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。
Again the Israeli people did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So Yahweh enabled the people of Philistia to conquer them. They ruled over the Israelis for 40 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。
There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah [town]. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.
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。
One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, “Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to 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!
[From now until he is born], you must not drink any wine or other alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that will make you unacceptable to God.
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。」
After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue [many of] the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”
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。
The woman ran and told her husband, “A prophet came to me. He looked awesome, like an angel from God. I did not ask where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
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 told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Until then, you must not drink any wine or any alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that would make you unacceptable to God. Your son must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies.’”
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﹖」
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh, saying, “O Yahweh, I plead with you, allow that prophet whom you sent to us to come again, and teach us how we should raise the boy who will be born to us.”
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。
God did what Manoah asked, and Yahweh again appeared to his wife in the form of an angel, while she was out in the field. But again her husband Manoah was not with her.
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。」
So she quickly ran and said to her husband, “The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!”
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。」
Manoah ran back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who talked with my wife a few days ago?” He replied, “Yes, 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﹖」
Manoah asked him, “When what you promised occurs [and my wife gives birth to a son], what rules must he obey, and what work will he do [when he grows up]?”
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：
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
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。」
[Before the baby is born], she must not eat grapes, or drink wine or any other alcoholic/fermented drink, or eat anything that would make her unacceptable to God.”
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。」
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
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。
Yahweh replied, “I will stay here, but I will not eat anything. However, you may kill an animal and sacrifice it as a burned offering to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not realize that the [man he thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.)
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。」
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to 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。」
Yahweh replied, “(Why do you ask me my name?/You should not ask me my name.) [RHQ] It is (wonderful/it cannot be understood).”
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。
Then Manoah killed a young goat and burned it on a rock, along with a grain offering, as a sacrifice to Yahweh. And Yahweh did an amazing thing while Manoah 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。
Flames from the altar blazed up toward the sky, and Yahweh ascended in the flames. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they prostrated themselves 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。
Although Yahweh did not appear in the form of an angel to Manoah and his wife again, Manoah realized that the [man they thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.
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。」
So he said, “Now we will die, because 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。」
But his wife said, “No, we will not die, because if Yahweh intended to kill us, he would not have accepted the burned offering and the grain offering. And he would not have appeared to us and told us the wonderful thing that would happen to us, and he would not have performed this miracle.”
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。
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
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 while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
