Judges 13

1 And eft the sones of Israel diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord, which bitook hem in to the hondis of Filisteis fourti yeer.

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 Forsothe a man was of Saraa, and of the kynrede of Dan, `Manue bi name, and he hadde a bareyn wijf.

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 To `which wijf an aungel of the Lord apperide, and seide to hir, Thou art bareyn, and with out fre children; but thou schalt conseyue, and schalt bere a sone.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, thou art barren and hast not born; yet thou shalt conceive a son.

4 Therfor be thou war, lest thou drynke wyn, and sydur, nethir ete thou ony vnclene thing;

And now be very cautious, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing;

5 for thou schalt conceyue and schalt bere a sone, whos heed a rasour schal not towche; for he schal be a Nazarei of God fro his yong age, and fro the modris wombe; and he schal bigynne to delyuere Israel fro the hond of Filisteis.

for behold, thou art with child, and shalt 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 And whanne sche hadde come to hir hosebonde, sche seide to hym, The man of God cam to me, and hadde an aungel cheer, and he was ful ferdful, `that is, worschipful `and reuerent; and whanne Y hadde axide hym, who he was, and fro whannus he cam, and bi what name he was clepid, he nolde seie to me;

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 answeride this, Lo! thou schalt conseyue, and schalt bere a sone; be thou war, that thou drynke not wyn ne sidur, nether ete ony vncleene thing; for the child schal be a Nazarey, `that is, hooli of the Lord, fro his yonge age and fro the modris wombe `til to the dai of his deeth.

And he said to me, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt 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 Therfor Manue preide the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche, that the man of God, whom thou sentist, come eft, and teche vs, what we owen to do of the child, that schal be borun.

And Manoe prayed to the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord my lord, [concerning] the man of God whom thou sentest; let him now come to us once more, and teach us what we shall do to the child about to be born.

9 And the Lord herde Manue preiynge; and the aungel of the Lord apperide eft to his wijf sittynge in the feeld; forsothe Manue, hir hosebonde, was not with hir. And whanne sche hadde seyn the aungel,

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 sche hastide, and ran to hir hosebonde, and telde to hym, and seide, Lo! the man whom Y siy bifore, apperide 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 Which roos, and suede his wijf; and he cam to the man, and seide to hym, Art thou he, that hast spoke to the womman? And he answeride, Y am.

And Manoe arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Art thou the man that spoke to the woman? and the angel said, I [am].

12 To whom Manue seide, Whanne thi word schal be fillid, what wolt thou, that the child do, ethir fro what thing schal he kepe hym silf?

And Manoe said, Now shall [thy] word come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and our dealings with him?

13 And the `aungel of the Lord seide to Manue, Absteyne he hym silf fro alle thingis which Y spak to thi wijf.

And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, Of all things concerning which I spoke to the woman, she shall beware.

14 And ete he not what euer thing cometh forth of the vyner, drynke he not wyn, and sidur, ete he not ony vncleene thing and fille he; and kepe that, that Y comaundide to hym.

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 Therfor Manue seide to the `aungel of the Lord, Y biseche, that thou assente to my preieris, and we aray to thee a `kide of the geet.

And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, Let us detain thee here, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats.

16 To whom the aungel of the Lord answeride, Thouy thou constreynest me, Y schal not ete thi looues; forsothe if thou wolt make brent sacrifice, offre thou it to the Lord. And Manue wiste not, that it was `an aungel of the Lord.

And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, If thou shouldest detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wouldest offer a whole-burnt-offering, to the Lord thou shalt offer it: for Manoe knew not that he [was] an angel of the Lord.

17 And Manue seide to hym, What name is to thee, that if thi word be fillid, we onoure thee?

And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, What [is] thy name, that [when] thy word shall come to pass, we may glorify thee?

18 To whom he answeride, Whi axist thou my name, which is wondurful?

And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why dost thou thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?

19 Therfor Manue took a `kide of the geet, and fletynge sacrifices, and puttide on the stoon, and offryde to the Lord that doith wondirful thingis. Forsothe he and his wijf bihelden.

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 And whanne the flawme of the auter stiede in to heuene, the aungel of the Lord stiede togidere in the flawme. And whanne Manue and his wijf hadden seyn this, thei felden lowe to erthe.

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 And the aungel of the Lord apperide no more to hem. And anoon Manue vndurstood, that he was an aungel 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 And he seide to his wijf, We schulen die bi deeth, for we sien the Lord.

And Manoe said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23 To whom the womman answeride, If the Lord wolde sle vs, he schulde not haue take of oure hondis brent sacrifices, and moiste sacrifices, but nether he schulde haue schewid alle thingis to vs, nether `he schulde haue seid tho thingis, that schulen come.

But his wife said to him, If the Lord were pleased to slay us, he would not have received of our hand a whole-burnt-offering and a meat-offering; and he would not have shewn us all these things, neither would he have caused us to hear all these things

24 Therfor sche childide a sone, and clepide his name Sampson; and the child encreesside, and the Lord blesside hym.

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 bigan to be with hym in the castels of Dan, bitwixe Saraa and Escahol.

And the Spirit of the Lord began to go out with him in the camp of Dan, and between Saraa and Esthaol.