^{1 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don't eat any unclean thing:

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, I pray you, let us detain you, that we may make ready a kid for you.

^{16 Ref} 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 Ref} Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?

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

^{19 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

^{23 Ref} 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 Ref} The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.

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

^{1 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And, now, take heed, I pray thee, and do not drink wine, and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing,

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What `is' thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.'

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

^{19 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And Manoah saith unto his wife, `We certainly die, for we have seen God.'

^{23 Ref} 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 Ref} And the woman beareth a son, and calleth his name Samson, and the youth groweth, and Jehovah doth bless him,

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

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

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, Now let us keep you while we make ready a young goat for you.

^{16 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} But the angel of the Lord said to him, Why are you questioning me about my name, seeing that it is a wonder?

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

^{20 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And Manoah said to his wife, Death will certainly be our fate, for it is a god whom we have seen.

^{23 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And the spirit of the Lord first came on him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.