Judges - Chapter 16

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

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

Verse 3: USamsoni 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.

Verse 4: Kwathi ngasemuva wathanda owesifazane esiGodini saseSoreki ogama lakhe lalinguDelila.

Verse 5: Amakhosi 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.”

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

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

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

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

Verse 10: Wayesethi uDelila kuSamsoni: “Bheka, udlale ngami, wangitshela amanga; ake ungitshele manje ukuthi ungaboshwa ngani.”

Verse 11: Wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngamagoda amasha okungasetshenziwanga ngawo, ngiyakuba buthakathaka, ngibe njengomunye umuntu.”

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

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

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

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

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

Verse 17: Wamtshela 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.”

Verse 18: UDelila 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.

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

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

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

Verse 22: Nokho izinwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukuhluma futhi esephuculiwe.

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

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

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

Verse 26: USamsoni wathi kumfana owayembambe ngesandla: “Ngivumele ukuphatha izinsika indlu emi ngazo ukuba ngencike kuzo.”

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

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

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

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

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