1 The children of Israel again did that
which was evil in the LORD’s sight; and the
LORD delivered them into the hand of the
Philistines forty years.
2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of
the family of the Danites, whose name was
Manoah; and his wife was barren, and
childless.
3 The LORD’s angel appeared to the
woman, and said to her, “See now, you
are barren and childless; but you shall
conceive and bear a son.
4 Now therefore please beware and
drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t
eat any unclean thing;
5 for, behold, you shall conceive and give
birth to a son. No razor shall come on his
head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to
God from the womb. He shall begin to save
Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman came and told her
husband, saying, “A man of God came to
me, and his face was like the face of the
angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask
him where he was from, neither did he tell
me his name;
7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall
conceive and bear a son; and now drink no
wine nor strong drink. Don’t eat any unclean
thing, for the child shall be a Nazirite
to God from the womb to the day of his
death.’ ”
8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and
said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God
whom you sent come again to us, and teach
us what we should do to the child who shall
be born.”
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah,
and the angel of God came again to the
woman as she sat in the field; but Manoah,
her husband, wasn’t with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran, and told
her husband, saying to him, “Behold, the
man who came to me that day has appeared
to me.”
11 Manoah arose and followed his wife,
and came to the man, and said to him, “Are
you the man who spoke to my wife?”
He said, “I am.”
12 Manoah said, “Now let your words
happen. What shall the child’s way of life
and mission be?”
13 The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Of
all that I said to the woman let her beware.
14 She may not eat of anything that comes
of the vine, neither let her drink wine or
strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
Let her observe all that I commanded her.”
15 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel,
“Please stay with us, that we may make a
young goat ready for you.”
16 The LORD’s angel said to Manoah,
“Though you detain me, I won’t eat your
bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering,
you must offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah
didn’t know that he was the LORD’s angel.
17 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel,
“What is your name, that when your words
happen, we may honour you?”
18 The LORD’s angel said to him, “Why do
you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible?”
19 So Manoah took the young goat with
the meal offering, and offered it on the
rock to the LORD. Then the angel did an
amazing thing as Manoah and his wife
watched.
20 For when the flame went up towards
the sky from off the altar, the LORD’s angel
ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah
and his wife watched; and they fell on their
faces to the ground.
21 But the LORD’s angel didn’t appear to
Manoah or to his wife any more. Then
Manoah knew that he was the LORD’s angel.
22 Manoah said to his wife, “We shall
surely die, because we have seen God.”
23 But his wife said to him, “If the LORD
were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have
received a burnt offering and a meal offering
at our hand, and he wouldn’t have
shown us all these things, nor would he
have told us such things as these at this
time.” 24 The woman bore a son and named him
Samson. The child grew, and the LORD
blessed him.
25 The LORD’s Spirit began to move him
in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
