Judges 13

1 Bvt the children of Israel continued to commit wickednesse in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord deliuerd them into the handes of the Philistims fourtie yeere.

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 Then there was a man in Zorah of the familie of the Danites, named Manoah, whose wife was baren, and bare not.

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 And the Angel of the Lord appeared vnto the woman, and said vnto her, Beholde nowe, thou art baren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceiue, and beare a sonne.

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 And nowe therefore beware that thou drinke no wine, nor strong drinke, neither eate any vncleane thing.

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

5 For loe, thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne, and no rasor shall come on his head: for the childe shall be a Nazarite vnto God from his birth: and he shall begin to saue Israel out of the handes of the Philistims.

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 Then the wife came, and tolde her husband, saying, A man of God came vnto me, and the facion of him was like the facion of the Angel of God exceeding feareful, but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name,

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 But he saide vnto me, Beholde, thou shalt conceiue, and beare a sonne, and nowe thou shalt drinke no wine, nor strong drinke, neither eate any vncleane thing: for the childe shalbe a Nazarite to God from his birth to the day of his death.

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 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and saide, I pray thee, my Lord, Let the man of God, whome thou sentest, come againe nowe vnto vs, and teach vs what we shall doe vnto the child when he is borne.

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 And God heard the voyce of Manoah, and the Angel of God came againe vnto the wife, as she sate in the fielde, but Manoah her husband was not with her.

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 And the wife made haste and ranne, and shewed her husband and sayde vnto him, Behold, the man hath appeared vnto me, that came vnto me to day.

So the woman, running quickly, gave her husband the news, saying, I have seen the man who came to me the other day.

11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife, and came to the man, and saide vnto him, Art thou the man that spakest vnto the woman? and he said, Yea.

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 Then Manoah sayde, Nowe let thy saying come to passe: but howe shall we order the childe and doe vnto him?

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 And the Angell of the Lord saide vnto Manoah, The woman must beware of all that I said vnto her.

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

14 She may eate of nothing that commeth of the vinetree: she shall not drinke wine nor strong drinke, nor eate any vncleane thing: let her obserue all that I haue commanded her.

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 Manoah then said vnto the Angell of the Lord, I pray thee, let vs reteine thee, vntill we haue made readie a kid for thee.

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

16 And the Angel of the Lord said vnto Manoah, Though thou make me abide, I will not eate of thy bread, and if thou wilt make a burnt offring, offer it vnto the Lord: for Manoah knewe not that it was an Angel of the Lord.

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 Againe Manoah said vnto the Angell of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy saying is come to passe, we may honour thee?

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 And the Angell of the Lord saide vnto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, which is secret?

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

19 Then Manoah tooke a kid with a meate offering, and offered it vpon a stone vnto the Lord: and the Angell did wonderously, whiles Manoah and his wife looked on.

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

20 For when the flame came vp toward heauen from the altar, the Angel of the Lord ascended vp in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife behelde it, and fell on their faces vnto the grounde.

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 (So the Angel of the Lord did no more appeare vnto Manoah and his wife.) Then Manoah knewe that it was an Angel of the Lord.

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 And Manoah said vnto his wife, We shall surely dye, because we haue seene God.

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

23 But his wife saide vnto him, If the Lord woulde kill vs, he woulde not haue receiued a burnt offring, and a meate offring of our hands, neither would he haue shewed vs all these things, nor would now haue tolde vs any such.

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 And the wife bare a sonne, and called his name Samson: and the childe grewe, and the Lord blessed him.

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 And the Spirite of the Lord beganne to strengthen him in the host of Dan, betweene Zorah, and Eshtaol.

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