Iudicum 13

1 Rursumque filii Israel fecerunt malum in conspectu Domini: qui tradidit eos in manus Philisthinorum quadraginta annis.

And the children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord; and the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

2 Erat autem quidam vir de Saraa, et de stirpe Dan, nomine Manue, habens uxorem sterilem.

Now there was a certain man of Zorah of the family of the Danites, and his name was Manoah; and his wife had never given birth to a child.

3 Cui apparuit Angelus Domini, et dixit ad eam: Sterilis es et absque liberis: sed concipies et paries filium:

And the angel of the Lord came to the woman, and said to her, See now! though you have never given birth to children, you will be with child and give birth to a son.

4 Cave ergo ne bibas vinum ac siceram, nec immundum quidquam comedas:

Now then take care to have no wine or strong drink and to take no unclean thing for food;

5 quia paries filium, cuius non tanget caput novacula: erit enim nazaraeus Dei ab infantia sua, et ex matris utero, et ipse incipiet liberare Israel de manu Philisthinorum.

For you are with child and will give birth to a son; his hair is never to be cut, for the child is to be separate to God from his birth; and he will take up the work of freeing Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

6 Quae 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 in, and said to her husband, A man came to me, and his form was like the form of a god, causing great fear; I put no question to him about where he came from, and he did not give 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 nazaraeus Dei ab infantia sua, et ex utero matris suae usque ad diem mortis suae.

But he said to me, You are with child and will give birth to a son; and now do not take any wine or strong drink or let anything unclean be your food; for the child will be separate to God from his birth to 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 made prayer to the Lord, and said, O Lord, let the man of God whom you sent come to us again and make clear to us what we are to do for the child who is to come.

9 Exaudivitque Dominus deprecantem Manue, et apparuit rursum Angelus Dei uxori eius sedenti in agro. Manue autem maritus eius non erat cum ea. Quae cum vidisset Angelum,

And God gave ear to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came to the woman again when she was seated in the field; but 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 the woman, running quickly, gave her husband the news, saying, I have seen the man 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.

And Manoah got up and went after his wife, and came up to the man and said to him, Are you the man who was talking to this woman? And he said, I am.

12 Cui Manue: Quando, inquit, sermo tuus fuerit expletus, quid vis ut faciat puer? aut a quo se observare debebit?

And Manoah said, Now when your words come true, what is to be the rule for the child and what will be his work?

13 Dixitque Angelus Domini ad Manue: Ab omnibus, quae locutus sum uxori tuae, abstineat se:

And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, Let the woman take note of what I have said to her.

14 et quidquid ex vinea nascitur, non comedat: vinum et siceram non bibat, nullo vescatur immundo: et quod ei praecepi, impleat atque custodiat.

She is to have nothing which comes from the vine for her food, and let her take no wine or strong drink or anything which is unclean; let her take care to do all I have given her orders to do.

15 Dixitque Manue ad Angelum Domini: Obsecro te ut acquiescas precibus meis, et faciamus tibi hoedum de capris.

And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, Now let us keep you while we make ready 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.

And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, Though you keep me I will not take of your food; but if you will make a burned offering, let it be offered to the Lord. For it had not come into Manoah's mind that he was the angel of the Lord.

17 Dixitque ad eum: Quod est tibi nomen, ut, si sermo tuus fuerit expletus, honoremus te?

Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name, so that when your words come true we may give you honour?

18 Cui ille respondit: Cur quaeris nomen meum, quod est mirabile?

But the angel of the Lord said to him, Why are you questioning me about my name, seeing that it is a wonder?

19 Tulit itaque Manue hoedum de capris, et libamenta, et posuit super petram, offerens Domino, qui facit mirabilia: ipse autem et uxor eius intuebantur.

So Manoah took the young goat with its meal offering, offering it on the rock to the Lord, who did strange things.

20 Cumque ascenderet flamma altaris in caelum, Angelus Domini pariter in flamma ascendit. Quod cum vidissent Manue et uxor eius, proni ceciderunt in terram,

And when the flame went up to heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar, while Manoah and his wife were looking on; and they went down on their faces to the earth.

21 et ultra eis non apparuit Angelus Domini. Statimque intellexit Manue, Angelum Domini esse,

But the angel of the Lord was seen no more by Manoah and his wife. Then it was clear to Manoah that he was the angel of the Lord.

22 et dixit ad uxorem suam: Morte moriemur, quia vidimus Dominum.

And Manoah said to his wife, Death will certainly be our fate, for it is a god whom we have seen.

23 Cui respondit mulier: Si Dominus nos vellet occidere, de manibus nostris holocaustum et libamenta non suscepisset, nec ostendisset nobis haec omnia neque ea, quae sunt ventura, dixisset.

But his wife said to him, If the Lord was purposing our death, he would not have taken our burned offering and our meal offering, or have given us such orders about the child.

24 Peperit itaque filium, et vocavit nomen eius Samson. Crevitque puer, et benedixit ei Dominus.

So the woman gave birth to a son, and gave him the name Samson; and he became a man and the blessing of the Lord was on him.

25 Coepitque Spiritus Domini esse cum eo in castris Dan inter Saraa et Esthaol.

And the spirit of the Lord first came on him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.