¹ And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 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.

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.

⁴ Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

⁵ For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

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 an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he 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, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

⁸ Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall 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.

¹⁰ And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

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.

¹² And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

¹³ And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her 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.

¹⁵ And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

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 offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah 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 sayings come to pass we may do thee honor?

¹⁸ And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

¹⁹ So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked 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 it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

²² And Manoah said unto 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 meat offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

²⁴ And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

²⁵ And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

---

¹ And the children ^H1121 of Israel ^H3478 did ^H6213 evil ^H7451 again ^H3254 in the sight ^H5869 of the LORD; ^H3068 and the LORD ^H3068 delivered ^H5414 them into the hand ^H3027 of the Philistines ^H6430 forty ^H705 years. ^H8141

² And there was a certain ^H259 man ^H376 of Zorah, ^H6881 of the family ^H4940 of the Danites, ^H1839 whose name ^H8034 was Manoah; ^H4495 and his wife ^H802 was barren, ^H6135 and bare ^H3205 not.

³ And the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 appeared ^H7200 unto the woman, ^H802 and said ^H559 unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, ^H6135 and bearest ^H3205 not: but thou shalt conceive, ^H2029 and bear ^H3205 a son. ^H1121

⁴ Now therefore beware, ^H8104 I pray thee, and drink ^H8354 not wine ^H3196 nor strong drink, ^H7941 and eat ^H398 not any unclean ^H2931 thing:

⁵ For, lo, thou shalt conceive, ^H2030 and bear ^H3205 a son; ^H1121 and no razor ^H4177 shall come ^H5927 on his head: ^H7218 for the child ^H5288 shall be a Nazarite ^H5139 unto God ^H430 from the womb: ^H990 and he shall begin ^H2490 to deliver ^H3467 Israel ^H3478 out of the hand ^H3027 of the Philistines. ^H6430

⁶ Then the woman ^H802 came ^H935 and told ^H559 her husband, ^H376 saying, ^H559 A man ^H376 of God ^H430 came ^H935 unto me, and his countenance ^H4758 was like the countenance ^H4758 of an angel ^H4397 of God, ^H430 very ^H3966 terrible: ^H3372 but I asked ^H7592 him not whence he was, neither told ^H5046 he me his name: ^H8034

⁷ But he said ^H559 unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, ^H2030 and bear ^H3205 a son; ^H1121 and now drink ^H7941 no wine ^H3196 nor strong drink, ^H8354 neither eat ^H398 any unclean ^H2932 thing: for the child ^H5288 shall be a Nazarite ^H5139 to God ^H430 from the womb ^H990 to the day ^H3117 of his death. ^H4194

⁸ Then Manoah ^H4495 intreated ^H6279 the LORD, ^H3068 and said, ^H559 O ^H994 my Lord, ^H136 let ^H4994 the man ^H376 of God ^H430 which thou didst send ^H7971 come again ^H935 unto us, and teach ^H3384 us what we shall do ^H6213 unto the child ^H5288 that shall be born. ^H3205

⁹ And God ^H430 hearkened ^H8085 to the voice ^H6963 of Manoah; ^H4495 and the angel ^H4397 of God ^H430 came again ^H935 unto the woman ^H802 as she sat ^H3427 in the field: ^H7704 but Manoah ^H4495 her husband ^H376 was not with her.

¹⁰ And the woman ^H802 made haste, ^H4116 and ran, ^H7323 and shewed ^H5046 her husband, ^H376 and said ^H559 unto him, Behold, the man ^H376 hath appeared ^H7200 unto me, that came ^H935 unto me the other day. ^H3117

¹¹ And Manoah ^H4495 arose, ^H6965 and went ^H3212 after ^H310 his wife, ^H802 and came ^H935 to the man, ^H376 and said ^H559 unto him, Art thou the man ^H376 that spakest ^H1696 unto the woman? ^H802 And he said, ^H559 I am.

¹² And Manoah ^H4495 said, ^H559 Now let thy words ^H1697 come to pass. ^H935 How shall we order ^H4941 the child, ^H5288 and how shall we do ^H4639 unto him?

¹³ And the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 said ^H559 unto Manoah, ^H4495 Of all that I said ^H559 unto the woman ^H802 let her beware. ^H8104

¹⁴ She may not eat ^H398 of any thing that cometh ^H3318 of the vine, ^H1612 neither let her drink ^H8354 wine ^H3196 or strong drink, ^H7941 nor eat ^H398 any unclean ^H2932 thing: all that I commanded ^H6680 her let her observe. ^H8104

¹⁵ And Manoah ^H4495 said ^H559 unto the angel ^H4397 of the LORD, ^H3068 I pray thee, let us detain ^H6113 thee, until we shall have made ready ^H6213 a kid ^{H1423 H5795} for ^H6440 thee.

¹⁶ And the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 said ^H559 unto Manoah, ^H4495 Though thou detain ^H6113 me, I will not eat ^H398 of thy bread: ^H3899 and if ^H518 thou wilt offer ^H6213 a burnt offering, ^H5930 thou must offer ^H5927 it unto the LORD. ^H3068 For Manoah ^H4495 knew ^H3045 not that he was an angel ^H4397 of the LORD. ^H3068

¹⁷ And Manoah ^H4495 said ^H559 unto the angel ^H4397 of the LORD, ^H3068 What is thy name, ^H8034 that when thy sayings ^H1697 come to pass ^H935 we may do thee honour? ^H3513

¹⁸ And the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 said ^H559 unto him, Why askest ^H7592 thou thus after my name, ^H8034 seeing it is secret? ^{H6383 H6383}

¹⁹ So Manoah ^H4495 took ^H3947 a kid ^{H1423 H5795} with a meat offering, ^H4503 and offered ^H5927 it upon a rock ^H6697 unto the LORD: ^H3068 and the angel did ^H6213 wondrously; ^H6381 and Manoah ^H4495 and his wife ^H802 looked on. ^H7200

²⁰ For it came to pass, when the flame ^H3851 went up ^H5927 toward heaven ^H8064 from off the altar, ^H4196 that the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 ascended ^H5927 in the flame ^H3851 of the altar. ^H4196 And Manoah ^H4495 and his wife ^H802 looked on ^H7200 it, and fell on ^H5307 their faces ^H6440 to the ground. ^H776

²¹ But the angel ^H4397 of the LORD ^H3068 did no more ^H3254 appear ^H7200 to Manoah ^H4495 and to his wife. ^H802 Then Manoah ^H4495 knew ^H3045 that he was an angel ^H4397 of the LORD. ^H3068

²² And Manoah ^H4495 said ^H559 unto his wife, ^H802 We shall surely ^H4191 die, ^H4191 because we have seen ^H7200 God. ^H430

²³ But his wife ^H802 said ^H559 unto him, If ^H3863 the LORD ^H3068 were pleased ^H2654 to kill ^H4191 us, he would not have received ^H3947 a burnt offering ^H5930 and a meat offering ^H4503 at our hands, ^H3027 neither would he have shewed ^H7200 us all these things, nor would as at this time ^H6256 have told ^H8085 us such things as these. ^H2063

²⁴ And the woman ^H802 bare ^H3205 a son, ^H1121 and called ^H7121 his name ^H8034 Samson: ^H8123 and the child ^H5288 grew, ^H1431 and the LORD ^H3068 blessed ^H1288 him.

²⁵ And the Spirit ^H7307 of the LORD ^H3068 began ^H2490 to move him at times ^H6470 in the camp ^H4264 of Dan ^H1835 between Zorah ^H6881 and Eshtaol. ^H847

---

¹ And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 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.

³ And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

⁴ Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any 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.

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:

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.

⁸ Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, 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 unto the child that shall 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.

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.

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.

¹² And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and `how' shall we do unto him?

¹³ And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

¹⁴ She may not eat of anything 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.

¹⁵ And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee.

¹⁶ And the angel of Jehovah 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 unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah.

¹⁷ And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor?

¹⁸ And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful?

¹⁹ So Manoah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and `the angel' did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

²⁰ For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah.

²² And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

²³ But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.

²⁴ And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him.

²⁵ And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

---

¹ And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

² And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name `is' Manoah, his wife `is' barren, and hath not borne;

³ and a messenger of Jehovah appeareth unto the woman, and saith unto her, `Lo, I pray thee, thou `art' barren, and hast not borne; when thou hast conceived, then thou hast borne a son.

⁴ And, now, take heed, I pray thee, and do not drink wine, and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing,

⁵ for, lo, thou art conceiving and bearing a son, and a razor doth not go up on his head, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb, and he doth begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'

⁶ And the woman cometh and speaketh to her husband, saying, `A man of God hath come unto me, and his appearance `is' as the appearance of a messenger of God, very fearful, and I have not asked him whence he `is', and his name he hath not declared to me;

⁷ and he saith to me, Lo, thou art pregnant, and bearing a son, and now do not drink wine and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb till the day of his death.'

⁸ And Manoah maketh entreaty unto Jehovah, and saith, `O, my Lord, the man of God whom Thou didst send, let him come in, I pray thee, again unto us, and direct us what we do to the youth who is born.'

⁹ And God hearkeneth to the voice of Manoah, and the messenger of God cometh again unto the woman, and she `is' sitting in a field, and Manoah her husband is not with her,

¹⁰ and the woman hasteth, and runneth, and declareth to her husband, and saith unto him, `Lo, he hath appeared unto me -- the man who came on `that' day unto me.'

¹¹ And Manoah riseth, and goeth after his wife, and cometh unto the man, and saith to him, `Art thou the man who spake unto the woman?' and he saith, `I `am'.'

¹² And Manoah saith, `Now let thy words come to pass; what is the custom of the youth -- and his work?'

¹³ And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `Of all that I said unto the woman let her take heed;

¹⁴ of anything which cometh out from the wine-vine she doth not eat, and wine and strong drink she doth not drink, and any unclean thing she doth not eat; all that I have commanded her she doth observe.'

¹⁵ And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `Let us detain thee, we pray thee, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats.'

¹⁶ And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `If thou detain me -- I do not eat of thy bread; and if thou prepare a burnt-offering -- to Jehovah thou dost offer it;' for Manoah hath not known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah.

¹⁷ And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What `is' thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.'

¹⁸ And the messenger of Jehovah saith to him, `Why `is' this -- thou dost ask for My name? -- and it `is' Wonderful.'

¹⁹ And Manoah taketh the kid of the goats, and the present, and offereth on the rock to Jehovah, and He is doing wonderfully, and Manoah and his wife are looking on,

²⁰ and it cometh to pass, in the going up of the flame from off the altar toward the heavens, that the messenger of Jehovah goeth up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and they fall on their faces to the earth,

²¹ and the messenger of Jehovah hath not added again to appear unto Manoah, and unto his wife, then hath Manoah known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah.

²² And Manoah saith unto his wife, `We certainly die, for we have seen God.'

²³ And his wife saith to him, `If Jehovah were desirous to put us to death, He had not received from our hands burnt-offering and present, nor shewed us all these things, nor as `at this' time caused us to hear `anything' like this.'

²⁴ And the woman beareth a son, and calleth his name Samson, and the youth groweth, and Jehovah doth bless him,

²⁵ and the Spirit of Jehovah beginneth to move him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

---

¹ And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

² And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Mano'ah; and his wife was barren and had no children.

³ And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have no children; but you shall conceive and bear a son.

⁴ Therefore beware, and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean,

⁵ for lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines."

⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband, "A man of God came to me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; I did not ask him whence he was, and he did not tell me his name;

⁷ but he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son; so then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth to the day of his death.'"

⁸ Then Mano'ah entreated the LORD, and said, "O, LORD, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again to us, and teach us what we are to do with the boy that will be born."

⁹ And God listened to the voice of Mano'ah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field; but Mano'ah her husband was not with her.

¹⁰ And the woman ran in haste and told her husband, "Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."

¹¹ And Mano'ah arose and went after his wife, and came to the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to this woman?" And he said, "I am."

¹² And Mano'ah said, "Now when your words come true, what is to be the boy's manner of life, and what is he to do?"

¹³ And the angel of the LORD said to Mano'ah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.

¹⁴ She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe."

¹⁵ Mano'ah said to the angel of the LORD, "Pray, let us detain you, and prepare a kid for you."

¹⁶ And the angel of the LORD said to Mano'ah, "If you detain me, I will not eat of your food; but if you make ready a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." (For Mano'ah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.)

¹⁷ And Mano'ah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?"

¹⁸ And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"

¹⁹ So Mano'ah took the kid with the cereal offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD, to him who works wonders.

²⁰ And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar while Mano'ah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Mano'ah and to his wife. Then Mano'ah knew that he was the angel of the LORD.

²² And Mano'ah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God."

²³ But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a cereal offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."

²⁴ And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.

²⁵ And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Ma'haneh-dan, between Zorah and Esh'ta-ol.

---

¹ The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh 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 didn't bear.

³ The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and said to her, See now, you are barren, and don't bear; 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 bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb: and 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; and I didn't ask him whence he was, 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, and eat not 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 Yahweh, and said, Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall 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 made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, Behold, the man has appeared to me, who came to me the [other] day.

¹¹ Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Are you the man who spoke to the woman? He said, I am.

¹² Manoah said, Now let your words happen: what shall be the ordering of the child, and [how] shall we do to him?

¹³ The angel of Yahweh 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; all that I commanded her let her observe.

¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, I pray you, let us detain you, that we may make ready a kid for you.

¹⁶ The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, Though you detain me, I won't eat of your bread; and if you will make ready a burnt offering, you must offer it to Yahweh. For Manoah didn't know that he was the angel of Yahweh.

¹⁷ Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?

¹⁸ The angel of Yahweh said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful?

¹⁹ So Manoah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it on the rock to Yahweh: and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

²⁰ For it happened, when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, that the angel of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ But the angel of Yahweh did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh.

²² Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

²³ But his wife said to him, If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn't have received a burnt offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have shown us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.

²⁴ The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.

²⁵ The Spirit of Yahweh began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

---

¹ 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 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 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 Now then take care to have no wine or strong drink and to take no unclean thing for food;

⁵ 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 angel of the Lord said to Manoah, Let the woman take note of what I have said to her.

¹⁴ 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 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 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 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 But the angel of the Lord said to him, Why are you questioning me about my name, seeing that it is a wonder?

¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with its meal offering, offering it on the rock to the Lord, who did strange things.

²⁰ 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 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 to his wife, Death will certainly be our fate, for it is a god whom we have seen.

²³ 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 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 spirit of the Lord first came on him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.