Judges 13

¹And again, the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

²Now there was a certain man from Zorah, and of the stock of Dan, whose name was Manoah, having a barren wife.

³And an Angel of the Lord appeared to her, and he said: “You are barren and without children. But you shall conceive and bear a son.

⁴Therefore, take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. Neither shall you eat anything unclean.

⁵For you shall conceive and bear a son, whose head no razor shall touch. For he shall be a Nazirite of God, from his infancy and from his mother’s womb. And he shall begin to free Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁶And when she had gone to her husband, she said to him: “A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an Angel, exceedingly terrible. And when I had inquired of him, who he was, and where he was from, and what name he was called, he was not willing to tell me.

⁷But he responded: ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Take care that you do not drink wine or strong drink. And you shall not consume anything unclean. For the boy shall be a Nazirite of God from his infancy, from his mother’s womb, even until the day of his death.’ ”

⁸And so Manoah prayed to the Lord, and he said, “I beg you Lord, that the man of God, whom you sent, may come again, and may teach us what we ought to do about the boy who is to be born.”

⁹And the Lord heeded the prayer of Manoah, and the Angel of the Lord appeared again to his wife, sitting in a field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. And when she had seen the Angel,

¹⁰she hurried and ran to her husband. And she reported to him, saying, “Behold, the man appeared to me, whom I had seen before.”

¹¹And he rose up and followed his wife. And going to the man, he said to him, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?” And he responded, “I am.”

¹²And Manoah said to him: “When will your word be fulfilled. What do you want the boy to do? Or from what should he keep himself?”

¹³And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah: “Concerning all the things about which I have spoken to your wife, she herself should abstain.

¹⁴And let her eat nothing from the vine. She may not drink wine or strong drink. She may consume nothing unclean. And let her observe and keep what I have instructed to her.”

¹⁵And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “I beg you to agree to my petition, and to let us prepare a kid from the goats.”

¹⁶And the Angel answered him: “Even if you compel me, I will not eat from your bread. But if you are willing to offer a holocaust, offer it to the Lord.” And Manoah did not know that he was an Angel of the Lord.

¹⁷And he said to him, “What is your name, so that, if your word is fulfilled, we may honor you?”

¹⁸And he answered him, “Why do you ask my name, which is a wonder?”

¹⁹And so, Manoah took a kid from the goats, and libations, and he placed them upon a rock, as an offering to the Lord, who accomplishes wonders. Then he and his wife watched.

²⁰And when the flame of the altar ascended to heaven, the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. And when Manoah and his wife had seen this, they fell prone on the ground.

²¹And the Angel of the Lord no longer appeared to them. And immediately, Manoah understood him to be an Angel of the Lord.

²²And he said to his wife, “We shall certainly die, since we have seen God.”

²³And his wife answered him, “If the Lord wished to kill us, he would not have accepted the holocaust and the libations from our hands. He would not have revealed all these things to us, nor would he have told us the things that are in the future.”

²⁴And so she bore a son, and she called his name Samson. And the boy grew up, and the Lord blessed him.

²⁵And the Spirit of the Lord began to be with him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 13

¹And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

²Now there was a certain man of Saraa, and of the race of Dan, whose name was Manue, and his wife was barren.

³And an angel of the Lord appeared to her, and said: Thou art barren and without children: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son.

⁴Now therefore beware, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.

⁵Because thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall touch his head: for he shall be a Nazarite of God, from his infancy, and from his mother's womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

⁶And when she was come to her husband, she said to him: A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an angel, very awful. And when I asked him whence he came, and by what name he was called, he would not tell me:

⁷But he answered thus: Behold thou shalt conceive and bear a son: beware thou drink no wine, nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite of God from his infancy, from his mother's womb until the day of his death.

⁸Then Manue prayed to the Lord, and said: I beseech thee, O Lord, that the man of God, whom thou didst send, may come again, and teach us what we ought to do concerning the child, that shall be born.

⁹And the Lord heard the prayer of Manue, and the angel of the Lord appeared again to his wife, as she was sitting in the field. But Manue her husband was not with her. And when she saw the angel,

¹⁰She made haste, and ran to her husband: and told him, saying: Behold the man hath appeared to me, whom I saw before.

¹¹He rose up, and followed his wife: and coming to the man, said to him: Art thou he that spoke to the woman? And he answered: I am.

¹²And Manue said to him: When thy word shall come to pass, what wilt thou that the child should do? or from what shall he keep himself?

¹³And the angel of the Lord said to Manue: From all the things I have spoken of to thy wife, let her refrain herself:

¹⁴And let her eat nothing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: and whatsoever I have commanded her, let her fulfil and observe.

¹⁵And Manue said to the angel of the Lord: I beseech thee to consent to my request, and let us dress a kid for thee.

¹⁶And the angel answered him: If thou press me I will not eat of thy bread: but if thou wilt offer a holocaust, offer it to the Lord. And Manue knew not it was the angel of the Lord.

¹⁷And he said to him: What is thy name, that, if thy word shall come to pass, we may honour thee?

¹⁸And he answered him: Why askest thou my name, which is wonderful?

¹⁹Then Manue took a kid of the flocks, and the libations, and put them upon a rock, offering to the Lord, who doth wonderful things: and he and his wife looked on.

²⁰And when the flame from the altar went up towards heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended also in the same. And when Manue and his wife saw this, they fell flat on the ground;

²¹And the angel of the Lord appeared to them no more. And forthwith Manue understood that it was an angel of the Lord,

²²And he said to his wife: We shall certainly die, because we have seen God.

²³And his wife answered him: If the Lord had a mind to kill us, he would not have received a holocaust and libations at our hands; neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor have told us the things that are to come.

²⁴And she bore a son, and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

²⁵And the Spirit of the Lord began to be with him in the camp of Dan, between Saraa and Esthaol.