< Judges 13 >

1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And the children of Israel yet again committed iniquity before the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Phylistines forty years.
2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and did not bear.
And there was a man of Saraa, of the family of the kindred of Dan, and his name was Manoe, and his wife was barren, and bore not.
3 The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman, and said to her, "See now, you are barren, and do not bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, you are barren and have not born; yet you shall conceive a son.
4 Now therefore please be careful and drink no wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing.
And now be very cautious, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing;
5 For look, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor will come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. And he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
for behold, you are with child, and shall bring forth a son; and there shall come no razor upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Phylistines.
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of God, very awesome; and I didn't ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name,
And the woman went in, and spoke to her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his appearance [was as] of an angel of God, very dreadful; and I did not ask him whence he was, and he did not tell me his name.
7 but he said to me, 'Look, you shall conceive, and bear a son. And now drink no wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.'"
And he said to me, Behold, you are with child, and shall bring forth a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing; for the child shall be holy to God from the womb until the day of his death.
8 Then Manoah pleaded with the LORD, and said, "Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child who shall be born."
And Manoe prayed to the Lord and said, I pray you, O Lord my lord, [concerning] the man of God whom you sent; let him now come to us once more, and teach us what we shall do to the child about to be born.
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah, her husband, wasn't with her.
And the Lord heard the voice of Manoe, and the angel of God came yet again to the woman; and she sat in the field, and Manoe her husband was not with her.
10 The woman ran quickly, and told her husband, and said to him, "Look, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."
And the woman hasted, and ran, and brought word to her husband, and said to him, Behold the man who came in [the other] day to me has appeared to me.
11 Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" He said, "I am."
And Manoe arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Are you the man that spoke to the woman? and the angel said, I [am].
12 Manoah said, "Now let your word happen. How shall the child be raised and what is he to do?"
And Manoe said, Now shall [your] word come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and our dealings with him?
13 The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.
And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, Of all things concerning which I spoke to the woman, she shall beware.
14 She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. All that I have commanded her she is to observe."
She shall eat of nothing that comes of the vine yielding wine, and let her not drink wine or strong liquor, and let her not eat anything unclean: all things that I have charged her she shall observe.
15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please, stay a bit longer that we may prepare a young goat for you."
And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, Let us detain you here, and prepare before you a kid of the goats.
16 The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I won't eat of your bread. And if you prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.
And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, If you should detain me, I will not eat of your bread; and if you would offer a whole burnt offering, to the Lord you shall offer it: for Manoe knew not that he [was] an angel of the Lord.
17 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, that when your words come true we may honor you?"
And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, What [is] your name, that [when] your word shall come to pass, we may glorify you?
18 And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask for my name? It is incomprehensible."
And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why do you thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?
19 So Manoah took the young goat and a grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, the LORD who works wonders. And Manoah and his wife looked on.
And Manoe took a kid of the goats and its meat-offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord; and [the angel] wrought a distinct work, and Manoe and his wife were looking on.
20 For it happened, when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on, and they fell on their faces to the ground.
And it came to pass when the flame went up above the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord went up in the flame; and Manoe and his wife were looking, and they fell upon their face to the earth.
21 But the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD.
And the angel appeared no more to Manoe and to his wife: then Manoe knew that this [was] an angel of the Lord.
22 Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God."
And Manoe said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
23 But his wife said to him, "If the LORD meant to kill us, he wouldn't have received a burnt offering and a grain offering from us, neither would he have shown us all these things, nor would he have spoken to us now like this."
But his wife said to him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received of our hand a whole burnt offering and a meat-offering; and he would not have shown us all these things, neither would he have caused us to hear all these things
24 The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. And the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
And the woman brought forth a son, and she called his name Sampson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to direct him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to go out with him in the camp of Dan, and between Saraa and Esthaol.

< Judges 13 >