< Judges 13 >

1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 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 childless.
And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name [was] Manoah; and his wife [was] barren, and bore not.
3 The LORD’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive and bear a son.
And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, now, thou [art] barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4 Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing;
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean [thing]:
5 for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth: and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
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. I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name;
Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he [was], neither did he tell me his name:
7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink. Don’t eat any unclean thing, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
But he said to me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean [thing]: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth to the day of his death.
8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we should do to the child who shall be born.”
Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my LORD, let the man of God, whom thou didst send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child that shall 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 God hearkened 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 [was] not with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, saying to him, “Behold, the man who came to me that day has appeared to me.”
And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said to him, Behold, the man hath appeared to me, that came to me the [other] day.
11 Manoah arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “I am.”
And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, [Art] thou the man that didst speak to the woman? And he said, I [am].
12 Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What shall the child’s way of life and mission be?”
And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and [how] shall we do to him?
13 The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.
And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, Of all that I said to the woman, let her 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. Let her observe all that I commanded her.”
She may not eat of any [thing] that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean [thing]; all that I commanded her let her observe.
15 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “Please stay with us, that we may make a young goat ready for you.”
And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
16 The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat your bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah didn’t know that he was the LORD’s angel.
And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, Though thou shouldst detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, thou must offer it to the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he [was] an angel of the LORD.
17 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honour you?”
And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, What [is] thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee honor?
18 The LORD’s angel said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible?”
And the angel of the LORD said to him, why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it [is] secret?
19 So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD. Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched.
So Manoah took a kid, with a meat-offering, and offered [it] upon a rock to the LORD; and [the angel] did wonderously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.
20 For when the flame went up towards the sky from off the altar, the LORD’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife watched; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
For it came to pass, when the flame ascended towards heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on [it], and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the LORD’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was the LORD’s angel.
But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he [was] an angel of the LORD.
22 Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
23 But his wife said to him, “If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn’t have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time.”
But his wife said to him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these [things], nor would, as at this time, have told us [such things] as these.
24 The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25 The LORD’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

< Judges 13 >