< Judges 13 >

1 And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And the children of Israel yet again committed iniquity before the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Phylistines forty years.
2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
And there was a man of Saraa, of the family of the kindred of Dan, and his name was Manoe, and his wife was barren, and bore not.
3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, thou art barren and hast not born; yet thou shalt conceive a son.
4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
And now be very cautious, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing;
5 for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
for behold, thou art with child, and shalt bring forth a son; and there shall come no razor upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Phylistines.
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
And the woman went in, and spoke to her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his appearance [was as] of an angel of God, very dreadful; and I did not ask him whence he was, and he did not tell me his name.
7 but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.
And he said to me, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bring forth a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing; for the child shall be holy to God from the womb until the day of his death.
8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, Oh Lord, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do onto the child that shall be born.
And Manoe prayed to the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord my lord, [concerning] the man of God whom thou sentest; let him now come to us once more, and teach us what we shall do to the child about to be born.
9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
And the Lord heard the voice of Manoe, and the angel of God came yet again to the woman; and she sat in the field, and Manoe her husband was not with her.
10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
And the woman hasted, and ran, and brought word to her husband, and said to him, Behold the man who came in [the other] day to me has appeared to me.
11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
And Manoe arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Art thou the man that spoke to the woman? and the angel said, I [am].
12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass: what shall be the manner of the child, and [what shall be] his work?
And Manoe said, Now shall [thy] word come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and our dealings with him?
13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, Of all things concerning which I spoke to the woman, she shall beware.
14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.
She shall eat of nothing that comes of the vine yielding wine, and let her not drink wine or strong liquor, and let her not eat anything unclean: all things that I have charged her she shall observe.
15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee.
And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, Let us detain thee here, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats.
16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt make ready a burnt offering, thou must offer it onto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of the LORD.
And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, If thou shouldest detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wouldest offer a whole-burnt-offering, to the Lord thou shalt offer it: for Manoe knew not that he [was] an angel of the Lord.
17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy words come to pass we may do thee honour?
And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, What [is] thy name, that [when] thy word shall come to pass, we may glorify thee?
18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why dost thou thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?
19 So Manoah took the kid with the meal offering, and offered it upon the rock unto the LORD: and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.
And Manoe took a kid of the goats and its meat-offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord; and [the angel] wrought a distinct work, and Manoe and his wife were looking on.
20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
And it came to pass when the flame went up above the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord went up in the flame; and Manoe and his wife were looking, and they fell upon their face to the earth.
21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD.
And the angel appeared no more to Manoe and to his wife: then Manoe knew that this [was] an angel of the Lord.
22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
And Manoe said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
23 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would at this time have told us such things as these.
But his wife said to him, If the Lord were pleased to slay us, he would not have received of our hand a whole-burnt-offering and a meat-offering; and he would not have shewn us all these things, neither would he have caused us to hear all these things
24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
And the woman brought forth a son, and she called his name Sampson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 And the spirit of the LORD began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to go out with him in the camp of Dan, and between Saraa and Esthaol.

< Judges 13 >