁōb tawa, ûib âb ǃnâb ge ǃgam khoen xa ǃnāsa khoena ge ǃgam.
31 ǁÎb di ǃgâsagu tsî ǁîb di ǀaokhoen tsîn ge ǁîb di sorosa hā ge ū. Tsîn ge ū bi tsî Soras tsî Estaols tsîra ǁaegu, ǁîb îb Manoaxi di ǀhobas ǃnâ ge ǁkhō bi. Simsonni ge Israelǁîna ǀgamdisi kuriga ge ǂgaeǂgui.
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.
