Judges 13

1 The Israelites continued to do what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines to rule them for forty years.

Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 At that time there was a man named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan and lived in the town of Zorah. His wife couldn't conceive and had no children.

Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.

3 The Angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her, “It's true that you couldn't conceive, and have no children, but now you're going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.

The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

4 So then please be careful not to drink any wine or other alcoholic drink, and don't eat anything unclean.

Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

5 You're going to become pregnant and have a son whose head a razor must never touch, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth. He will start the process of saving Israel from the Philistines.”

For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

6 The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the Angel of God, really frightening. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't did not tell me his name.

So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

7 But he told me, ‘You're going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, and don't eat anything unclean. For the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth until the day of his death.’”

But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent us return to us to explain what we're supposed to do with the boy who is to be born.”

Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”

9 God responded to Manoah's request, and the Angel of God returned to the woman while she was sitting out in the field. However, her husband Manoah was not with her.

And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.

10 So she ran quickly to tell her husband, “Look! The man who appeared to me the other day has come back!”

The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”

11 Manoah got up and went back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife before?” “Yes I am,” he replied.

So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.

12 So Manoah said, “May your promise come true! What shall be decided for the boy, and what is to be his vocation?”

Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”

13 “Make sure your wife is careful to follow everything I told her,” the angel of the Lord replied.

So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.

14 “She must not eat anything that comes from the vine or drink wine or any other alcoholic drink. She must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must follow everything I instructed her to do.”

She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”

15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us keep you here while we prepare a meal of a young goat for you.”

“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”

16 The angel of the Lord replied, “I'll stay, but I won't eat your food. However, if you prepare a burnt offering, you can present it to the Lord.” (Manoah didn't know he was the angel of the Lord.)

And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.

17 Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so when your promise comes true we may honor you?”

Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”

18 “Why do you ask this?” the angel of the Lord responded. “My name is beyond comprehension.”

“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”

19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and presented them on a rock to the Lord. As Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did something amazing.

Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.

20 As the flame from the altar blazed up into the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Manoah and his wife saw what happened and fell with their faces to the ground.

When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.

21 The angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again, and Manoah realized that he was the angel of the Lord.

And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.

22 “We're definitely going to die,” he told his wife, “for we have seen God!”

“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”

23 But his wife replied, “If the Lord had wanted to kill us he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have shown us all these things, and he wouldn't have come now and announced this to us.”

But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”

24 She gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.

So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 The Spirit of the Lord began to prompt him at Mahaneh Dan, a place between Zorah and Eshtaol.

And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.