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.
1 Un reiz Simsons nogāja lejā uz Timnu, un viņš ieraudzīja kādu jaunu meitu Timnā no filistiešu meitām. 2 Atgriezies atpakaļ kalnos, viņš to stāstīja savam tēvam un savai mātei, teikdams: "Es redzēju kādu jaunu meitu Timnā, no filistiešu meitām; nu tagad ņemiet viņu man par sievu!" 3 Tad viņa tēvs un viņa māte viņam teica: "Vai tad tiešām nav tavu radu starpā meitu un visas mūsu tautas vidū sievu, ka tu ej, lai sev ņemtu sievu no filistiešiem, šiem neapgraizītajiem?" Bet Simsons atbildēja savam tēvam: "Tikai šo tu ņem man par sievu, jo viņa ir manām acīm tīkama." 4 Bet viņa tēvs un viņa māte nezināja, ka Tas Kungs pats to tā bija izkārtojis, lai pārmācītu filistiešus; filistieši tanī laikā valdīja pār Israēlu. 5 Tad Simsons ar savu tēvu un ar savu māti devās lejā uz Timnu. Pie Timnas vīna dārziem viņam pretī rūkdams izlēca jauns lauva. 6 Un Tā Kunga Gars nāca pār Simsonu, un viņš saplēsa lauvu, itin kā kazlēnu saplēš, un viņa rokās nebija nekā; bet viņš ne savam tēvam, ne savai mātei neteica, ko viņš bija darījis. 7 Un viņš nonāca un runāja ar šo jauno meitu, un viņa ļoti patika Simsona acīm. 8 Kad viņš pēc kāda laika griezās atpakaļ, lai viņu precētu, tad viņš mazliet nogriezās no ceļa, lai apraudzītu lauvas maitu, un redzi, nedzīvajā lauvas ķermenī bija bišu spiets un medus. 9 Un viņš to ar savām rokām izņēma un pa ceļam to ēda un gāja pie sava tēva un pie savas mātes, viņš arī tiem deva, un tie ēda, bet viņš tiem nesacīja, ka viņš medu bija izņēmis no lauvas maitas. 10 Kad viņa tēvs atkal nogāja pie šīs jaunās meitas, Simsons tur sarīkoja dzīres, kā to jauni vīri mēdza darīt. 11 Un, kad viņi ieraudzīja Simsonu, tad viņi ataicināja trīsdesmit vedējus, kas lai būtu pie viņa. 12 Tad Simsons viņiem teica: "Es gribu jums dot atminēt mīklu, un tā jums man ir jāatmin septiņu dienu laikā, kamēr ir dzīres, un, ja jūs pareizi atbildēsit, tad es jums došu trīsdesmit linu audekla kreklus un trīsdesmit svētku kārtas. 13 Bet, ja jūs nevarēsit man to atminēt, tad jums man būs jādod trīsdesmit linu audekla krekli un trīsdesmit svētku kārtas." Un tie viņam sacīja: "Pasaki mums savu mīklu, lai mēs to dzirdam!" 14 Tad viņš tiem sacīja: "Barība iznāca no rijēja, no stiprā izplūda saldums." Bet tie nespēja mīklu atminēt trijās dienās. 15 Un septītajā dienā tie sacīja Simsona sievai: "Pierunā tu savu vīru, lai viņš mums šo mīklu izstāsta, citādi mēs tevi līdz ar tavu tēva namu sadedzināsim ugunī. Vai tad jūs esat mūs aicinājuši, lai no mums tikai iedzīvotos?" 16 Tad Simsona sieva raudāja pie viņa krūts un sacīja: "Tu tik mani ienīsti, bet nemaz mani nemīli: tu esi uzdevis manas tautas dēliem mīklu, bet man tu to nesaki!" Un viņš sacīja: "Redzi, es neesmu ne savam tēvam, ne savai mātei to pateicis, kā tad lai es tev to saku?" 17 Bet tā raudāja pie viņa septiņas dienas, kamēr tiem bija kāzu dzīres, un tad notika, ka septītajā dienā viņš tai to izstāstīja, jo tā neatlaidīgi mācās virsū, bet mīklas atrisinājumu viņa izstāstīja savas tautas dēliem. 18 Tad pilsētas vīri viņam sacīja septītajā dienā, pirms saule norietēja: "Kas ir saldāks nekā medus? Un kas ir stiprāks nekā lauva?" Bet viņš tiem sacīja: "Ja jūs nebūtu aruši ar manu teli, tad jūs arī nebūtu atminējuši manu mīklu!" 19 Tad Tā Kunga Gars nāca pār viņu, un viņš nogāja uz Aškalonu, un tur viņš nosita trīsdesmit vīrus, novilka viņiem drēbes un iedeva viņu svētku kārtas tiem, kuri bija mīklu atminējuši. 20 Bet Simsona sievu ņēma viens no tiem, kas bija bijis viņa vedējos.
