USamsoni UseGaza
1Ngelinye ilanga uSamsoni waya eGaza, lapho wabona isifebe, walala naso. 2AbaseGaza batshelwa ukuthi: “USamsoni ufikile lapha.”
Bayizungeza indawo, bamlalela unyendle ubusuku bonke, esangweni lomuzi. Bathula ubusuku bonke, bethi: “Masilinde kuze kube nokukhanya kokusa, bese siyambulala.”
3USamsoni walala kwaze kwaba phakathi kwamabili, wavuka phakathi kobusuku wabamba iminyango yesango lomuzi nezinsika zalo zombili, wakubhoncula nomgoqo, wakuthwala emahlombe akhe, wenyukela nakho esicongweni sentaba eyayiphambi kweHebhroni.
USamsoni NoDelila
4Emveni kwalokho wathanda owesifazane wasesigodini iSoreki, igama lakhe kunguDelila. 5Amakhosi amaFilisti akhuphukela kuye, athi: “Yenga uSamsoni, uthole ukuthi yini amandla akhe emakhulu kangaka, nokuthi singamehlula kanjani ukuze simbophe, simnqobe; siyakukunika ngamunye izinhlamvu zesiliva eziyi-1 100.”
6UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ake ungitshele ukuthi yini ekwenza ube namandla amakhulu kangaka, nokuthi ungaboshwa kanjani ukuze unqotshwe, na?”
7USamsoni wathi kuye: “Uma bengangibopha ngezintambo ezintsha eziyisikhombisa ezingakomiswa, ngiyakuba ntekenteke, ngifane nawo wonke umuntu.”
8Amakhosi amaFilisti aletha kuye izintambo ezintsha eziyisikhombisa ezingakomiswa, wambopha ngazo. 9Amadoda ayesophe ukumbulala ayesegumbini lakhe elingaphakathi, elinde khona, wayesethi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni!”
Kepha wazigqabula kalula nje izintambo kwangathi umucu kahalibhoma lapho ushiswa ngumlilo. Ngakho-ke imfihlo yamandla akhe ayaziwanga.
10UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Uhlekise ngami, wangitshela amanga; ngiyakuncenga ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa kanjani.”
11Wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngezintambo ezintsha ezingakaze zisetshenziswe, khona ngiyoba ntekenteke, ngifane nawo wonke umuntu.”
12UDelila wayesethatha izintambo ezintsha wambopha ngazo, wayesethi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.”
Amadoda ayesophe ukumbulala ayesegumbini elingaphakathi. Wazigqabula izintambo ezingalweni zakhe kwangathi umucu kakotini.
13UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Kuze kube manje usahlekisa ngami, futhi ungitshela amanga; ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa kanjani, na?”
USamsoni wathi kuye: “Uma ungeluka amagoda ayisikhombisa ekhanda, uwahlanganisa nezintambo eziphothiwe, uwabethele esikhonkwaneni, ngizoba ntekenteke, ngifane nawo wonke umuntu.”
14Wawabethela-ke ngesikhonkwane, wathi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.”
Wavuka ebuthongweni bakhe, wasingcothula isikhonkwane nezintambo ezelukiweyo neziphiciweyo.
15UDelila wayesethi kuSamsoni: “Ungasho kanjani ukuthi uyangithanda, uma inhliziyo yakho ingenami, na? Usungikhohlise kwaze kwaba kathathu, awungitsheli ukuthi yini ekwenza ube namandla angaka.”
16Ekugcineni, emva kokumcindezela ngamazwi usuku nosuku, embelesele, waze wacikeka kakhulu uSamsoni.
17Ngakho-ke wayesemtshela yonke imfihlo yakhe, wathi kuye: “Ikhanda lami alikaze liphucwe ngensingo, ngokuba ngingumnaziri kaNkulunkulu kwasesibelethweni sikamame. Uma ngigundwa ayophela amandla ami, ngibe ntekenteke, ngifane nabo bonke abantu.”
18UDelila ebona ukuthi umtshele yonke imfihlo yakhe, wathumela wayobiza amakhosi amaFilisti, wathi kuwo: “Khuphukani, ngokuba manje usengitshele yonke imfihlo yakhe.”
Amakhosi amaFilisti enyuka eza kuye, ephethe isiliva ezandleni zawo. 19Wamlalisa emathangeni akhe, wayesebiza indoda, wamphuca amagoda ayisikhombisa ayesekhanda lakhe. Waqala ukumhlupha, amandla akhe asuka kuye.
20UDelila wayesethi: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.”
Lapho evuka ebuthongweni wathi: “Ngizophuma njengasesikhathini esedlule, ngizithintithe.”
Wayengazi ukuthi uSimakade umshiyile.
21AmaFilisti ambamba, amkhipha amehlo, amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngamaketanga ethusi. Wagwedla isigayo ejele. 22Izinwele ekhanda lakhe zaqala ukuhluma emveni kokuphucwa.
Ukufa KukaSamsoni
23Amakhosi amaFilisti abuthanela ukuzokwenza umhlatshelo omkhulu kunkulunkulu wawo uDagoni, nokuba athokoze, ngokuba ayethi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.”
24Lapho abantu bembona uSamsoni bamdumisa unkulunkulu wabo, bathi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele isitha sethu esandleni sethu, umchithi wezwe lakithi, nobulale abaningi bakithi.”
25Kwathi lapho izinhliziyo zabo sezeneme, bathi: “Bizani uSamsoni ukuze asidlalele.”
Bambiza-ke uSamsoni esejele, wadlala phambi kwabo, bambeka phakathi kwezinsika. 26USamsoni wathi ebhungwini elalimhola ngesandla: “Ngivumele ngithinte izinsika ezeseke ithempeli ukuze ngincike kuzo.”
27Indlu yayigcwele abesilisa nabesifazane, nawo wonke amakhosi amaFilisti, ophahleni kwakunabesilisa nabesifazane ababecishe babe yizi-3 000, ababebukela uSamsoni edlala.
28USamsoni wanxusa uSimakade, wathi: “Nkosi Simakade, ngiyakucela, ngikhumbule, ngiqinise kube kanye, Nkulunkulu, ukuze ngiziphindisele kumaFilisti ngempindiselo eyodwa nje ngenxa yamehlo ami omabili.”
29USamsoni wazibamba izinsika ezimbili eziphakathi, ezaziphase indlu, wencika kuzo, isandla sakhe sesokunene sikweyodwa insika nesokhohlo sikwenye. 30USamsoni wathi: “Mangife namaFilisti.”
Wazidudula ngamandla akhe wonke; indlu yawela phezu kwamakhosi, nabo bonke abantu ababekuyo. Ngakho-ke labo ababulala ngesikhathi sokufa kwakhe babebaningi kunalabo ababulala esaphila.
31Kwase kwehla abafowabo, nabo bonke abendlu kayise, bamthatha, bakhuphuka naye, bamngcwaba phakathi kweZora ne-Eshithawoli, ethuneni likaManowa, uyise. Wayehlulele u-Israyeli iminyaka engama-20.
