Juízes, 16

1. Sansão foi a Gaza, onde viu uma mulher meretriz e foi procurá-la.

1. Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a harlot, and he went in to her.

2. E a notícia correu pela cidade: “Sansão está aqui”. Puseram-se de emboscada nos arredores durante toda a noite, junto às portas da cidade, e ficaram quietos toda a noite, dizendo: “Ao romper do dia, vamos matá-lo”.

2. The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here," and they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him."

3. Sansão dormiu até a meia-noite. E, levantando-se pela meia-noite, tomou os batentes da porta de Gaza, com os seus postes, arrancou-os juntamente com o ferrolho, pô-los sobre os ombros e levou-os até o alto da montanha, que está defronte de Hebron.

3. But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.

4. Depois disso, enamorou-se de uma mulher que habitava no vale de Sorec, chamada Dalila.

4. After this he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Deli'lah.

5. Os príncipes dos filisteus foram ter com ela e disseram-lhe: “Procura seduzi-lo e vê se descobres de onde lhe vem sua força e como o poderemos vencer, a fim de o amarrarmos para dominá-lo. Se fizeres isso, te daremos cada um de nós mil e cem moedas de prata”.

5. And the lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

6. Dalila disse a Sansão: “Dize-me, de onde vem tua força? E de que modo se precisaria ligar-te para que fosses dominado?”.

6. And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Please tell me wherein your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you."

7. Sansão respondeu-lhe: “Se me amarrassem com sete cordas de nervos ainda frescas e úmidas, eu me tornaria tão fraco como qualquer homem”.

7. And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings which have not been dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

8. Os príncipes dos filisteus trouxeram a Dalila sete cordas de nervos bem frescas e úmidas, com as quais ela o ligou.

8. Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9. Ora, estando eles de emboscada no quarto, ela gritou: “Sansão, os filisteus vêm contra ti!”. E ele rompeu as cordas como se rompe um cordão de estopa, chamuscada pelo fogo. Assim, permaneceu oculto o segredo de sua força.

9. Now she had men lying in wait in an inner chamber. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a string of tow snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

10. Dalila disse-lhe: “Tu zombaste de mim, contando-me mentiras. Dize-me agora com que se precisaria ligar-te”.

10. And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies; please tell me how you might be bound."

11. “Se me amarrassem com cordas novas – disse ele – que ainda não tenham servido, eu me tornaria tão fraco como qualquer homem”.

11. And he said to her, "If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

12. Dalila tomou, pois, cordas novas, amarrou-o com elas e gritou: “Sansão, os filisteus vêm contra ti!”. Ora, estavam eles de emboscada no quarto, mas Sansão rompeu como se fossem um fio as cordas que lhe amarravam os braços.

12. So Deli'lah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And the men lying in wait were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

13. “Até o presente – disse-lhe Dalila – só tens zombado de mim e só me tens dito mentiras. Dize-me com que será preciso amarrar-te.” “Bastará – respondeu Sansão – que teças as sete tranças de minha cabeça com a urdidura do teu tear.”

13. And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me, and told me lies; tell me how you might be bound." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

14. Ela fixou-as com o torno do tear e gritou: “Sansão, os filisteus vêm contra ti!” Ele, despertando do sono, arrancou o torno do tear com os liços.

14. So while he slept, Deli'lah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

15. Dalila disse-lhe: “Como podes dizer que me amas, se o teu coração não está comigo? Eis já três vezes que me enganas e não me queres dizer onde reside a tua força”.

15. And she said to him, "How can you say, `I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me wherein your great strength lies."

16. Ela o importunava cada dia com suas perguntas, instando com ele e molestando-o de tal sorte, que ele sentiu com isso uma impaciência mortal.

16. And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.

17. E Sansão acabou por confiar-lhe o seu segredo: “Sobre minha cabeça – disse ele – nunca passou a navalha, porque sou nazareno de Deus desde o seio de minha mãe. Se me for rapada a cabeça, a minha força me abandonará e serei então fraco como qualquer homem”.

17. And he told her all his mind, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I be shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

18. Dalila sentiu que ele lhe tinha aberto todo o seu coração e mandou dizer aos príncipes dos filisteus: “Subi agora, porque ele me abriu todo o seu coração”. E os príncipes dos filisteus foram ter com ela, levando o dinheiro em suas mãos.

18. When Deli'lah saw that he had told her all his mind, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up this once, for he has told me all his mind." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands.

19. Dalila fez que seu marido adormecesse nos seus joelhos, e chamando um homem, mandou-lhe que rapasse as sete tranças de sua cabeça. Ela começou a dominá-lo, pois sua força o deixou.

19. She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

20. E disse: “Sansão, os filisteus vêm contra ti!”. Despertando ele do sono, disse consigo mesmo: “Sairei deles como das outras vezes e me livrarei”. Ignorava Sansão que o Senhor se tinha retirado dele.

20. And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free." And he did not know that the LORD had left him.

21. E os filisteus, tomando-o, furaram-lhe os olhos e levaram-no a Gaza ligado com uma dupla cadeia de bronze e ali o colocaram na prisão, fazendo-o girar a mó.

21. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with bronze fetters; and he ground at the mill in the prison.

22. Entretanto, os seus cabelos recomeçavam a crescer.

22. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

23. Ora, os príncipes dos filisteus reuniram-se para oferecer um grande sacrifício a Dagon, seu deus, e celebrar uma festa. “Nosso deus – diziam eles – entregou-nos Sansão nosso inimigo.”

23. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand."

24. Também o povo, vendo isso, louvava o seu deus, dizendo: “O nosso deus entregou-nos o nosso inimigo, aquele que devastava nossa terra e matava tantos dos nossos”.

24. And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, "Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has slain many of us."

25. E estando eles de coração alegre, exclamaram: “Mandai vir Sansão para nos divertir!”. Tiraram-no da prisão e Sansão teve que dançar diante deles. Tendo sido colocado entre as colunas,

25. And when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson, that he may make sport for us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them. They made him stand between the pillars;

26. Sansão disse ao jovem que o conduzia pela mão: “Deixa que eu toque as colunas que sustêm o templo e que me apóie nelas”.

26. and Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them."

27. Ora, o templo estava repleto de homens e mulheres. Estavam ali todos os príncipes dos filisteus. Havia cerca de três mil pessoas, homens e mulheres, que do teto olhavam o prisioneiro dançar.

27. Now the house was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson made sport.

28. Sansão, porém, invocando o Senhor, disse: “Senhor Javé, rogo-vos que vos lembreis de mim. Dai-me, ó Deus, ainda esta vez, força para vingar-me dos filisteus pela perda de meus olhos”.

28. Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged upon the Philistines for one of my two eyes."

29. Abraçando então as duas colunas centrais sobre as quais repousava todo o edifício, pegou numa com a mão direita e noutra com a mão esquerda e gritou:

29. And Samson grasped the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and he leaned his weight upon them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.

30. “Morra eu com os filisteus!”. Dizendo isso, sacudiu com todas as suas forças o edifício, que ruiu sobre os príncipes e sobre todo o povo reunido. Desse modo, matou pela sua própria morte muito mais homens do que os que matara em toda a sua vida.

30. And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were in it. So the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain during his life.

31. Então, desceram a Gaza os seus irmãos e toda a sua família paterna, tomaram-no e tendo voltado, sepultaram-no no túmulo de seu pai, entre Saraá e Estaol. Sansão foi juiz em Israel durante vinte anos.

31. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Esh'ta-ol in the tomb of Mano'ah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.