士師記 13
1 以色列子民又行了上主視為惡的事，因此上主把他們交於培肋舍特人手中四十年之久。
And again, the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2 那時，在祚辣有一個人，屬於丹支派，名叫瑪諾亞，他的妻子是個石女，從未生育。
Now there was a certain man from Zorah, and of the stock of Dan, whose name was Manoah, having a barren wife.
3 上主的使者顯現給那婦人，對她說：「看，你原是個石女，從未生育，但是你要懷孕生子。
And an Angel of the Lord appeared to her, and he said: “You are barren and without children. But you shall conceive and bear a son.
4 今後要留心：清酒濃酒都不可喝，各種不潔的東西也不可吃!
Therefore, take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. Neither shall you eat anything unclean.
5 看，你將懷孕生子，剃刀不可觸及他的頭，因為這孩子從母胎就是獻於上主的；他要開始從培肋舍特人手中拯救以色列。」
For you shall conceive and bear a son, whose head no razor shall touch. For he shall be a Nazirite of God, from his infancy and from his mother’s womb. And he shall begin to free Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 那婦人遂去告訴自己的丈夫說：「有一個天主的人來到我這裏，他的容貌好像天主的使者，極其威嚴；我沒有問他從那裏來；他也沒有告訴我他的名字。
And when she had gone to her husband, she said to him: “A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an Angel, exceedingly terrible. And when I had inquired of him, who he was, and where he was from, and what name he was called, he was not willing to tell me.
7 他對我說：看，你將懷孕生子，從今以後清酒濃酒都不可喝，各種不潔的東西都不可吃，因為這孩從母胎一直到死，是獻於天主的。」
But he responded: ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. And you shall not consume anything unclean. For the boy shall be a Nazirite of God from his infancy, from his mother’s womb, even until the day of his death.’”
8 瑪諾亞就向上主懇求說：「我主! 求你叫你所派的那位天主的人再到我們這裏來! 指教我們對於將生的嬰孩應該作什麼﹖」
And so Manoah prayed to the Lord, and he said, “I beg you Lord, that the man of God, whom you sent, may come again, and may teach us what we ought to do about the boy who is to be born.”
9 天主聽了瑪諾亞的話；天主的使者又來到那婦人跟前；那時她正坐在田間，她的丈夫沒有同她在一起。
And the Lord heeded the prayer of Manoah, and the Angel of the Lord appeared again to his wife, sitting in a field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. And when she had seen the Angel,
10 那婦人就急速跑去告訴丈夫說：「看，那天來我跟前的那個人，又顯現給我了。」
she hurried and ran to her husband. And she reported to him, saying, “Behold, the man appeared to me, whom I had seen before.”
11 瑪諾亞就起來，跟著妻子來到那人跟前，對他說：「你就是向這婦人說話的那人嗎﹖」他回答說：「我就是。」
And he rose up and followed his wife. And going to the man, he said to him, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?” And he responded, “I am.”
12 瑪諾亞向他說：「當你的話應驗的時候，我們應該怎樣管教這孩子﹖要怎樣待他﹖」
And Manoah said to him: “When will your word be fulfilled. What do you want the boy to do? Or from what should he keep himself?”
13 上主的使者對瑪諾亞說：「我給這婦人所說的一切，她都當留神：
And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah: “Concerning all the things about which I have spoken to your wife, she herself should abstain.
14 凡葡萄樹所結的，她不能吃；清酒濃酒她不能喝，各種不潔的東西她不能吃；凡我所吩咐她的，她都該遵守。」
And let her eat nothing from the vine. She may not drink wine or strong drink. She may consume nothing unclean. And let her observe and keep what I have instructed to her.”
15 瑪諾亞對上主的使者說：「請容許我留你，為你預備一隻小山羊。」
And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “I beg you to agree to my petition, and to let us prepare a kid from the goats.”
16 上主的使者對瑪諾亞說：「你雖然劉我，我卻不吃你得食物；假使你要獻一全燔祭，就當獻於上主。」因瑪諾亞當時還不知道他是上主的使者。
And the Angel answered him: “Even if you compel me, I will not eat from your bread. But if you are willing to offer a holocaust, offer it to the Lord.” And Manoah did not know that he was an Angel of the Lord.
17 瑪諾亞問上主的使者說：「你叫什麼名字﹖當你的話應驗的時候，我們好恭敬你。」
And he said to him, “What is your name, so that, if your word is fulfilled, we may honor you?”
18 上主的使者回答說：「你為什麼問我的名字﹖它是奧妙的。」
And he answered him, “Why do you ask my name, which is a wonder?”
19 瑪諾亞取了一隻小山羊和素祭，在一塊磐石上獻於行奇事的上主。
And so, Manoah took a kid from the goats, and libations, and he placed them upon a rock, as an offering to the Lord, who accomplishes wonders. Then he and his wife watched.
20 當火燄從祭壇上向天升起時，上主的使者也在祭壇的火燄中上升了。瑪諾亞和他的妻子看見這事，就俯伏在地上。
And when the flame of the altar ascended to heaven, the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. And when Manoah and his wife had seen this, they fell prone on the ground.
21 上主的使者沒有再顯現給瑪諾亞和他的妻子，那時瑪諾亞才知道他是上主的使者。
And the Angel of the Lord no longer appeared to them. And immediately, Manoah understood him to be an Angel of the Lord.
22 瑪諾亞對自己的妻子說：「我們必定要死，因為我們看見了天主。」
And he said to his wife, “We shall certainly die, since we have seen God.”
23 但他妻子對他說：「如果上主有意叫我們死，必定不會悅納我們的手所獻的全燔祭和素祭，必不會使我們看見這些事，也不會使我們聽到像現在這樣的話。」
And his wife answered him, “If the Lord wished to kill us, he would not have accepted the holocaust and the libations from our hands. He would not have revealed all these things to us, nor would he have told us the things that are in the future.”
24 後來那婦人生了一個兒子，給他起名叫三松；孩子漸漸長大，上主祝福了他。
And so she bore a son, and she called his name Samson. And the boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.
25 在瑪哈乃丹，即在祚辣與厄市陶耳之間，上主的神開始感動他。
And the Spirit of the Lord began to be with him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
