Iudicum 13
1 Rursumque filii Israel fecerunt malum in conspectu Domini: qui tradidit eos in manus Philisthinorum quadraginta annis.
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.
2 Erat autem quidam vir de Saraa, et de stirpe Dan, nomine Manue, habens uxorem sterilem.
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.
3 Cui apparuit Angelus Domini, et dixit ad eam: Sterilis es et absque liberis: sed concipies et paries filium:
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.
4 Cave ergo ne bibas vinum ac siceram, nec immundum quidquam comedas:
So then please be careful not to drink any wine or other alcoholic drink, and don't eat anything unclean.
5 quia concipies, et paries filium, cuius non tanget caput novacula: erit enim nazaræus Dei ab infantia sua, et ex matris utero, et ipse incipiet liberare Israel de manu Philisthinorum.
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.”
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:
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.
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.
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.’”
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 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.”
9 Exaudivitque Dominus deprecantem Manue, et apparuit rursum Angelus Dei uxori eius sedenti in agro. Manue autem maritus eius non erat cum ea. Quæ cum vidisset Angelum,
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.
10 festinavit, et cucurrit ad virum suum: nunciavitque ei, dicens: Ecce apparuit mihi vir, quem ante videram.
So she ran quickly to tell her husband, “Look! The man who appeared to me the other day has come back!”
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 went back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife before?” “Yes I am,” he replied.
12 Cui Manue: Quando, inquit, sermo tuus fuerit expletus, quid vis ut faciat puer? aut a quo se observare debebit?
So Manoah said, “May your promise come true! What shall be decided for the boy, and what is to be his vocation?”
13 Dixitque Angelus Domini ad Manue: Ab omnibus, quæ locutus sum uxori tuæ, abstineat se:
“Make sure your wife is careful to follow everything I told her,” the angel of the Lord replied.
14 et quidquid ex vinea nascitur, non comedat: vinum et siceram non bibat, nullo vescatur immundo: et quod ei præcepi, impleat atque custodiat.
“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.”
15 Dixitque Manue ad Angelum Domini: Obsecro te ut acquiescas precibus meis, et faciamus tibi hœdum de capris.
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.”
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 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.)
17 Dixitque ad eum: Quod est tibi nomen, ut, si sermo tuus fuerit expletus, honoremus te?
Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so when your promise comes true we may honor you?”
18 Cui ille respondit: Cur quæris nomen meum, quod est mirabile?
“Why do you ask this?” the angel of the Lord responded. “My name is beyond comprehension.”
19 Tulit itaque Manue hœdum de capris, et libamenta, et posuit super petram, offerens Domino, qui facit mirabilia: ipse autem et uxor eius intuebantur.
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.
20 Cumque ascenderet flamma altaris in cælum, Angelus Domini pariter in flamma ascendit. Quod cum vidissent Manue et uxor eius, proni ceciderunt in terram,
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.
21 et ultra eis non apparuit Angelus Domini. Statimque intellexit Manue, Angelum Domini esse,
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.
22 et dixit ad uxorem suam: Morte moriemur, quia vidimus Deum.
“We're definitely going to die,” he told his wife, “for 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 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.”
24 Peperit itaque filium, et vocavit nomen eius Samson. Crevitque puer, et benedixit ei Dominus.
She gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.
25 Cœpitque Spiritus Domini esse cum eo in castris Dan inter Saraa et Esthaol.
The Spirit of the Lord began to prompt him at Mahaneh Dan, a place between Zorah and Eshtaol.
