1
Samsoni akaenda Gaza, akaona huko mwanamke kahaba, akaingia kwake.
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
2
Watu wa Gaza wakaambiwa, ya kwamba, huyo Samsoni amekuja huku. Wakamzingira, wakamvizia usiku kucha, penye lango la mji, wakanyamaza kimya usiku kucha, wakisema, Na tungoje mpaka mapambazuko, ndipo tutamwua.
When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
3
Basi Samsoni akalala hata usiku wa manane, akaondoka katikati ya usiku, akaishika milango ya lango la mji, na miimo yake miwili, akaing'oa pamoja na komeo lake, akajitwika mabegani, akavichukua hata kilele cha mlima ule unaokabili Hebroni.
But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
4
Ikawa baada ya hayo akampenda mwanamke mmoja katika bonde la Soreki, jina lake akiitwa Delila.
Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5
Nao wakuu wa Wafilisti wakamwendea, wakamwambia, Mbembeleze, upate kujua asili ya nguvu zake nyingi, na jinsi tutakavyoweza kumshinda, tupate kumfunga na kumtesa; nasi tutakupa kila mtu fedha elfu na mia moja.
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
6
Delila akamwambia Samsoni, Tafadhali uniambie asili ya nguvu zako nyingi, na jinsi uwezavyo kufungwa, ili uteswe.
So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7
Samsoni akamwambia, Wakinifunga kwa kamba mbichi saba ambazo hazijakauka bado, hapo ndipo nitakuwa dhaifu, nitakuwa kama wanadamu wenzangu.
Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”
8
Ndipo wakuu wa Wafilisti wakamletea kamba mbichi saba zisizokauka, naye akamfunga nazo.
So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
9
Na yule mwanamke alikuwa na watu katika chumba cha ndani, wakimwotea. Basi akamwambia Samsoni, Wafilisti wanakujia. Ndipo akazikata zile kamba kama vile uzi wa pamba ukatwavyo ukiguswa na moto. Basi hiyo asili ya nguvu zake haikujulikana.
While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.
10
Delila akamwambia Samsoni, Tazama, umenidhihaki, na kuniambia uongo; sasa tafadhali, niambie, waweza kufungwa kwa kitu gani?
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
11
Akamwambia Wakinifunga tu kwa kamba mpya ambazo mtu hakufanya kazi nazo, hapo ndipo nitakuwa dhaifu, nitakuwa kama wanadamu wenzangu.
He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.”
12
Basi Delila akatwaa kamba mpya akamfunga nazo, akamwambia, Wafilisti wanakujia, Samsoni. Na wale wenye kuotea walikuwa katika chumba cha ndani. Naye akazikata, akazitupa kutoka mikononi mwake kama uzi.
So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like they were threads.
13
Delila akamwambia Samsoni, Hata sasa umenidhihaki, umeniambia maneno ya uongo; niambie sasa, waweza kufungwa kwa kitu gani? Akamwambia, Ukivifuma hivi vishungi saba vya nywele za kichwa changu katika mtande wa nguo.
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”
14
Basi akazifunga kwa msumari, akamwambia Samsoni, Wafilisti wanakujia. Naye akaamka usingizini, akaung'oa ule msumari, na ule mtande.
So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.
15
Mwanamke akamwambia, Wawezaje kusema, Nakupenda; na moyo wako haupo pamoja nami? Umenidhihaki mara hizi tatu, wala hukuniambia asili ya nguvu zako nyingi.
“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
16
Ikawa, kwa vile alivyomsumbua kwa maneno yake kila siku, na kumwudhi, roho yake ikadhikika hata kufa.
Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,
17
Ndipo alipomwambia yote yaliyokuwa moyoni mwake, akamwambia, Wembe haukupita juu ya kichwa changu kamwe; maana mimi nimekuwa Mnadhiri wa Mungu, tangu tumboni mwa mama yangu; nikinyolewa, ndipo nguvu zangu zitanitoka, nami nitakuwa dhaifu, nitakuwa kama wanadamu wenzangu.
Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
18
Delila alipoona ya kuwa amemwambia yote yaliyokuwa moyoni mwake, akatuma mtu akawaita wakuu wa Wafilisti, akisema, Njoni huku mara hii tu, maana ameniambia yote aliyo nayo moyoni mwake. Ndipo wakuu wa Wafilisti wakamwendea wakachukua ile fedha mikononi mwao.
When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
19
Naye akamlaza usingizi magotini pake. Kisha akamwita mtu akavinyoa vile vishungi saba vya nywele za kichwa chake; akaanza kumsumbua, nguvu zake zikamtoka.
And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
20
Kisha akasema, Samsoni, Wafilisti wanakujia. Akaamka katika usingizi wake, akasema, Nitakwenda nje kama siku nyingine, na kujinyosha. Lakini hakujua ya kuwa Bwana amemwacha.
Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21
Wafilisti wakamkamata, wakamng'oa macho; wakatelemka naye mpaka Gaza, wakamfunga kwa vifungo vya shaba; naye alikuwa akisaga ngano katika gereza.
Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.
22
Lakini zile nywele za kichwa chake zikaanza kukua tena baada ya kunyolewa kwake.
However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.
23
Kisha wakuu wa Wafilisti wakakusanyika ili kumtolea sadaka Dagoni mungu wao, na kufurahi; maana walisema, Mungu wetu amemtia Samsoni adui wetu mikononi mwetu.
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
24
Na hao watu walipomwona wakamhimidi mungu wao, maana walisema, Mungu wetu amemtia mikononi mwetu huyu adui wetu, aliyeiharibu nchi yetu na kuwaua watu wengi miongoni mwetu.
And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”
25
Ikawa mioyo yao iliposhangilia, wakasema, Mwiteni Samsoni, ili atufanyie michezo. Basi wakamwita Samsoni atoke gerezani, akacheze mbele yao wakamweka katikati ya nguzo mbili.
And while their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him between the pillars.
26
Samsoni akamwambia yule kijana aliyemshika mkono, Niache nizipapase nguzo ambazo nyumba hii inazikalia, nipate kuzitegemea.
Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.”
27
Basi nyumba ile ilikuwa imejaa watu waume kwa wake; na wakuu wote wa Wafilisti walikuwamo humo, na juu ya dari palikuwa na watu elfu tatu waume kwa wake waliokuwa wakitazama, wakati Samsoni alipocheza.
Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.
28
Samsoni akamwita Bwana, akasema, Ee Bwana MUNGU, unikumbuke, nakuomba, ukanitie nguvu, nakuomba, mara hii tu, Ee Mungu, ili nipate kujilipiza kisasi juu ya Wafilisti kwa ajili ya macho yangu mawili.
Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”
29
Kisha Samsoni akazishika nguzo mbili za katikati ambazo nyumba ile ilikaa juu yake, akazitegemea, moja kwa mkono wake wa kuume na moja kwa mkono wake wa kushoto.
And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
30
Samsoni akasema; Na nife pamoja na hawa Wafilisti. Akainama kwa nguvu zake zote; ile nyumba ikawaangukia hao wakuu, na watu wote waliokuwa ndani yake. Basi wale watu aliowaua wakati wa kufa kwake walikuwa wengi kuliko wale aliowaua wakati wa uhai wake.
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life.
31
Ndipo ndugu zake, na watu wote wa nyumba ya baba yake wakatelemka, wakamtwaa wakamchukua, wakamzika kati ya Sora na Eshtaoli, katika kiwanja cha kuzikia cha Manoa baba yake. Naye alikuwa mwamuzi wa Israeli muda wa miaka ishirini.
Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.