ABAHLULELI 16

₁USamsoni waya eGaza; wabona lapho isifebe, wangena kuso.

₂Kwathiwa kumaGaza: USamsoni ufikile lapha. Bamhaqa, bamqamekela ubusuku bonke esangweni lomuzi; bathula ubusuku bonke, bathi: Makube-sekukhanyeni kokusa; khona siyakumbulala.

₃USamsoni walala kwaze kwaba-phakathi kwamabili; wavuka phakathi kobusuku, wabamba izivalo zesango lomuzi nezinsika zombili, wazincothula kanye nomgoqo, wazibeka emahlombe akhe, wazikhuphulela esiqongweni sentaba ephambi kweHebroni.

₄Kwathi ngasemuva wathanda owesifazane esiGodini saseSoreki ogama lakhe lalinguDelila.

₅Amakhosi amaFilisti enyukela kuye, athi kuye: Myenge, ubone ukuthi amandla akhe amakhulu aphi nokuthi singamahlula ngani ukuba simbophe, simnqobe; siyakukunika, kube-yilowo nalowo, izinhlamvu eziyinkulungwane nekhulu zesiliva.

₆UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: Ake ungitshele ukuthi amandla akho amakhulu aphi nokuthi ungaboshwa ngani, unqotshwe.

₇USamsoni wathi kuye: Uma bengibopha ngezinsinga eziyisikhombisa ezimanzi ezingakomi, ngiyakuba-buthakathaka, ngibe-njengomunye umuntu.

₈Amakhosi amaFilisti ayeseletha kuye izinsinga eziyisikhombisa ezimanzi ezingakomi, wambopha ngazo.

₉Wayenabaqamekeli behlezi ekamelweni eliphakathi. Wayesethi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni. Wayesegqabula izinsinga njengentambo yefilakisi* igqatshulwa, lapho izwa umlilo. Ngalokho amandla akhe awaziwanga.

₁₀Wayesethi uDelila kuSamsoni: Bheka, udlalé ngami, wangitshela amanga; ake ungitshele manje ukuthi ungaboshwa ngani.

₁₁Wathi kuye: Uma bengibopha ngamagoda amasha okungasetshenziwanga ngawo, ngiyakuba-buthakathaka, ngibenjengomunye umuntu.

₁₂UDelila wayesethatha amagoda amasha, wambopha ngawo, wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni. Abaqamekeli babehlezi ekamelweni eliphakathi. Wawagqabula ezingalweni zakhe njengomucwana.

₁₃UDelila wayesethi kuSamsoni: Kuze kube-manje udlalé ngami, wangitshela amanga; ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa ngani. Wathi kuye: Uma weluka amagoda ayisikhombisa ekhanda lami nezintambo zakho zokwelukwa.

₁₄Wawabethela-ke ngesikhonkwane, wathi kuye: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni. Wavuka ebuthongweni, wasincothula isikhonkwane sokweluka nezintambo zokwelukwa.

₁₅Wayesethi kuye: Ungasho kanjani ukuthi uyangithanda, nxa inhliziyo yakho ingenami na? Usudlalé ngami kathathu, awungitshelanga ukuthi amandla akho aphi.

₁₆Kwathi lapho emcindezela yonke imihla ngamazwi akhe, emgqugquza, wakhathazeka umphefumulo wakhe kwaze kwaba-sekufeni.

₁₇Wamtshela inhliziyo yakhe yonke, wathi kuye: Akuthintanga-mpuco ekhanda lami, ngokuba bengingumNaziri* kaNkulunkulu kwasesizalweni sikamame; uma ngiphuculwa, amandla ami ayakumuka kimi, ngiyakuba-buthakathaka, ngibe-njengomunye umuntu.

₁₈UDelila wabona ukuthi wayemtshelile yonke inhliziyo yakhe; wathuma wawabiza amakhosi amaFilisti, wathi: Yenyukani kalokhu, ngokuba ungitshelile yonke inhliziyo yakhe. Ayesenyukela kuye amakhosi amaFilisti, aletha imali esandleni sawo.

₁₉Wamlalisa ubuthongo emathangeni akhe, wabiza umuntu, waphucula amagoda ayisikhombisa ekhanda lakhe; waqala ukumhlupha, amandla akhe amuka kuye.

₂₀Wathi: AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni. Wavuka ebuthongweni, wathi: Ngiyakuphuma njengangezinye izikhathi, ngizithintithe. Kepha wayengazi ukuthi uJehova wayemukile kuye.

₂₁AmaFilisti ambamba, awakhipha amehlo akhe; amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngamaketanga; wasila etilongweni.

₂₂Nokho izinwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukuhluma futhi esephuculiwe.

₂₃Amakhosi amaFilisti abuthana ukuba ahlabele uDagoni unkulunkulu wawo umhlatshelo omkhulu, athokoze, ngokuba athi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.

₂₄Abantu bambona, bamtusa unkulunkulu wabo, ngokuba bathi: Unkulunkulu wethu unikele esandleni sethu isitha sethu nomchithi wezwe lakithi obulele abaningi phakathi kwethu.

₂₅Kwathi lapho izinhliziyo zabo sezesasile, bathi: Mbizeni uSamsoni ukuba asidlalele. Bambiza uSamsoni esetilongweni, wadlala phambi kwabo, bambeka phakathi kwezinsika.

₂₆USamsoni wathi kumfana owayembambé ngesandla: Ngivumele ukuphatha izinsika indlu emi ngazo ukuba ngencike kuzo.

₂₇Indlu yayigcwele abesilisa nabesifazane; namakhosi onke amaFilisti ayelapho; ophahleni kwakukhona abantu kungathi abayizinkulungwane ezintathu, abesilisa nabesifazane, ababebukela ukudlala kukaSamsoni.

₂₈USamsoni wakhala kuJehova, wathi: Nkosi Nkulunkulu, ake ungikhumbule, ungiqinise kube-kanye kuphela, Nkulunkulu, ukuba ngiphindise kumaFilisti ngempindiselo ibenye ngenxa yamehlo ami omabili.

₂₉USamsoni wayesebamba izinsika ezimbili eziphakathi eyayimi ngazo indlu, wencika kuzo, kwenye ngesandla sokunene, kwenye ngesokhohlo.

₃₀USamsoni wathi: Mangife namaFilisti. Wakhothama ngamandla akhe onke, indlu yawela phezu kwamakhosi naphezu kwabo bonke abantu ababekuyo. Abafileyo ababulalayo ekufeni kwakhe babebaningi kunabo ababulalayo ekuhambeni kwakhe.

₃₁Base behla abafowabo nayo yonke indlu kayise, bamthatha, bamenyusa, bammbela phakathi kweSora ne-Eshitawoli ethuneni likaManowa uyise. Wamahlulela uIsrayeli iminyaka engamashumi amabili.