1 以色列人又行了耶和华看为恶的事， 耶和华就把他们交在非利士人手中四十年。 2 那时有一个琐拉人， 是属于但支派的， 名叫玛挪亚； 他的妻子不能生育， 没有孩子。 3 耶和华的使者向那妇人显现， 对她说： "你向来不能生育， 没有孩子， 现在你必要怀孕， 生一个儿子。 4 现在你要谨慎， 清酒或烈酒都不可喝， 各样不洁的东西也不可吃。 5 看哪！ 你必怀孕， 生一个儿子； 不可用剃刀剃他的头， 这孩子从在母腹开始就归 神作拿细耳人； 他必拯救以色列人脱离非利士人的手。" 6 妇人就回去， 告诉她的丈夫说： "有一位神人到我这里来， 他的容貌像 神使者的容貌， 非常可畏， 我没有问他从哪里来， 他也没有告诉我他的名字。 7 他对我说： ‘你必要怀孕， 生一个儿子； 现在清酒或烈酒你都不可喝， 各样不洁的东西你也不可吃， 因为这孩子从在母腹开始， 一直到死， 都必归耶和华作拿细耳人。’" 8 玛挪亚就恳求耶和华， 说： "啊， 主啊， 求你叫你派来的神人再到我们这里吧！ 好指教我们要怎样对待将要生下来的孩子。" 9 神听了玛挪亚的声音。妇人正坐在田间的时候， 神的使者又来到她那里， 她的丈夫玛挪亚却没有与她在一起。 10 妇人急忙跑去告诉丈夫， 对他说： "那天到我这里来的那人， 又向我显现了。" 11 玛挪亚起来， 跟着他的妻子出去， 来到那人跟前， 问他： "你就是向这个妇人说过话的人吗？"他回答： "我就是。" 12 玛挪亚说： "你的话应验的时候， 这孩子的生活方式怎样？他要作什么呢？" 13 耶和华的使者对玛挪亚说： "我对妇人所说的一切话， 她都要谨守。 14 从葡萄树所产的， 她都不可吃； 清酒或烈酒， 她都不可喝； 各样不洁的东西， 她也不可吃； 我吩咐她的， 她都要谨守。" 15 玛挪亚对耶和华的使者说： "请留下， 好让我为你预备一只山羊羔。" 16 耶和华的使者对玛挪亚说： "你虽然要我留下， 我却不吃你的食物； 如果你预备燔祭， 就当献给耶和华。"原来玛挪亚还不知道他是耶和华的使者。 17 玛挪亚问耶和华的使者： "你叫什么名字？到你的话应验的时候， 我们好把尊荣归你。" 18 耶和华的使者对他说： "你为什么问我的名字呢？我的名是奇妙的。" 19 玛挪亚取了一只山羊羔和素祭， 在磐石上献与那行奇事的耶和华； 玛挪亚和他的妻子一直在观看。 20 火焰从祭坛上往天升起的时候， 耶和华的使者在祭坛上的火焰中也升上去了； 玛挪亚和他的妻子看见了， 就俯伏在地。 21 耶和华的使者没有再向玛挪亚和他的妻子显现， 那时玛挪亚才知道他是耶和华的使者。 22 玛挪亚对他的妻子说： "我们必定要死， 因为我们看见了 神。" 23 他的妻子却对他说： "如果耶和华有意要杀我们， 就必不从我们的手里接纳燔祭和素祭， 也必不会把这一切事指示我们， 更不会在这个时候向我们宣布这些事啊。" 24 后来那妇人生了一个儿子， 她就给他起名叫参孙； 孩子渐渐长大了， 耶和华赐福给他。 25 在玛哈尼．但（"玛哈尼．但"意即"但的军营"）， 就是在琐拉和以实陶中间， 耶和华的灵开始感动参孙。

1 And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.2 And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name [is] Manoah, his wife [is] barren, and hath not borne;3 and a messenger of Jehovah appeareth unto the woman, and saith unto her, `Lo, I pray thee, thou [art] barren, and hast not borne; when thou hast conceived, then thou hast borne a son.4 And, now, take heed, I pray thee, and do not drink wine, and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing,5 for, lo, thou art conceiving and bearing a son, and a razor doth not go up on his head, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb, and he doth begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.`6 And the woman cometh and speaketh to her husband, saying, `A man of God hath come unto me, and his appearance [is] as the appearance of a messenger of God, very fearful, and I have not asked him whence he [is], and his name he hath not declared to me;7 and he saith to me, Lo, thou art pregnant, and bearing a son, and now do not drink wine and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb till the day of his death.`8 And Manoah maketh entreaty unto Jehovah, and saith, `O, my Lord, the man of God whom Thou didst send, let him come in, I pray thee, again unto us, and direct us what we do to the youth who is born.`9 And God hearkeneth to the voice of Manoah, and the messenger of God cometh again unto the woman, and she [is] sitting in a field, and Manoah her husband is not with her,10 and the woman hasteth, and runneth, and declareth to her husband, and saith unto him, `Lo, he hath appeared unto me -- the man who came on [that] day unto me.`11 And Manoah riseth, and goeth after his wife, and cometh unto the man, and saith to him, `Art thou the man who spake unto the woman?` and he saith, `I [am].`12 And Manoah saith, `Now let thy words come to pass; what is the custom of the youth -- and his work?`13 And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `Of all that I said unto the woman let her take heed;14 of anything which cometh out from the wine-vine she doth not eat, and wine and strong drink she doth not drink, and any unclean thing she doth not eat; all that I have commanded her she doth observe.`15 And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `Let us detain thee, we pray thee, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats.`16 And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `If thou detain me -- I do not eat of thy bread; and if thou prepare a burnt-offering -- to Jehovah thou dost offer it;` for Manoah hath not known that He [is] a messenger of Jehovah.17 And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What [is] thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.`18 And the messenger of Jehovah saith to him, `Why [is] this -- thou dost ask for My name? -- and it [is] Wonderful.`19 And Manoah taketh the kid of the goats, and the present, and offereth on the rock to Jehovah, and He is doing wonderfully, and Manoah and his wife are looking on,20 and it cometh to pass, in the going up of the flame from off the altar toward the heavens, that the messenger of Jehovah goeth up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and they fall on their faces to the earth,21 and the messenger of Jehovah hath not added again to appear unto Manoah, and unto his wife, then hath Manoah known that He [is] a messenger of Jehovah.22 And Manoah saith unto his wife, `We certainly die, for we have seen God.`23 And his wife saith to him, `If Jehovah were desirous to put us to death, He had not received from our hands burnt-offering and present, nor shewed us all these things, nor as [at this] time caused us to hear [anything] like this.`24 And the woman beareth a son, and calleth his name Samson, and the youth groweth, and Jehovah doth bless him,25 and the Spirit of Jehovah beginneth to move him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.