USamsoni noDelila
1USamsoni waya eGaza. Wafika lapho wabona ingwadla, wayingena. 2Abantu beGaza batjelwa kwathiwa: “Kazi uSamsoni ulapha.” Bazombeleza indawo leyo bamlalela ubusuku boke esangweni ledorobho. Bathula bathi du ubusuku boke bazitjela bathi: “Asilindeni bekuse bese siyambulala.” 3Kodwana uSamsoni walala lapho bekwaba kuphakathi kobusuku. Wavuka khonokho, wabamba iminyango yesango ledorobho wayisiphula namagosenayo amabili kanye nesiqabo sakhona, wakutjatha koke lokho emahlombe, wakhamba nakho esiqongolweni sentaba ephambi kweRhebroni.
4Ngemva kwalokho waba nelihlo emntazaneni wemrhobeni weSorekhi ebekuthiwa nguDelila. 5Ababusi beemfunda zamaFilista beza kuDelila bathi kuye: “Msomasome ufumane bonyana amandlakhe akuphi. Khona-ke thina sizambamba, simbophe, simhlule. Omunye nomunye wethu uzokunikela iimpaparwana ezimakhulu alitjhumi nanye zesiliva.”
6UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ngiyakubawa, akhese ungitjele bonyana amandlakho amakhulu akuphi. Umuntu angakubopha njani ukuze akuhlule na?”
7USamsoni wathi kuye: “Nange ngingabotjhwa ngemikhwepha elikhomba emitjha nengakonyiswa, ngiyakutjela ngizokuphela amandla ngibe njengaye woke umuntu.”
8Yeke ababusi beemfunda zamaFilista balethela uDelila imikhwepha elikhomba emitjha nengakonyiswa, wambopha ngayo. 9Gade asele abeke amadoda alalele uSamsoni ngelawini elinye. Warhuwelela wathi kuSamsoni: “Nako amaFilista phezu kwakho Samsoni!” Kodwana uSamsoni wavuthula imikhwepha leyo kwaba njengalokha umtiya welineni nawuzwa umlilo. Ngaleyondlela ifihlakalo yamandlakhe azange yaziwe.
10UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Qala, ungenze ukeke, wangitjela amala. Akhese ungitjele bona ungabotjhwa njani.”
11USamsoni wathi kuye: “Nange bangibopha ngeentambo ezitja ezingazange zisetjenziswe, ngizokuphela amandla bese ngibe njengaye woke umuntu.”
12UDelila wathatha iintambo ezitja wambopha ngazo warhuwelela wathi kuye: “Nako amaFilista phezu kwakho Samsoni!” Amadoda gade amlalele ngelawini elinye. Kodwana wavuthula iintambezo emkhonwenakhe kwanga mumucwana.
13UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Bekube gadesi usalokho ungenza ukeke, ungitjela amala. Ngitjela bona ungabotjhwa njani.”
Yena wathi kuye: “Nawungalukelela imiyekwami elikhomba ehloko hlangana nemicu yeenkoteni bese uyiqinisa ngesikhonkhwani, khona-ke ngizakuphela amandla, ngibe njengaye woke umuntu.”
Kwathi asalele, uDelila wathatha imiyeko elikhomba ehlokwakhe wayilukelela hlangana nemicu yeenkoteni 14bese wayiqinisa ngesikhonkhwani. Warhuwelela wathi kuye: “Nako amaFilista phezu kwakho Samsoni!” Kodwana wavuka ebuthongweni, wasiphula isikhonkhwani somphekgho womluki kanye neenkoteni.
15UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ungatjho njani uthi uyangithanda khibe ihliziywakho ayikho kimapha? Sele ungenze ukeke bekwaba kathathu, awufuni ukungitjela bonyana akuphi amandlakho amakhulu!”
16Kwathi uDelila nalokhu amngena ngendlebeni ngelizwi lakhelo, uSamsoni wadineka kokufa. 17Wagcina amtjela soke isifuba sakhe wathi: “Azange khengithintwe ngotjhefana ehloko ngombana ngaba mnaziri kuZimu ngisese sesibelethweni sakamma. Nange ngingagudwa, amandlami azokhamba, ngiphelelwe bese ngibe njengaye woke umuntu.”
18UDelila wathi angabona bonyana kwanjesi umtjele soke isifuba sakhe, wathumela igama bona kubizwe ababusi beemfunda zamaFilista, wathi: “Yenikhuphuke msinyana ngombana kwanje khona, uyikhuphe ngonina ifihlakalwakhe.” Yeke ababusi beemfunda zamaFilista bakhuphukela kuye, beza baphethe iimpaparwana. 19UDelila wayenga uSamsoni bona alale emathangenakhe. Wabiza indoda ethileko bona agude imiyeko elikhomba ehloko kaSamsoni phambi kwayo. Ngaleyondlela uDelila wenza bona uSamsoni abe buthakathaka, amandlakhe amtjhiya. 20Nje-ke warhuwelela wathi kuye: “AmaFilista aphezu kwakho Samsoni!” USamsoni wavuka ebuthongweni wadlumbana bona uzakuphuma njengemhleni, azitjhaphulule. Gade angazi bonyana uSomnini sele amtjhiyile. 21AmaFilista ambamba amgobhodlha amehlo. Ambopha ngeenketani zekoporo, amehlisela eGaza. Umsebenzakhe kwaba kugaya ikoroyi ejele. 22Kodwana iinhluthu ehlokwakhe zathoma ukumila godu ngemva kokugudwa kwazo.
Ukuhlongakala kwakaSamsoni
23Ababusi beemfunda zamaFilista bahlangana ndawonye kobana benzele uDagoni usingazimabo umhlatjelo omkhulu begodu bajekezele ngombana bathi: “Uzimethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.”
24Lokha abantu nababona uSamsoni, badumisa usingazimabo ngombana bathi:
“Uzimethu unikele esandleni sethu,
isitha sethu okumbhubhisi wenarhethu
obulele inengi lethu.”
25Kwathi nasele iinhliziyo zabo zithabile, bathi: “Bizani uSamsoni bona azosidlalela.” Yeke babiza uSamsoni ngejele. Bamjamisa hlangana neensika ezimbili zethempeli kobana abadlalele. 26USamsoni wathi emsaneni omdosako: “Yewungidosele eensikeni ezisekele ithempeleli bese ungithintisa zona ukuze ngizesame ngazo.”
27Ithempeli beligcwele amadoda nabafazi. Ephahleni lethempeli gade kunabantu abapheze babe ziinkulungwana ezintathu ebegade bazokubukela uSamsoni nadlalako. Nababusi beemfunda ezihlanu zamaFilista gade balapho.
28USamsoni wabiza uSomnini wathi: “Somnini Somandla, ngibawa bona uSomnini akhumbule abakwenza kimi. Zimu, ngibawa ungiphe amandla sekube namhlanjesi kwaphela ukuze ngizibuyiselele kumaFilista ngebanga lalinye lamehlwami.”
29USamsoni wabamba iinsika ezimbili ezisekele ithempeli. Isandla sakhe sokugoma saba kenye nesobuncele saba kenye. 30Wathi: “Angife namaFilista!” Wasunduza iinsikezo ngamandlakhe woke, ithempeli lawela phezu kwababusi naphezu kwabo boke abantu ebegade bangapho. Abantu ababulala nafako gade bangaphezu kwalabo ababulala nasaphilako.
31Abafowabo nawo woke umndeni wekhabo beza, bamthatha banyuka naye bambulungela phakathi kweTsora ne-Etjhitawoli ethuneni lakaManowarhi uyise. Gade akhokhele ama-Israyeli iminyaka ematjhumi amabili.
