1 And the children of Yisrael did evil again in the sight of יהוה; and יהוה delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoach; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
3 And the angel of יהוה appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, “Behold now, you are barren, and bearest not; but you shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4 Now therefore please beware and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.
5 For, behold, you shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a 30Nazarite (Nazir) unto God (Elohim) from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Yisrael out of the hand of the Philistines.
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God (Elohim) came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God (Elohim), very awesome; but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name;
7 But he said unto me, ‘Behold, you 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 (Nazir) to God (Elohim) from the womb to the day of his death.’”
8 Then Manoach intreated יהוה, and said, “O my Lord (Adonai), let the man of God (Elohim) which you didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.”
9 And God (Elohim) hearkened to the voice of Manoach; and the angel of God (Elohim) came again unto the woman as she sat in the field; but Manoach her husband was not with her.
10 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 And Manoach arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, “Are you the man that spakest unto the woman?” And he said, “I am.”
12 And Manoach said, “Now let your words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?”
13 And the angel of יהוה said unto Manoach, “Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14 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 And Manoach said unto the angel of יהוה, “Please let us detain you, until we shall have made ready a kid for you.”
16 And the angel of יהוה said unto Manoach, “Though you detain me, I will not eat of your food; and if you wilt offer a burnt offering, you must offer it unto יהוה.” (For Manoach knew not that he was an angel of יהוה.)
17 And Manoach said unto the angel of יהוה, “What is your name, that when your sayings come to pass we may do you honor?”
18 And the angel of יהוה said unto him, “Why askest you thus after my name, seeing it is 42wonderful?”
19 So Manoach took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto יהוה: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoach and his wife looked on.
20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of יהוה ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoach and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the angel of יהוה did no more appear to Manoach and to his wife. Then Manoach knew that he was an angel of יהוה.
22 And Manoach said unto his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God (Elohim).”
23 But his wife said unto him, “If יהוה had desired 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 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and יהוה blessed him.
25 And the Spirit of יהוה began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.