uBaba Ukhulula ngoSamsoni
Lapho enqatshelwa umkakhe, uSamsoni ushisa isivuno samaFilisti ngezimpungushe ezingamakhulu amathathu, bona bamshise yena noyise bephila. UJuda umnikela eboshiwe, kodwa uMoya kaBaba wethu uyehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla futhi umhlathi ushiya abayinkulungwane befile. Bese, efa ukoma, uyakhala.
15 1Kwathi emva kwesikhathi, ngesikhathi sokuvunwa kukakolweni, uSamsoni wayovakashela umkakhe ephethe izinyane lembuzi, wathi: “Ake ngingene kumkami, ekamelweni lakhe.” Kodwa uyise womfazi akavumanga ukuba angene.
2Uyise wathi: “Bengithi uyamzonda nokumzonda, ngakho ngimnike umngane wakho. Udadewabo omncane akamuhle kakhulu kunaye yini? Thatha yena esikhundleni sakhe.”
3USamsoni wathi kubo: “Ngalesi sikhathi anginacala kumaFilisti uma ngibenzela okubi.” 4USamsoni wahamba wabamba izimpungushe ezingamakhulu amathathu, wathatha izikhuni zomlilo, wabhekanisa imisila yazo, wabopha isikhuni esisodwa phakathi kwemisila emibili. 5Wayesebasa izikhuni, wazidedela izimpungushe emabeleni amaFilisti amile, washisa amabele abuthelwe ndawonye, namabele amile, nezivini nezivande zeminqumo.
6AmaFilisti abuza athi: “Ngubani owenze lokhu?” Bathi: “NguSamsoni, umkhwenyana waseThimina, ngokuba owaseThimina uthathe umkaSamsoni, wamnika umngane wakhe.” Ngakho enyuka amshisa ngomlilo yena noyise.
7USamsoni wathi kubo: “Njengoba nenza kanje, angiyikuyeka ngize ngiphindisele kini.” 8Wababulala, inyonga nethanga, kwaba ukubulala okukhulu, wandukuba wehlele ukuyohlala emfantwini wedwala lase-Etamu. 9AmaFilisti enyuka amisa izinkamba kwaJuda, ahlasela kwaze kwaba seLehi.
10Amadoda akwaJuda abuza athi: “Nisihlaselelani?” Bathi: “Size ukubopha uSamsoni, ukwenza kuye njengoba enzile kithi.”
11Amadoda ayizinkulungwane ezintathu akwaJuda ehlela emfantwini wedwala lase-Etamu, athi kuSamsoni: “Awazi yini ukuthi amaFilisti ayasibusa? Usenzeleni lokhu?” Waphendula wathi: “Ngenze kubo kuphela lokho abakwenzile kimi.”
12Athi: “Size ukukubopha, sikunikele kumaFilisti.” USamsoni wathi: “Fungani ukuthi nina ngokwenu ngeke ningibulale.”
13Athi: “Kulungile. Sizokubopha nje sikunikele—hhayi ukukubulala.” Ayesembopha ngezintambo ezimbili ezintsha, amkhuphula edwaleni.
14Lapho efika eLehi, amaFilisti amhlangabeza ememeza. UMoya kaBaba wethu wehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla; izintambo ezazisezingalweni zakhe zaba njengeflakisi elishiswe ngomlilo, nezibopho zakhe zancibilika ezandleni zakhe. 15Wathola umhlathi omusha wembongolo, welula isandla wawuthatha, wabulala ngawo amadoda ayinkulungwane. 16USamsoni wathi: “Ngomhlathi wembongolo, inqwaba phezu kwenqwaba; ngomhlathi wembongolo ngibulele amadoda ayinkulungwane.” a a v16 IsiHebheru lapha sidlala ngamagama: igama elithi “imbongolo” nelithi “inqwaba” azwakala efana, ngakho ukuqhosha kukaSamsoni kuzwakala kungathi: “ngomhlathi wembongolo ngibenze izinqwaba ezinjengezembongolo.” 17Kwathi eseqedile ukukhuluma, waphonsa umhlathi esandleni sakhe; leyo ndawo yathiwa igama uRamati-lehi. b b v17 URamati-lehi usho “ukuphakama komhlathi” — leyo ndawo yaqanjwa ngesikhali uSamsoni asilahla khona.
18Wayesomile kakhulu, wakhala kuBaba wethu wathi: “Wena unikeze lokhu kunqoba okukhulu ngesandla senceku yakho. Manje kufanele ngife yini ngokoma, ngiwele ezandleni zabangasokanga?”
19Ngakho uBaba wethu wavula umgodi owawuseLehi; kwampompoza amanzi. Kwathi uSamsoni esephuzile, umoya wakhe wabuya, wavuseleleka. Ngakho umthombo wathiwa igama u-Eni-hakhore, osekhona eLehi kuze kube namuhla. c c v19 U-Eni-hakhore usho “umthombo walowo owamemezayo” — waqanjwa ngokukhala kukaSamsoni kuYise, okwaphendulwa nguYise ngamanzi. 20USamsoni wahlulela u-Israyeli iminyaka engamashumi amabili ezinsukwini zamaFilisti.
