Iudicum 13
1 Rursumque filii Israël fecerunt malum in conspectu Domini: qui tradidit eos in manus Philisthinorum quadraginta annis.
The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2 Erat autem quidam vir de Saraa, et de stirpe Dan, nomine Manue, habens uxorem sterilem.
There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was not able to become pregnant and so she had not given birth.
3 Cui apparuit angelus Domini, et dixit ad eam: Sterilis es et absque liberis: sed concipies, et paries filium.
The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, “See now, you have been unable to become pregnant, and you have not given birth, but you will become pregnant and you will give birth to a son.
4 Cave ergo ne bibas vinum ac siceram, nec immundum quidquam comedas:
Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.
5 quia concipies, et paries filium, cujus non tanget caput novacula: erit enim nazaræus Dei ab infantia sua et ex matris utero, et ipse incipiet liberare Israël de manu Philisthinorum.
Look, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son. No razor will be used upon his head, for the child will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 Quæ cum venisset ad maritum suum, dixit ei: Vir Dei venit ad me, habens vultum angelicum, terribilis nimis. Quem cum interrogassem quis esset, et unde venisset, et quo nomine vocaretur, noluit mihi dicere:
Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like that of an angel of God, very terrible. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 sed hoc respondit: Ecce concipies et paries filium: cave ne vinum bibas, nec siceram, et ne aliquo vescaris immundo: erit enim puer nazaræus Dei ab infantia sua, ex utero matris suæ usque ad diem mortis suæ.
He said to me, 'Look! You will become pregnant, and you will give birth to a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat any food that the law declares to be unclean, because the child will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is in your womb until the day of his death.'”
8 Oravit itaque Manue Dominum, et ait: Obsecro, Domine, ut vir Dei, quem misisti, veniat iterum, et doceat nos quid debeamus facere de puero, qui nasciturus est.
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God you sent come again to us so that he may teach us what we are to do for the child who soon will be born.”
9 Exaudivitque Dominus deprecantem Manue, et apparuit rursum angelus Dei uxori ejus sedenti in agro: Manue autem maritus ejus non erat cum ea. Quæ cum vidisset angelum,
God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came to the woman again when she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.
10 festinavit, et cucurrit ad virum suum: nuntiavitque ei, dicens: Ecce apparuit mihi vir, quem ante videram.
So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Look! The man has appeared to me—the one who came to me the other day!”
11 Qui surrexit, et secutus est uxorem suam: veniensque ad virum, dixit ei: Tu es qui locutus es mulieri? Et ille respondit: Ego sum.
Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who spoke with my wife?” The man said, “I am.”
12 Cui Manue: Quando, inquit, sermo tuus fuerit expletus, quid vis ut faciat puer? aut a quo se observare debebit?
So Manoah said, “Now may your words come true. What will be the rules for the child, and what will be his work?”
13 Dixitque angelus Domini ad Manue: Ab omnibus, quæ locutus sum uxori tuæ, abstineat se,
The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “She must carefully do everything that I said to her.
14 et quidquid ex vinea nascitur, non comedat: vinum et siceram non bibat; nullo vescatur immundo: et quod ei præcepi, impleat atque custodiat.
She may not eat anything that comes from the vines, and do not let her drink wine or strong drink or eat anything unclean. She must obey everything I have commanded her to do.”
15 Dixitque Manue ad angelum Domini: Obsecro te ut acquiescas precibus meis, et faciamus tibi hædum de capris.
Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “Please stay for a while, to give us time to prepare a young goat for you.”
16 Cui respondit angelus: Si me cogis, non comedam panes tuos: si autem vis holocaustum facere, offer illud Domino. Et nesciebat Manue quod angelus Domini esset.
The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not know that he was the angel of Yahweh.)
17 Dixitque ad eum: Quod est tibi nomen, ut, si sermo tuus fuerit expletus, honoremus te?
Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “What is your name, so we may honor you when your words come true?”
18 Cui ille respondit: Cur quæris nomen meum, quod est mirabile?
The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful!”
19 Tulit itaque Manue hædum de capris, et libamenta, et posuit super petram, offerens Domino, qui facit mirabilia: ipse autem et uxor ejus intuebantur.
So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered them on the rock to Yahweh. He did something marvelous while Manoah and his wife were watching.
20 Cumque ascenderet flamma altaris in cælum, angelus Domini pariter in flamma ascendit. Quod cum vidissent Manue et uxor ejus, proni ceciderunt in terram,
When the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife saw this and lay facedown on the ground.
21 et ultra eis non apparuit angelus Domini. Statimque intellexit Manue angelum Domini esse,
The angel of Yahweh did not appear again to Manoah or his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh.
22 et dixit ad uxorem suam: Morte moriemur, quia vidimus Deum.
Manoah said to his wife, “We are sure to die, because we have seen God!”
23 Cui respondit mulier: Si Dominus nos vellet occidere, de manibus nostris holocaustum et libamenta non suscepisset, nec ostendisset nobis hæc omnia, neque ea quæ sunt ventura dixisset.
But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh wanted to kill us, he would not have received the burnt offering and the grain offering we gave him. He would not have shown us all these things, nor at this time would he have let us hear such things.”
24 Peperit itaque filium, et vocavit nomen ejus Samson. Crevitque puer, et benedixit ei Dominus.
Later the woman gave birth to a son, and called his name Samson. The child grew up and Yahweh blessed him.
25 Cœpitque spiritus Domini esse cum eo in castris Dan inter Saraa et Esthaol.
Yahweh's Spirit began to stir him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
