Dommernes 13
1 Men Israels-sønerne gjorde atter det som var Herren imot. Då let han filistarane få magt yver deim i fyrti år.
Again the Israeli people did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So Yahweh enabled the people of Philistia to conquer them. They ruled over the Israelis for 40 years.
2 Det var ein mann av Dans-ætti som heitte Manoah. Han budde i Sora. Kona hans var’kje barnkjømd; ho hadde aldri ått barn.
There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah [town]. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.
3 Og Herrens engel synte seg for kona, og sagde: «Kjære, eg veit at du er’kje barnkjømd og aldri hev ått barn, men du skal verta umhender og eiga ein son.
One day, Yahweh appeared to Manoah’s wife in the form of an angel, and said to her, “Even though you have not been able to give birth to any children until now, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4 Agta deg no, og drikk ikkje vin eller sterk drykk, og et ikkje noko ureint!
[From now until he is born], you must not drink any wine or other alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that will make you unacceptable to God.
5 For no vert du umhender, og fær ein son: på hans hovud må det aldri koma saks; for sveinen skal vera vigd til Gud alt ifrå morsliv, og han skal gjera upptaket til å berga Israel frå filistarane.»
After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue [many of] the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”
6 So gjekk kona inn, og sagde det med mannen sin: «Det kom ein gudsmann til meg, » sagde ho; «han var å sjå til som Guds engel, fælande ageleg; men eg spurde ikkje kvar han var ifrå, og ikkje sagde han meg namnet sitt.
The woman ran and told her husband, “A prophet came to me. He looked awesome, like an angel from God. I did not ask where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 «Du skal verta umhender og eiga ein son, » sagde han med meg; «drikk no ikkje vin eller sterk drykk, og et ikkje noko ureint! For sveinen skal vera vigd til Gud frå morsliv og til sin døyande dag.»»
But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Until then, you must not drink any wine or any alcoholic/fermented drink, and you must not eat any food that would make you unacceptable to God. Your son must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies.’”
8 Då bad Manoah til Herren, og sagde: «Høyr meg, Herre! Lat den gudsmannen som du sende koma hit att og læra oss korleis me skal fara med det barnet som skal koma til verdi!»
Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh, saying, “O Yahweh, I plead with you, allow that prophet whom you sent to us to come again, and teach us how we should raise the boy who will be born to us.”
9 Og Gud høyrde Manoahs bøn, og Guds engel kom att til kona ein gong ho sat utpå marki, og Manoah, mannen hennar, ikkje var med henne.
God did what Manoah asked, and Yahweh again appeared to his wife in the form of an angel, while she was out in the field. But again her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 Då sprang ho svint heim, og sagde det med mannen sin: «No hev han synt seg for meg, den mannen som kom til meg her um dagen», sagde ho.
So she quickly ran and said to her husband, “The man who appeared to me a few days ago has come back again!”
11 Manoah reiste seg, og fylgde kona si, og då han kom til mannen, spurde han: «Er du den mannen som hev tala til kona mi?» «Ja», svara han.
Manoah ran back with his wife, and asked, “Are you the man who talked with my wife a few days ago?” He replied, “Yes, I am.”
12 «Når det no gjeng fram det som du sagde, korleis skal me då stella oss med sveinen, og korleis skal me fara med honom?» sagde Manoah.
Manoah asked him, “When what you promised occurs [and my wife gives birth to a son], what rules must he obey, and what work will he do [when he grows up]?”
13 Då svara Herrens engel: «Alt det eg nemnde for kona, lyt ho agta seg for.
Yahweh replied, “Your wife must obey all the instructions I gave her.
14 Ho må ikkje eta noko som kjem av vintreet, og ikkje drikka vin eller sterk drykk, og ikkje eta noko ureint; alt det eg hev sagt til henne, lyt ho halda seg etter.»
[Before the baby is born], she must not eat grapes, or drink wine or any other alcoholic/fermented drink, or eat anything that would make her unacceptable to God.”
15 «Kann du’kje bia eit bil, so me fær stella til eit kid for deg!» sagde Manoah. For han visste ikkje at det var Herrens engel.
Then Manoah said, “Please stay here until we can kill and cook a young goat for you.”
16 «Um eg biar, so et eg like vel ikkje av maten din, » svara Herrens engel; «men vil du laga til eit brennoffer åt Herren, so gjer det!»
Yahweh replied, “I will stay here, but I will not eat anything. However, you may kill an animal and sacrifice it as a burned offering to Yahweh.” (Manoah did not realize that the [man he thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.)
17 Då sagde Manoah til Herrens engel: «Kva er namnet ditt - so me kann få æra deg, når det hender det som du hev sagt!»
Then Manoah asked him, “What is your name? When what you have promised happens, we want to honor you.”
18 «Kvi spør du um namnet mitt?» svara han; «det er eit underleg namn!»
Yahweh replied, “(Why do you ask me my name?/You should not ask me my name.) [RHQ] It is (wonderful/it cannot be understood).”
19 So tok Manoah kidet og grjonofferet, og ofra det på berget til Herren. Då hende eit stort under, so Manoah og kona hans såg på det:
Then Manoah killed a young goat and burned it on a rock, along with a grain offering, as a sacrifice to Yahweh. And Yahweh did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 Då logen steig upp frå altaret mot himmelen, då for Herrens engel upp i altarlogen. Då Manoah og kona hans såg det, kasta dei seg å gruve på jordi.
Flames from the altar blazed up toward the sky, and Yahweh ascended in the flames. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they prostrated themselves on the ground.
21 Herrens engel synte seg ikkje oftare for Manoah og kona hans; då skyna Manoah at det var Herrens engel,
Although Yahweh did not appear in the form of an angel to Manoah and his wife again, Manoah realized that the [man they thought was an] angel was really Yahweh.
22 og han sagde til kona si: «No lyt me døy; for me hev set Gud!»
So he said, “Now we will die, because we have seen God!”
23 Men kona svara: «Hadde Herren havt hug til å drepa oss, so hadde han ikkje teke mot brennoffer og grjonoffer av oss, og me hadde ikkje fenge set alt dette, og ikkje fenge høyrt slikt som det me høyrde no.»
But his wife said, “No, we will not die, because if Yahweh intended to kill us, he would not have accepted the burned offering and the grain offering. And he would not have appeared to us and told us the wonderful thing that would happen to us, and he would not have performed this miracle.”
24 Då det leid på, fekk kona ein son, og kalla honom Samson. Guten voks upp, og Herren velsigna honom.
When their son was born, they named him Samson. Yahweh blessed him as he grew up.
25 Det var i Dans-lægret millom Sora og Estaol, Herrens ande fyrst tok til å driva honom.
And while he was in Mahaneh-Dan, which is between Zorah and Eshtaol [towns], Yahweh’s Spirit began to control him.
