1 T he people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

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 T here was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites. His name was Manoah. His wife was not able to have children.

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 T hen the angel of the Lord came to the woman and said to her, “See, you have not been able to have any children. But the Lord will make it possible for you to have a child and you will give birth to a son.

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 S o be careful not to drink wine or strong drink. Do not eat anything that is unclean.

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

5 Y ou will have a child and give birth to a son. His hair must never be cut. Because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born. He will begin to take Israel away from the Philistines’ power.”

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 T hen the woman came and told her husband. She said, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the angel of God, filling me with fear. I did not ask him where he came from. And he did not tell me his name.

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 B ut he said to me, ‘See, it will be possible for you to have a child and give birth to a son. Do not drink wine or strong drink or eat anything that is unclean. For the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born to the time he dies.’”

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 T hen Manoah asked the Lord, saying, “O Lord, let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again. Let him teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born.”

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 G od listened to Manoah. The angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.

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 S o the woman ran to her husband in a hurry. She told him, “See, the man who came the other day has come to me again.”

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

11 M anoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.”

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 M anoah said, “When your words come true, what will be the boy’s way of life? What should he do?”

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

13 T he angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Let the woman be careful to do all I have said.

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

14 S he must not eat anything from the vine or drink wine or strong drink. She must not eat anything that is unclean. Let her obey all I have told her.”

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 M anoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We ask of you, stay with us. So we may get a young goat ready for you to eat.”

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 T he angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “I will stay, but I will not eat your food. But if you get a burnt gift ready, then give it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.

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 M anoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? So we may honor you when your words come true.”

And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18 B ut the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is a name of wonder.”

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

19 S o Manoah took the young goat with the grain gift. And he gave it on the rock to the Lord. Then the Lord did powerful works while Manoah and his wife watched.

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 F or the fire went up from the altar toward heaven. And the angel of the Lord went up in the fire of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces on the ground.

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 T he angel of the Lord did not show himself to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord.

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 S o Manoah said to his wife, “We will die for sure. For we have seen God.”

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

23 B ut his wife said to him, “If the Lord had wanted to kill us, He would not have received a burnt gift and grain gift from us. He would not have shown us all these things, or let us hear these things.”

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 shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

24 T hen the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew up and the Lord brought good to him.

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

25 A nd the Spirit of the Lord began to work through him at the tents of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

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