Abehluleli 16

16 ¹USamsoni waya eGaza, wabona khona isifebe, walala naso. ²Kwathi abantu baseGaza bezwa kuthiwa: “USamsoni ufikile lapha,” bayihaqa indawo, bamlinda ubusuku bonke esangweni ledolobha. Bathula ubusuku bonke, bethi: “Lapho sekusa sizambulala.” ³USamsoni walala lapho kwaze kwaba phakathi kwamabili. Phakathi kwamabili wavuka, wabamba izivalo zesango ledolobha nezinsika zombili, wazidonsa kanye nomgoqo, waziphakamisela emahlombe akhe, wazithwala waziyisa esiqongweni sentaba ebhekene neHebroni.

⁴Emva kwalokhu wathanda owesifazane owayesesigodini saseSoreki, igama lakhe kwakunguDelila. ⁵Ababusi bamaFilisti beza kuye bathi: “Myenge uthole ukuthi amandla akhe amakhulu akuphi, nokuthi singamehlula kanjani simbophe ukuze simnqobe. Yilowo nalowo kithi uzakunika izinhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane nekhulu.”

⁶UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ngitshele ukuthi amandla akho amakhulu akuphi, nokuthi ungaboshwa unqotshwe kanjani.”

⁷USamsoni wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngezintambo zomnsalo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha, ezingakomi, ngizakuba buthakathaka ngibe njengamuntu nje.”

⁸Khona-ke ababusi bamaFilisti bamlethela izintambo zomnsalo eziyisikhombisa ezintsha, ezingakomi, wambopha ngazo. ⁹Wayenamadoda ayecathamele egumbini elingaphakathi. Wathi kuye: “AmaFilisti asekuwele, Samsoni!” Kodwa waziqhuma izintambo njengoba intambo yefilakisi iqhuma uma ithinta umlilo. Ngakho imfihlo yamandla akhe ayitholakalanga.

¹⁰UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ungihlekisile wangitshela amanga. Manje ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa kanjani.”

¹¹Wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngokuqinileyo ngezintambo ezintsha ezingakaze zisetshenziswe, ngizakuba buthakathaka, njengamuntu nje.”

¹²UDelila wathatha izintambo ezintsha wambopha ngazo, ethi: “Samsoni, amaFilisti asekuwele!” Amadoda ayecathamele egumbini elingaphakathi. Kodwa waziqhaqha izintambo ezingalweni zakhe njengentambo yokuthunga.

¹³UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ube ungihlekisa ungitshela amanga sonke lesi sikhathi. Ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa kanjani.” Wathi kuye: “Uma weluka izingxabo zekhanda lami eziyisikhombisa ndawonye nendwangu yoluko, uzibethele ngesikhonkwane, ngizakuba buthakathaka njengamuntu nje.”

¹⁴Wakubethela ngesikhonkwane wathi kuye: “Samsoni, amaFilisti asekuwele!” Kodwa waphaphama ebuthongweni bakhe wasikhipha isikhonkwane, noluko, nendwangu.

¹⁵Wathi: “Ungasho kanjani ukuthi ‘Ngiyakuthanda’ kanti inhliziyo yakho ayikho kimi? Kathathu ungihlekisile ungangitshelanga ukuthi amandla akho amakhulu akuphi.”

¹⁶Kwathi lapho emcindezela kakhulu ngamazwi akhe izinsuku ngezinsuku emncenga njalo, wakhathala kakhulu kwaze kwaba yilapho efisa ukufa. ¹⁷Ngakho wamtshela yonke inhliziyo yakhe: “Ayikho insingo eyake yathinta ikhanda lami, ngokuba ngingumNaziri kaBaba wethu kusukela esiswini sikamame. Uma ngiphuciwe, amandla ami ayangishiya, ngibe buthakathaka, njengamuntu nje.”

¹⁸Kwathi uDelila ebona ukuthi umtshele yonke inhliziyo yakhe, wathumela kwababusi bamaFilisti wathi: “Khuphukani futhi kanye, ngokuba ungitshele yonke inhliziyo yakhe.” Base bekhuphukela kuye nesiliva ezandleni zabo. ¹⁹Wamlalisa ubuthongo emadolweni akhe, wabiza indoda, wayenza yaphuca izingxabo zekhanda lakhe eziyisikhombisa. Waqala ukumnqoba, amandla akhe amshiya. ²⁰Wathi: “AmaFilisti asekuwele, Samsoni!” Waphaphama ebuthongweni bakhe wacabanga wathi: “Ngizaphuma njengakuqala ngizithukulule.” Kodwa wayengazi ukuthi uBaba wethu umshiyile.

²¹AmaFilisti ambamba, akhipha amehlo akhe, amletha eGaza. Ambopha ngamaketanga ethusi, wagaya amabele etilongweni. ²²Kodwa izinwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukukhula futhi emva kokuba ziphuciwe.

UBaba Uphinda Aqinise USamsoni Futhi

²³Ababusi bamaFilisti babuthana ukuba banikele umhlatshelo omkhulu kuDagoni unkulunkulu wabo nokuthokoza, bethi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu ezandleni zethu.” ²⁴Kwathi abantu bembona, badumisa unkulunkulu wabo, bethi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele isitha sethu ezandleni zethu, esachitha izwe lethu sandisa ababuleweyo bethu.”

²⁵Kwathi izinhliziyo zabo sezithokozile, bathi: “Bizani uSamsoni asijabulise.” Base bemletha uSamsoni etilongweni, wabajabulisa. Bammisa phakathi kwezinsika. ²⁶USamsoni wathi kumfana owayembambe isandla: “Ngivumele ngiphathe izinsika indlu eseme kuzo, ukuze ngencike kuzo.” ²⁷Indlu yayigcwele amadoda nabesifazane; bonke ababusi bamaFilisti babelapho, naphezu kophahla kwakukhona abangaba yizinkulungwane ezintathu, abesilisa nabesifazane, bebuka uSamsoni edlala. ²⁸USamsoni wayesebiza kuBaba wethu wathi: “O Baba oBusayo, ngikhumbule, ngiyakucela. Ngiqinise kungaleli kuphela, ukuze ngokushaya kunye ngilethe ubulungiswa phezu kwamaFilisti ngenxa yamehlo ami womabili.” ²⁹USamsoni wabamba izinsika zombili eziphakathi ezaziseke indlu, wazimisela ngazo, isandla sakhe sokunene kwenye, esokhohlo kwenye. ³⁰USamsoni wathi: “Mangife kanye namaFilisti.” Wasunduza ngawo wonke amandla akhe, indlu yawela phezu kwababusi nabo bonke abantu ababephakathi kwayo. Kanjalo ababulala ekufeni kwakhe baba baningi kunalabo ababulala esaphila.

³¹Abafowabo nendlu yonke kayise behla, bamthatha, bamkhuphula, bammbela phakathi kweSora ne-Eshitawoli ethuneni likayise uManowa. Wayahlulele u-Israyeli iminyaka engamashumi amabili.