1Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a young Philistine woman.2When he returned, he spoke to his father and mother. He said, ‘I’ve seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. Get her for me. I want her to be my wife.’3His father and mother replied, ‘Can’t we find a wife for you among your relatives? Isn’t there one among any of our people? Do you have to go to the Philistines to get a wife? They aren’t God’s people. They haven’t even been circumcised.’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.’4Samson’s parents didn’t know that the LORD wanted things to happen this way. He was working out his plans against the Philistines. That’s because the Philistines were ruling over Israel at that time.5Samson went down to Timnah. His father and mother went with him. They approached the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring towards Samson.6Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on Samson. So he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as he might have torn a young goat apart. But he didn’t tell his father or mother what he had done.7Then he went down and talked with the woman. He liked her.8Some time later, he was going back to marry her. But he turned off the road to look at the lion’s dead body. He saw large numbers of bees and some honey in it.9He dug out the honey with his hands. He ate it as he walked along. Then he joined his parents again. He gave them some honey. They ate it too. But he didn’t tell them he had taken it from the lion’s dead body.10Samson’s father went down to see the woman. Samson had a feast prepared there. He was following the practice of young men when they married their wives.11When the people saw Samson, they gave him 30 men to be his companions.12‘Let me tell you a riddle,’ Samson said to the companions. ‘The feast will last for seven days. Give me the answer to the riddle before the feast ends. If you do, I’ll give you 30 linen shirts. I’ll also give you 30 sets of clothes.13But suppose you can’t give me the answer. Then you must give me 30 linen shirts. You must also give me 30 sets of clothes.’ ‘Tell us your riddle,’ they said. ‘Let’s hear it.’14Samson replied, ‘Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.’ For three days they couldn’t give him the answer.15On the fourth day they spoke to Samson’s wife. ‘Get your husband to explain the riddle for us,’ they said. ‘If you don’t, we’ll burn you to death. We’ll burn up everyone in your family. Did you invite us here to steal our property?’16Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him. She sobbed, ‘You hate me! You don’t really love me. You have given my people a riddle. But you haven’t told me the answer.’ ‘I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,’ he replied. ‘So why should I explain it to you?’17She cried during the whole seven days the feast was going on. So on the seventh day he finally told her the answer to the riddle. That’s because she kept on asking him to tell her. Then she explained the riddle to her people.18Before sunset on the seventh day of the feast the men of the town spoke to Samson. They said, ‘What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?’ Samson said to them, ‘You have ploughed with my young cow. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have known the answer to my riddle.’19Then the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on Samson. He went down to Ashkelon. He struck down 30 of their men. He took everything they had with them. And he gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Samson was very angry as he returned to his father’s home.20Samson’s wife was given to someone else. She was given to a companion of Samson. The companion had helped him at the feast.
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Matrimonio e prime imprese di Sansone
1Sansone scese a Timna e vide là una donna tra le figlie dei Filistei.2Tornato a casa, ne parlò a suo padre e a sua madre, e disse: «Ho visto a Timna una donna tra le figlie dei Filistei; prendetemela dunque per moglie».3Suo padre e sua madre gli dissero: «Non c’è tra le figlie dei tuoi fratelli in tutto il nostro popolo una donna per te? Devi andare a prenderti una moglie tra i Filistei incirconcisi?» Sansone rispose a suo padre: «Prendimi quella perché mi piace».4Suo padre e sua madre non sapevano che questo veniva dal Signore; Sansone infatti cercava un’occasione di contesa da parte dei Filistei. In quel tempo, i Filistei dominavano Israele.5Poi Sansone scese con suo padre e sua madre a Timna; e quando giunsero alle vigne di Timna, ecco un leoncello venirgli incontro ruggendo.6Lo Spirito del Signore investì Sansone, che, senza aver niente in mano, squartò la belva come uno squarta un capretto; ma non disse nulla a suo padre né a sua madre di ciò che aveva fatto.7E scese, parlò alla donna, e questa gli piacque.8Di lì a qualche tempo tornò per prenderla e uscì di strada per vedere la carcassa del leone; ed ecco nella carcassa del leone c’era uno sciame d’api e del miele.9Egli prese in mano il miele e si mise a mangiarlo per via; e quando ebbe raggiunto suo padre e sua madre, ne diede loro ed essi ne mangiarono; ma non disse loro che aveva preso il miele dalla carcassa del leone.10Suo padre scese a trovare quella donna e là Sansone fece un convito, perché tale era il costume dei giovani.11Appena i parenti della sposa videro Sansone, invitarono trenta compagni perché stessero con lui.12Sansone disse loro: «Io vi proporrò un enigma; se voi me lo spiegate entro i sette giorni del convito e se lo indovinate, vi darò trenta tuniche e trenta vesti;13ma, se non me lo potete spiegare, darete trenta tuniche e trenta vesti a me».14Quelli gli risposero: «Proponi il tuo enigma e noi lo ascolteremo». Egli disse loro: «Dal mangiatore è uscito del cibo, e dal forte è uscito il dolce». Per tre giorni quelli non poterono spiegare l’enigma.15Il settimo giorno dissero alla moglie di Sansone: «Tenta tuo marito affinché ci spieghi l’enigma; se no, daremo fuoco a te e alla casa di tuo padre. E che? ci avete invitati per spogliarci?»16La moglie di Sansone si mise a piangere presso di lui e a dirgli: «Tu non hai per me che dell’odio e non mi ami; hai proposto un enigma ai figli del mio popolo e non me l’hai spiegato!» Egli a lei: «Ecco, non l’ho spiegato né a mio padre né a mia madre e lo spiegherei a te?»17Lei pianse presso di lui, per i sette giorni che durava il convito; il settimo giorno Sansone glielo spiegò, perché lo tormentava; e lei spiegò l’enigma ai figli del suo popolo.18Gli uomini della città, il settimo giorno, prima che tramontasse il sole, dissero a Sansone: «Cos’è più dolce del miele? e chi è più forte del leone?» Egli rispose loro: «Se non aveste arato con la mia giovenca, non avreste indovinato il mio enigma».19Lo Spirito del Signore lo investì ed egli scese ad Ascalon, vi uccise trenta uomini, prese le loro spoglie e diede le vesti a quelli che avevano spiegato l’enigma. Poi, acceso d’ira, risalì a casa di suo padre.20Ma la moglie di Sansone fu data al compagno, che egli si era scelto per amico.
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