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 where he was from, 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 , "Please, let us detain you, that we may make a young goat ready 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 prepare 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 about my name , since it is wonderful?"
19
So Manoah took the young goat 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.