1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord handed them over to 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 There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had no 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 The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have not had children, but you will conceive and 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 Now therefore, be careful! Do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

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

5 For you will conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor is to touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines.

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 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. His appearance was like that of an angel of God, very awe-inspiring. I did not ask him where he was 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 But he said to me, 'Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.'

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 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, saying, "Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come back to us and teach us what we are to do with 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 God listened to Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah 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 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband, saying to him, "Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared 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 Manoah got up, followed his wife, and came to the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?" 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 Then Manoah said, "Now, when your words come true, what will be the rules for the boy's life and work?"

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

13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "The woman must obey everything I told her.

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

14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I commanded 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 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please stay here, and we will prepare a young goat for you."

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 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Even if you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord." (Manoah did not know he was an 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 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that 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 The angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."

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

19 So Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord, and He did a wondrous thing 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 wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 When the flame rose from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell facedown to 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 The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized 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 Manoah said to his wife, "We are sure to die, because we have seen God!"

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

23 But his wife said to him, "If the Lord had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things, nor let us hear such things now."

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 The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.

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

25 The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh 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.