Samson and the Woman from Timnah
1 One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he noticed a certain young Philistine woman. 2 He went back home and told his father and mother, “There is a Philistine woman down at Timnah who caught my attention. Get her for me; I want to marry her.”
3 But his father and mother asked him, “Why do you have to go to those heathen Philistines to get a wife? Can't you find someone in our own clan, among all our people?”
But Samson told his father, “She is the one I want you to get for me. I like her.”
4 His parents did not know that it was the Lord who was leading Samson to do this, for the Lord was looking for a chance to fight the Philistines. At this time the Philistines were ruling Israel.
5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. As they were going through the vineyards there, he heard a young lion roaring. 6 Suddenly the power of the Lord made Samson strong, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his parents what he had done.
7 Then he went and talked to the young woman, and he liked her. 8 A few days later Samson went back to marry her. On the way he left the road to look at the lion he had killed, and he was surprised to find a swarm of bees and some honey inside the dead body. 9 He scraped the honey out into his hands and ate it as he walked along. Then he went to his father and mother and gave them some. They ate it, but Samson did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the dead body of a lion.
10 His father went to the woman's house, and Samson gave a banquet there. This was a custom among the young men. 11 When the Philistines saw him, they sent thirty young men to stay with him. 12-13 Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. I'll bet each one of you a piece of fine linen and a change of fine clothes that you can't tell me its meaning before the seven days of the wedding feast are over.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let's hear it.”
14 He said,
“Out of the eater came something to eat;
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
Three days later they had still not figured out what the riddle meant.
15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, “Trick your husband into telling us what the riddle means. If you don't, we'll set fire to your father's house and burn you with it. You two invited us so that you could rob us, didn't you?”
16 So Samson's wife went to him in tears and said, “You don't love me! You just hate me! You told my friends a riddle and didn't tell me what it means!”
He said, “Look, I haven't even told my father and mother. Why should I tell you?” 17 She cried about it for the whole seven days of the feast. But on the seventh day he told her what the riddle meant, for she nagged him so about it. Then she told the Philistines. 18 So on the seventh day, before Samson went into the bedroom, the men of the city said to him,
“What could be sweeter than honey?
What could be stronger than a lion?”
Samson replied,
“If you hadn't been plowing with my cow,
You wouldn't know the answer now.”
19 Suddenly the power of the Lord made him strong, and he went down to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty men, stripped them, and gave their fine clothes to the men who had solved the riddle. After that, he went back home, furious about what had happened, 20 and his wife was given to the man that had been his best man at the wedding.
Samuuda la futuwo
1 Luŋ kiliŋ, Samuuda taata Timuna saatewo to. A ye Filisitinka sunkutoo doo le je jee, meŋ na kuwo ye a ñaabo. 2 Bituŋ kabiriŋ a muruta, a ye a la kuwo fo a baa niŋ a faa ye. A ko ì ye ko, “Ŋa sunkutoo doo le je Filisitinka sunkutoolu kono Timuna saatewo to. Dukaree, ali a ñini n ye ka a futuu.” 3 Bari a baa niŋ a faa ko a ye ko, “Fo ite maŋ musu je i baadiŋolu kono, waraŋ ǹ na moolu bee kono, fo i ka taa musoo ñini ñiŋ Filisitinka sunnabaloolu kono?” Bari Samuuda ko a faamaa ye le ko, “A ñini n ye, kaatu a la kuwo ye n ñaabo le.” 4 Bari a baa niŋ a faa maŋ ñiŋ loŋ ko, ñiŋ kuwo mu Yaawe* faŋo la natoo le ti. Yaawe be ñiŋ ne ñini kaŋ ka Filisitinkoolu kele. Kaatu wo waatoo la Filisitinkoolu le be Banisirayilankoolu mara kaŋ.
5 Bituŋ Samuuda niŋ a baa niŋ a faa taata Timuna. Kabiriŋ a futata Timuna wayini* yiri kankaŋolu ma, jee niŋ jee, jatoo kumatoo fintita Samuuda kaŋ. 6 Yaawe la Nooroo jiita Samuuda kaŋ. A ye jatoo ñiŋ fara a buloo la, komeŋ niŋ i be baariŋo fara la ñoo bala. Bari a maŋ feŋ fo a baa niŋ a faa ye, a ye meŋ ke. 7 Bituŋ a taata sunkutoo yaa, a diyaamuta a ye, aduŋ sunkutoo ñiŋ na kuwo ye a ñaabo le.
8 Waati dantaŋ koolaa, a muruta Timuna ka ñiŋ sunkutoo futuu. Kabiriŋ a be taa kaŋ, a soota kara la ka wo jata furewo juubee. A ye a tara jata furewo ñiŋ homboo kono, kumoolu ye liyo laa jee. 9 A ye liyo ñiŋ bo, a ye a ke a buloo kono. A tarata liyo ñiŋ domo kaŋ, a taatoo. Kabiriŋ a futata a baa niŋ a faa ma, a ye doo dii ì la, bituŋ ì fanaalu ye a domo. Bari a maŋ a fo ì ye ko, a ye liyo ñiŋ bo jata furewo le kono.
10 A faamaa taata Timuna saatewo to ka futuwo siti. Samuuda ye futuusiti juurali baa le ke, ko fondinkewolu dalita a ke la ñaameŋ wo waatoo la. 11 Kabiriŋ Filisitinkoolu ye a je, ì ye kambaane taŋ saba tomboŋ ka kafu a fee a la futuusiti juuraloo to. 12 Samuuda ko ì ye ko, “Ali i batu, ŋa mansaaloo fo ali ye. Niŋ ali ye a kotoo firiŋ noo n ye, janniŋ futuusiti juuraloo tili woorowuloo, m be daari faani dendika taŋ saba le dii la ali la, aniŋ pareeraŋ dendika ñiimaa taŋ saba. 13 Bari niŋ ali maŋ a firiŋ noo n ye, wo to ali fanaa be daari faani dendika taŋ saba le dii la n na, aniŋ pareeraŋ dendika ñiimaa taŋ saba.” Bituŋ ì ko a ye ko, “I la mansaaloo fo, ŋà a moyi.” 14 A ko ì ye ko,
“Domori feŋo bota domorilaa kono.
Feŋ diimaa bota sembemaa kono.”
A taata fo tili saba, ì maŋ ñiŋ mansaaloo firiŋ noo. 15 Tili naaninjaŋo, ì ko Samuuda la musoo ye ko, “I keemaa neenee ka ñiŋ mansaaloo kotoo firiŋ ǹ ye, niŋ wo nte m̀ be i niŋ i faa la buŋo jani la le. Fo ali ye ntolu kili jaŋ ne ka m̀ fuwaareyandi baŋ?” 16 Bituŋ Samuuda la musoo kumboota a daala, a ko a ye ko, “Ite ye nte koŋ ne, tooñaa-tooñaa, i maŋ n kanu. I ye n na moolu ñininkaa mansaaloo doo le la, bari i maŋ soŋ na a kotoo fo la n ye.” Samuuda ko a ye ko, “M maŋ ñiŋ kumoo fo m baa ye, waraŋ m faa. Daliila jumaa le be a tinna la, m be a fo la ite ye?” 17 A kumboota a daala, ì la futuusiti juuraloo tili woorowuloo bee la, luŋ labaŋo, kabiriŋ a ye a korindi, a ye mansaaloo ñiŋ kotoo fo a ye. Bituŋ a taata a saata a la moolu ye. 18 Tili woorowulanjaŋo, janniŋ tiloo ka boyi, saatewo kewolu naata mansaaloo ñiŋ kotoo firiŋ Samuuda ye. Ì ko a ye ko,
“Muŋ ne diyaata liyo ti?
Feŋ jumaa le bambanta jatoo ti?”
Wo le to a ko ì ye ko,
“Niŋ ali maŋ senoo ke niŋ n na ninsi yeerewo la,
ali te n na ñiŋ mansaaloo firiŋ noo la.”
19 Bituŋ Yaawe la Nooroo jiita Samuuda kaŋ. A taata Asikeloni, a ye kee taŋ saba faa jee. A ye ì la duŋ feŋolu wura ì la, a ye jontotaaraŋ pareeraŋ dendika ñiimaalu dii a la mansaali firinnaalu la. A seyita a faamaa yaa, a niŋ kamfaa baa. 20 Ì naata Samuuda la musoo niilaa ka a dii kambaane doo la, a niŋ meŋ ye a la futuusiti juuraloo kidimandi.
