Atemmufo 13

1 Bio, Israelfo no yɛɛ nea ɛyɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, enti Awurade de wɔn hyɛɛ Filistifo nsam ma wɔhyɛɛ wɔn so mfe aduanan.

Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 Saa bere no, ɔbarima bi tenaa Sora a ne din de Manoa a ofi Dan abusuakuw mu. Na ne yere nnya awo, enti na wonni mma.

Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.

3 Awurade bɔfo yii ne ho kyerɛɛ Manoa yere kae se, “Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wonwoe de, nanso ɛrenkyɛ worebenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima.

The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

4 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wonom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den biara. Na nni biribiara nso a ɛyɛ akyiwade.

Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

5 Wubenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima, na hwɛ sɛ oyiwan renka ne ti, efisɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ Nasareni a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn fi awo mu. Obegye Israel afi Filistifo nsam.”

For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

6 Ɔbea no de mmirika kɔɔ ne kunu nkyɛn kɔbɔɔ no amanneɛ sɛ, “Onyankopɔn nipa bi yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me. Na ɔte sɛ Onyankopɔn abɔfo no mu baako a ne ho yɛ hu yiye. Mammisa no baabi a ofi bae, na ɔno nso ammɔ ne din ankyerɛ me.

So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

7 Nanso ɔka kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Wubenyinsɛn na woawo ɔbabarima. Enti nnom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den na nni biribiara a ɛyɛ akyiwade. Na wo babarima no bɛyɛ obi a wɔayi no asi hɔ ama Onyankopɔn sɛ Nasareni fi awo mu kosi bere a obewu.’”

But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

8 Na Manoa bɔɔ Awurade mpae se, “Ao Awurade, mesrɛ wo, ma Onyankopɔn nipa no nsan mmra yɛn nkyɛn na ɔmmɛkyerɛ yɛn nhyehyɛe a ɛfa abarimaa a wɔbɛwo no no ho.”

Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”

9 Onyankopɔn tiee Manoa. Ɔbɔfo no yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ no bio wɔ bere a ɔwɔ afum. Nanso na ne kunu Manoa nka ne ho wɔ hɔ.

And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.

10 Ɔbea no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔbɔɔ ne kunu amanneɛ se, “Ɔbarima a oyii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me da no aba bio!”

The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”

11 Manoa yɛɛ ntɛm dii ne yere akyi. Oduu ɔbarima no ho no, obisaa no se, “Wo na wokaa biribi kyerɛɛ me yere no ana?” Obuae se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me.”

So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.

12 Enti Manoa bisaa no se, “Sɛ nsɛm a woaka no ba mu a, mmara bɛn na ɛwɔ hɔ fa abarimaa no asetena ne nʼadwumayɛ ho?”

Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”

13 Awurade bɔfo no buae se, “Hwɛ sɛ wo yere bedi nhyehyɛe a mekyerɛɛ no no so.

So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.

14 Ɛnsɛ sɛ odi bobe anaa biribiara a efi bobe mu. Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔnom bobesa anaa nsa a ano yɛ den. Ɛnsɛ sɛ odi aduan biara a ɛyɛ akyiwade.”

She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”

15 Enti Manoa ka kyerɛɛ Awurade bɔfo no se, “Mesrɛ wo, tena ha kosi sɛ yebesiesie abirekyi ba bi ama woadi ansa na woakɔ.”

“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”

16 Awurade bɔfo no buae se, “Mɛtena, nanso, merenni biribiara. Mmom, mutumi siesie ɔhyew afɔre sɛ afɔrebɔde de ma Awurade.” (Na Manoa anhu sɛ ɔyɛ Awurade bɔfo.)

And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.

17 Afei, Manoa bisaa Awurade bɔfo no se, “Wo din de dɛn? Sɛ nsɛm yi nyinaa ba mu a, yɛpɛ sɛ yɛhyɛ wo anuonyam.”

Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”

18 Awurade bɔfo no bisaa no se, “Adɛn nti na wubisa me din? Sɛ mebɔ me din kyerɛ wo a, worente ase.”

“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”

19 Afei, Manoa faa abirekyi ba no ne aduan afɔrebɔde de bɔɔ afɔre wɔ ɔbotan bi so maa Awurade. Na Manoa ne ne yere rehwɛ no, Awurade yɛɛ anwonwade bi.

Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.

20 Ogyaframa a ɛwɔ afɔremuka no mu no teɛ kɔɔ wim no, Awurade bɔfo no faa mu foro kɔe. Na Manoa ne ne yere huu saa no, wɔde wɔn anim butubutuw fam.

When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.

21 Ɔbɔfo no anyi ne ho adi bio ankyerɛ Manoa ne ne yere. Afei, Manoa huu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade bɔfo,

And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.

22 na ɔka kyerɛɛ ne yere se, “Yebewuwu, efisɛ yɛahu Onyankopɔn!”

“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”

23 Nanso ne yere kae se, “Sɛ Awurade bekum yɛn a, anka wannye yɛn ɔhyew afɔre ne aduan afɔre no. Anka ɔrenyi ne ho adi nkyerɛ yɛn, nka anwonwasɛm nkyerɛ yɛn, nyɛ saa anwonwade yi nso.”

But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”

24 Ɔbea no woo ne babarima no, wɔtoo ne din Samson. Na abofra no renyin no, Awurade hyiraa no.

So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 Na bere a ɔwɔ Mahane Dan a ɛwɔ Sora ne Estaol ntam no, Awurade Honhom fii ase baa ne so.

And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.