Judges 16

16 ¹Samson go Gaza, and for there e see one ashawo woman, and e sleep with am. ²As di people of Gaza hear say, "Samson don come here," dem surround di place, and dem wait for am di whole night for di city gate. Dem keep quiet di whole night, dey talk say, "When morning break, we go kill am." ³Samson lie down there till midnight. For midnight e wake up, grab di doors of di city gate and di two posts, pull dem comot with di bar, put dem for im shoulder, and carry dem go di top of di hill wey face Hebron.

⁴After dis one, e come love one woman for di Valley of Sorek, wey dem dey call Delilah. ⁵Di Philistine rulers come meet am, dem talk say, "Coax am make you find out where im big power dey come from, and how we fit overpower am and tie am make we bring am down. Each of us go give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

⁶Delilah talk give Samson say, "Abeg tell me where your big power dey come from, and how dem fit tie you down and bring you low."

⁷Samson tell am say, "If dem tie me with seven fresh bowstrings wey never dry, I go weak and I go be like any oda man."

⁸So di Philistine rulers bring seven fresh bowstrings wey never dry give am, and she tie am with dem. ⁹Now she get men wey dey hide dey wait for di inside room. She talk give am say, "Samson, di Philistines don catch you!" But e snap di bowstrings, di way one thread of flax dey snap when fire touch am. So dem no fit discover di secret of im power.

¹⁰Delilah talk give Samson say, "You don play me for mumu and tell me lie. Now tell me how dem fit tie you down."

¹¹E tell am say, "If dem tie me tight with new rope wey dem never use before, I go weak, like any oda man."

¹²Delilah take new rope tie am, and she talk say, "Samson, di Philistines don catch you!" Men dey hide dey wait for di inside room. But e tear di rope comot for im arm like thread.

¹³Delilah talk give Samson say, "Till now you still dey play me for mumu and tell me lie. Tell me how dem fit tie you down." E talk give am say, "If you weave di seven plait of my head enter di loom cloth and pin am tight, I go weak like any oda man."

¹⁴She fasten am with di pin and talk give am say, "Samson, di Philistines don catch you!" But e wake up from im sleep and pull out di pin, di loom, and di cloth.

¹⁵She talk say, "How you fit dey talk say 'I love you' when your heart no dey with me? Three times now you don play me for mumu and you no tell me where your big power dey come from."

¹⁶As she dey press am hard with her words every day and dey worry am, im heart come tire finish reach say e wish say make e just die. ¹⁷So e open im whole heart tell am say: "No razor never touch my head, because I be Nazirite of our Papa from my mama belle. If dem shave me, my power go comot from me, and I go weak, like any oda man."

¹⁸As Delilah see say e don tell am im whole heart, she send message go call di Philistine rulers say, "Come up one more time, because e don tell me im whole heart." So dem come up meet am with di silver for dem hand. ¹⁹She make am sleep for her knee, call one man, and make am shave di seven plait of im head. She come start to bring am down, and im power comot from am. ²⁰She talk say, "Samson, di Philistines don catch you!" E wake up from im sleep and e think say, "I go comot like before and shake myself free." But e no know say our Papa don leave am.

²¹Di Philistines catch am, pluck out im two eyes, and carry am go Gaza. Dem tie am with bronze chain, and e dey grind grain for di prison. ²²But di hair of im head start to grow again after dem don shave am.

Our Papa Give Samson Power Again

²³Di Philistine rulers gather to offer one big sacrifice to Dagon dem god and to celebrate, dem talk say, "Our god don hand Samson our enemy give us." ²⁴As di people see am, dem praise dem god, dem talk say, "Our god don hand our enemy over, di one wey destroy our land and kill plenty of our people."

²⁵As dem heart dey merry, dem talk say, "Call Samson make e entertain us." So dem bring Samson comot from di prison, and e entertain dem. Dem stand am between di pillars. ²⁶Samson talk give di boy wey hold im hand say, "Make I touch di pillars wey di house dey stand on, so I fit lean on dem." ²⁷Di house full with men and women; all di Philistine rulers dey there, and for di roof about 3,000 men and women dey watch Samson as e dey entertain dem. ²⁸Then Samson call our Papa say: "O Sovereign Papa, abeg remember me. Give me power just dis one time, so that with one blow I fit bring justice on di Philistines for my two eyes." ²⁹Samson grab di two center pillars wey dey hold di house, and e brace against dem, im right hand for one, im left hand for di oda one. ³⁰Samson talk say, "Make I die with di Philistines." E push with all im power, and di house fall on di rulers and all di people wey dey inside. So e kill more people for im death pass wetin e kill for im life.

³¹Im brothers and all im papa household come down, take am, carry am go up, and bury am between Zorah and Eshtaol for im papa Manoah tomb. E don judge Israel for twenty years.