1
Wana wa Israeli wakafanya tena yaliyo mabaya mbele za macho ya Bwana, Bwana akawatia katika mikono ya Wafilisti, muda wa miaka arobaini.
Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2
Palikuwa na mtu mmoja wa Sora, wa jamaa ya Wadani; jina lake akiitwa Manoa; na mkewe alikuwa tasa, hakuzaa watoto.
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
3
Malaika wa Bwana akamtokea yule mwanamke, akamwambia, Tazama, wewe sasa u tasa, huzai; lakini utachukua mimba, nawe utamzaa mtoto mwanamume.
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
4
Basi sasa, jihadhari, nakuomba, usinywe divai wala kileo, wala usile kitu kilicho najisi;
Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5
kwani tazama, utachukua mimba, nawe utamzaa mtoto mwanamume; na wembe usipite juu ya kichwa chake; maana mtoto huyo atakuwa mnadhiri wa Mungu tangu tumboni; naye ataanza kuwaokoa Israeli na mikono ya Wafilisti.
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6
Ndipo yule mwanamke akaenda akamwambia mume wake, akisema, Mtu wa Mungu alinijia, na uso wake ulikuwa kama uso wa malaika wa Mungu, wa kutisha sana; nami sikumwuliza, Umetoka wapi? Wala hakuniambia jina lake;
So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7
lakini aliniambia, Tazama, utachukua mimba, nawe utamzaa mtoto mwanamume; basi sasa, usinywe divai wala kileo, wala usile kitu kilicho najisi. Maana mtoto huyo atakuwa Mnadhiri wa Mungu tangu tumboni, hata siku ya kufa kwake.
But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
8
Ndipo huyo Manoa akamwomba Bwana, akisema, Ee Bwana, nakuomba, yule mtu wa Mungu uliyemtuma na aje kwetu mara ya pili, atufundishe hayo yatupasayo kumfanyia huyo mtoto atakayezaliwa.
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
9
Mungu akasikiza sauti ya Manoa; naye malaika wa Mungu akamwendea yule mwanamke tena alipokuwa anaketi shambani; lakini mumewe, Manoa, hakuwapo pamoja naye.
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10
Basi huyo mwanamke akaenda haraka, akapiga mbio, na kumwambia mumewe, akisema, Tazama, huyo mtu amenitokea, huyo aliyenijilia siku ile.
The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”
11
Basi Manoa akainuka, akamwandama mkewe, na kumfikilia mtu huyo, akamwuliza, Je! Wewe ndiwe mtu yule aliyenena na huyu mwanamke? Akasema, Naam, ni mimi.
So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.
12
Manoa akasema, Basi sasa hayo maneno yako yatakapotimia, je! Huyo mtoto atakuwa wa namna gani, na kazi yake itakuwa ni nini?
Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
13
Malaika wa Mungu akamwambia Manoa, Katika hayo yote niliyomwambia huyo mwanamke na ajihadhari.
So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.
14
Asile kitu cho chote kitokacho katika mzabibu, wala asinywe divai, wala mvinyo, wala asile kitu cho chote kilicho najisi; hayo yote niliyomwamuru na ayatunze.
She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15
Kisha Manoa akamwambia huyo malaika wa Bwana, Nakuomba, tukuzuie, ili tupate kuandaa mwana-mbuzi kwa ajili yako.
“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
16
Lakini malaika wa Bwana akamwambia Manoa, Ujapokuwa wanizuia, sitakula katika mkate wako; na kwamba wataka kufanya tayari sadaka ya kuteketezwa, inakupasa kumsongezea Bwana. Kwa kuwa Manoa hakujua ya kwamba yeye ni malaika wa Bwana.
And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.
17
Manoa akamwambia huyo malaika wa Bwana, Jina lako ni nani, ili kwamba hapo hayo maneno yako yatakapotimia nipate kukutukuza?
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
18
Huyo malaika wa Bwana akamwambia, Kwani wewe kuniuliza jina langu, kwa kuwa jina hilo ni la ajabu?
“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
19
Basi Manoa akamtwaa yule mwana-mbuzi, pamoja na sadaka ya unga, akamtolea Bwana hapo juu ya mwamba; huyo malaika akatenda la ajabu; Manoa na mkewe wakaangalia.
Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.
20
Kwa maana, ikawa, mara huo mwali wa moto ulipopaa juu mbinguni kutoka pale madhabahuni, huyo malaika wa Bwana akapaa katika mwali wa moto wa madhabahu; nao Manoa na mkewe wakaangalia; wakainama kifudifudi.
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.
21
Lakini malaika wa Bwana hakumtokea Manoa tena, wala mkewe. Ndipo Manoa alipojua ya kwamba ndiye malaika wa Bwana.
And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.
22
Manoa akamwambia mkewe, Hakika yetu tutakufa sisi, kwa sababu tumemwona Mungu.
“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
23
Lakini mkewe akamwambia, Kama Bwana angetaka kutuua hangepokea sadaka ya kuteketezwa, wala sadaka ya unga, mikononi mwetu, wala hangetuonyesha mambo hayo yote, wala hangetuambia mambo kama hayo wakati huu.
But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
24
Basi yule mwanamke akamzaa mtoto mwanamume akamwita jina lake Samsoni, mtoto huyu akakua, Bwana akambarikia.
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25
Roho ya Bwana ikaanza kumtaharakisha katika Mahane-dani, katikati ya Sora na Eshtaoli.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.