Chapter 13
1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh ’s sight ; 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 childless .
3 Yahweh ’s angel appeared to the woman , and said to her , " See now , you are barren and childless ; 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 give birth to a son . No razor shall come on his head , for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. 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 . 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 . Don’t eat 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 sent come again to us , and teach us what we should 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 hurried and ran , and told her husband, saying to him , " Behold , the man who came to me that day has appeared to me ."
11 Manoah arose and followed his wife , and came to the man, and said to him , "Are you the man who spoke to my wife ?" He said , " I am."
12 Manoah said , " Now let your words happen . What shall the child ’s way of life and mission be ?"
13 Yahweh ’s angel 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 . Let her observe all that I commanded her ."
15 Manoah said to Yahweh ’s angel , " Please stay with us , that we may make a young goat ready for you ."
16 Yahweh ’s angel said to Manoah , " Though you detain me , I won’t eat your bread . If you will prepare a burnt offering , you must offer it to Yahweh ." For Manoah didn’t know that he was Yahweh ’s angel .
17 Manoah said to Yahweh ’s angel , " What is your name , that when your words happen , we may honor you ?"
18 Yahweh ’s angel said to him , " Why do you ask about my name , since it is incomprehensible ?"
19 So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering , and offered it on the rock to Yahweh . Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched .
20 For when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar , Yahweh ’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar . Manoah and his wife watched ; and they fell on their faces to the ground .
21 But Yahweh ’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more . Then Manoah knew that he was Yahweh ’s angel .
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 , and he wouldn’t have shown us all these things , nor would he have told us such things as these at this time ."
24 The woman bore a son and named him Samson . The child grew , and Yahweh blessed him .
25 Yahweh ’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan , between Zorah and Eshtaol.