Again the Israelites ... did evil in the sight of the LORD , so (He) delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah , from the clan of the Danites , whose wife (was) barren and had no children.
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her , “ It is true ... that you are barren and have no children ; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink , and not to eat anything unclean.
For behold , you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head , because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb , and he will begin the deliverance - of Israel from the hand of the Philistines. ”
So the woman went and told her husband , ... “ A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God , exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from , - and he did not tell his name.
But he said ‘ Behold , you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore , do not drink wine or strong drink , and do not eat anything unclean , because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death. ’”
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD - , “ Please , O Lord , let the man of God - You sent us come ... to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born. ”
And God listened to the voice of Manoah , and the angel of God returned ... to the woman as she was sitting in the field ; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
The woman ran ... quickly to tell her husband , “ Behold , the man who came to me the (other) day has reappeared ... ! ”
So Manoah got up and followed ... his wife. When he came to the man , he asked “ Are you the man who spoke to my wife ? ” “ I am, ” he said.
Then Manoah asked , “ When your words come to pass , what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission ? ”
So the angel of the LORD ... answered Manoah , “ Your wife is to do everything - I told her ....
She must not eat anything that comes from the vine ... , nor drink any wine or strong drink , nor eat anything unclean. ... She must do everything - I have commanded her. ”
“ Please stay here - , ” Manoah ... said to the angel of the LORD , “ and we will prepare a young goat ... for you. ”
And the angel of the LORD replied , “ Even if I stay , I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering , offer it to the LORD. ” For Manoah ... did not know (that) it (was) the angel of the LORD.
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD , “ What is your name , so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass ? ”
“ Why ... do you ask my name , ” said the angel of the LORD “ since it is beyond comprehension ? ”
Then Manoah - took a young goat ... - and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on , the LORD did a marvelous thing.
- When the flame went up from the altar to the sky , the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw (this) , they fell facedown ... to the ground.
And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again ... to Manoah and his wife , - Manoah realized that it (had been) the angel of the LORD.
“ We are going to die , ” ... he said to his wife , “ for we have seen God ! ”
But his wife replied “ If the LORD had intended to kill us , He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands , nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us ... this way. ”
So the woman gave birth to a son and named - him Samson. The boy grew , and the LORD blessed him.
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan ... , between Zorah ... and Eshtaol.