1 USamsoni waya eGaza; wabona lapho isifebe, wangena kuso.
2 Kwathiwa kumaGaza: “USamsoni ufikile lapha.” Bamhaqa, bamqamekela ubusuku bonke esangweni lomuzi; bathula ubusuku bonke, bathi: “Makube sekukhanyeni kokusa; khona siyakumbulala.”
3 USamsoni walala kwaze kwaba phakathi kwamabili; wavuka phakathi kobusuku, wabamba izivalo zesango lomuzi nezinsika zombili, wazincothula kanye nomgoqo, wazibeka emahlombe akhe, wazikhuphulela esiqongweni sentaba ephambi kweHebroni.
4 Kwathi ngasemuva wathanda owesifazane esiGodini saseSoreki ogama lakhe lalinguDelila.
5 Amakhosi amaFilisti enyukela kuye, athi kuye: “Myenge, ubone ukuthi amandla akhe amakhulu aphi nokuthi singamahlula ngani ukuba simbophe, simnqobe; siyakukunika, kube yilowo nalowo, izinhlamvu eziyinkulungwane nekhulu zesiliva.”
6 UDelila wathi kuSamsoni: “Ake ungitshele ukuthi amandla akho amakhulu aphi nokuthi ungaboshwa ngani, unqotshwe.”
7 USamsoni wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngezinsinga eziyisikhombisa ezimanzi ezingakomi, ngiyakuba buthakathaka, ngibe njengomunye umuntu.”
8 Amakhosi amaFilisti ayeseletha kuye izinsinga eziyisikhombisa ezimanzi ezingakomi, wambopha ngazo.
9 Wayenabaqamekeli behlezi ekamelweni eliphakathi. Wayesethi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.” Wayesegqabula izinsinga njengentambo yefilakisi* igqatshulwa, lapho izwa umlilo. Ngalokho amandla akhe awaziwanga.
10 Wayesethi uDelila kuSamsoni: “Bheka, udlale ngami, wangitshela amanga; ake ungitshele manje ukuthi ungaboshwa ngani.”
11 Wathi kuye: “Uma bengibopha ngamagoda amasha okungasetshenziwanga ngawo, ngiyakuba buthakathaka, ngibe njengomunye umuntu.”
12 UDelila wayesethatha amagoda amasha, wambopha ngawo, wathi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.” Abaqamekeli babehlezi ekamelweni eliphakathi. Wawagqabula ezingalweni zakhe njengomucwana.
13 UDelila wayesethi kuSamsoni: “Kuze kube manje udlale ngami, wangitshela amanga; ngitshele ukuthi ungaboshwa ngani.”Wathi kuye: “Uma weluka amagoda ayisikhombisa ekhanda lami nezintambo zakho zokwelukwa.”
14 Wawabethela-ke ngesikhonkwane, wathi kuye: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.” Wavuka ebuthongweni, wasincothula isikhonkwane sokweluka nezintambo zokwelukwa.
15 Wayesethi kuye: “Ungasho kanjani ukuthi uyangithanda, nxa inhliziyo yakho ingenami na? Usudlale ngami kathathu, awungitshelanga ukuthi amandla akho aphi.”
16 Kwathi lapho emcindezela yonke imihla ngamazwi akhe, emgqugquza, wakhathazeka umphefumulo wakhe kwaze kwaba sekufeni.
17 Wamtshela inhliziyo yakhe yonke, wathi kuye: “Akuthintanga mpuco ekhanda lami, ngokuba bengingumNaziri* kaNkulunkulu kwasesizalweni sikamame; uma ngiphuculwa, amandla ami ayakumuka kimi, ngiyakuba buthakathaka, ngibe njengomunye umuntu.”
18 UDelila wabona ukuthi wayemtshelile yonke inhliziyo yakhe; wathuma wawabiza amakhosi amaFilisti, wathi: “Yenyukani kalokhu, ngokuba ungitshelile yonke inhliziyo yakhe.” Ayesenyukela kuye amakhosi amaFilisti, aletha imali esandleni sawo.
19 Wamlalisa ubuthongo emathangeni akhe, wabiza umuntu, waphucula amagoda ayisikhombisa ekhanda lakhe; waqala ukumhlupha, amandla akhe amuka kuye.
20 Wathi: “AmaFilisti aphezu kwakho, Samsoni.”Wavuka ebuthongweni, wathi: “Ngiyakuphuma njengangezinye izikhathi, ngizithintithe.” Kepha wayengazi ukuthi uJehova wayemukile kuye.
21 AmaFilisti ambamba, awakhipha amehlo akhe; amehlisela eGaza, ambopha ngamaketanga; wasila etilongweni.
22 Nokho izinwele zekhanda lakhe zaqala ukuhluma futhi esephuculiwe.
23 Amakhosi amaFilisti abuthana ukuba ahlabele uDagoni unkulunkulu wawo umhlatshelo omkhulu, athokoze, ngokuba athi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele uSamsoni isitha sethu esandleni sethu.”
24 Abantu bambona, bamtusa unkulunkulu wabo, ngokuba bathi: “Unkulunkulu wethu unikele esandleni sethu isitha sethu nomchithi wezwe lakithi obulele abaningi phakathi kwethu.”
25 Kwathi lapho izinhliziyo zabo sezesasile, bathi: “Mbizeni uSamsoni ukuba asidlalele.” Bambiza uSamsoni esetilongweni, wadlala phambi kwabo, bambeka phakathi kwezinsika.
26 USamsoni wathi kumfana owayembambe ngesandla: “Ngivumele ukuphatha izinsika indlu emi ngazo ukuba ngencike kuzo.”
27 Indlu yayigcwele abesilisa nabesifazane; namakhosi onke amaFilisti ayelapho; ophahleni kwakukhona abantu kungathi abayizinkulungwane ezintathu, abesilisa nabesifazane, ababebukela ukudlala kukaSamsoni.
28 USamsoni wakhala kuJehova, wathi: “Nkosi Nkulunkulu, ake ungikhumbule, ungiqinise kube kanye kuphela, Nkulunkulu, ukuba ngiphindise kumaFilisti ngempindiselo ibenye ngenxa yamehlo ami omabili.”
29 USamsoni wayesebamba izinsika ezimbili eziphakathi eyayimi ngazo indlu, wencika kuzo, kwenye ngesandla sokunene, kwenye ngesokhohlo.
30 USamsoni wathi: “Mangife namaFilisti.” Wakhothama ngamandla akhe onke, indlu yawela phezu kwamakhosi naphezu kwabo bonke abantu ababe kuyo. Abafileyo ababulalayo ekufeni kwakhe babebaningi kunabo ababulalayo ekuhambeni kwakhe.
31 Base behla abafowabo nayo yonke indlu kayise, bamthatha, bamenyusa, bammbela phakathi kweSora ne-Eshitawoli ethuneni likaManowa uyise. Wamahlulela u-Israyeli iminyaka engamashumi amabili.