1 Nå dro Samson ned til Timna og så en kvinne i Timna, en av filisternes døtre.

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines;

2 Da han kom tilbake, sa han til sin far og mor: Jeg har sett en kvinne i Timna, en av filisternes døtre. Hent henne nå til meg som kone.

And when he came back he said to his father and mother, I have seen a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines: get her now for me for my wife.

3 Men hans far og mor sa til ham: Er det ingen kvinne blant dine slektninger eller blant hele mitt folk, siden du må gå til de uomskårne filisterne for å få en kone? Men Samson sa til sin far: Hent henne til meg, for hun behager meg.

Then his father and mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your relations or among all my people, that you have to go for your wife to the Philistines, who are without circumcision? But Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is pleasing to me.

4 Hans far og mor visste ikke at dette var fra Herren, som hadde til hensikt å skade filisterne. For på den tiden hersket filisterne over Israel.

Now his father and mother had no knowledge that this was the purpose of the Lord, who had the destruction of the Philistines in mind. Now the Philistines at that time were ruling over Israel.

5 Så gikk Samson ned til Timna, sammen med sin far og mor, og kom til vingårdene i Timna; og en ung løve kom brølende mot ham.

Then Samson went down to Timnah (and his father and his mother,) and came to the vine-gardens of Timnah; and a young lion came rushing out at him.

6 Herrens ånd kom over ham med kraft, og han rev løven i stykker med hendene, som om det var et kje; men han sa ingenting til sin far og mor om hva han hadde gjort.

And the spirit of the Lord came on him with power, and, unarmed as he was, pulling the lion in two as one might do to a young goat, he put him to death; (but he said nothing to his father and mother of what he had done.)

7 Han gikk ned og talte med kvinnen, og hun behaget Samson.

So he went down and had talk with the woman; and she was pleasing to Samson.

8 Etter en tid vendte han tilbake for å ta henne til kone. Han gikk av veien for å se på løvens døde kropp, og der var det en bisverm med honning i selve løven.

Then after a time he went back to take her; and turning from the road to see the dead body of the lion, he saw a mass of bees in the body of the lion, and honey there.

9 Han tok honningen i hånden og spiste mens han gikk videre; da han kom til sin far og mor, ga han dem også noe, men han sa ikke at han hadde tatt honningen fra løvens kropp.

And he took the honey in his hand, and went on, tasting it on the way; and when he came to his father and mother he gave some to them; but did not say that he had taken the honey from the body of the lion.

10 Samson dro ned til kvinnen og holdt et gjestebud der, slik det var vanlig blant unge menn.

Then Samson went down to the woman, and made a feast there, as was the way among young men.

11 Han fikk tretti venner, og de var med ham.

And he took thirty friends, and they were with him.

12 Samson sa: Nå har jeg en gåte for dere; hvis dere kan gi meg svaret innen de syv dagene gjestebudet varer, skal jeg gi dere tretti lintøy og tretti festdrakter.

And Samson said, Now I have a hard question for you: if you are able to give me the answer before the seven days of the feast are over, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing;

13 Men hvis dere ikke kan gi meg svaret, skal dere gi meg tretti lintøy og tretti festdrakter. Og de sa til ham: Fortell oss gåten, så vi kan høre den.

But if you are not able to give me the answer, then you will have to give me thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, Put your hard question and let us see what it is.

14 Han sa: Fra den som eter, kom det mat, og fra den sterke kom det søte. Etter tre dager hadde de ennå ikke funnet svaret.

And he said, Out of the taker of food came food, and out of the strong came the sweet. And at the end of three days they were still not able to give the answer.

15 På den fjerde dagen sa de til Samsons kone: Be mannen din om svaret på gåten, ellers brenner vi deg og din fars hus med ild; har du invitert oss hit for å plyndre oss?

So on the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, Get from your husband the answer to his question by some trick or other, or we will have you and your father's house burned with fire; did you get us here to take all we have?

16 Da gråt Samsons kone over ham og sa: Du har virkelig ingen kjærlighet til meg, bare hat; du har gitt folket mitt en vanskelig gåte og ikke gitt meg svaret. Han sa til henne: Se, jeg har ikke engang gitt svaret til min far eller mor, skulle jeg da gi det til deg?

Then Samson's wife, weeping over him, said, Truly you have no love for me but only hate; you have put a hard question to the children of my people and have not given me the answer. And he said to her, See, I have not given the answer even to my father or my mother; am I to give it to you?

17 Hele de syv dagene gjestebudet varte fortsatte hun å gråte over ham, og på den syvende dagen ga han henne svaret, for hun ga ham ingen ro; og hun sendte beskjed til folkene sine.

And all the seven days of the feast she went on weeping over him; and on the seventh day he gave her the answer, because she gave him no peace; and she sent word of it to the children of her people.

18 Så sa mennene i byen til ham på den syvende dagen før han gikk inn til bruden: Hva er søtere enn honning? Og hva er sterkere enn en løve? Da sa han til dem: Hadde dere ikke pløyd med min ku, hadde dere ikke funnet gåtens svar.

Then on the seventh day, before he went into the bride's room, the men of the town said to him, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not been ploughing with my cow you would not have got the answer to my question.

19 Herrens ånd kom over ham med styrke, og han drog ned til Asjkalon, drepte tretti menn der, tok klærne deres og gav dem til dem som hadde gitt svaret på gåten hans. Rasende gikk han deretter tilbake til sin fars hus.

And the spirit of the Lord came rushing on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and, attacking thirty men there, took their clothing from them, and gave it to the men who had given the answer to his hard question. Then, full of wrath, he went back to his father's house.

20 Men Samsons kone ble gitt til vennen hans, som hadde vært forloveren hans.

But Samson's wife was given to the friend who had been his best man.