1 Again the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.

3 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.

4 Now therefore, take heed and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

5 For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

6 And the woman came and told her husband, saying, A Man of God has come to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.

7 And He said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.

8 Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah, and said, O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the boy who is to be born.

9 And God heeded the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 And the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, Behold, the Man who came to me the other day has appeared to me!

11 And Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, Are You the Man who spoke to the woman? And He said, I am.

12 And Manoah said, Now let Your words come to pass! What are the ordinances for the boy, and what are his works?

13 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, Of all that I have said to the woman let her take heed.

14 She shall not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor shall she drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I have commanded her let her take heed.

15 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.

16 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you shall offer it unto Jehovah. (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of Jehovah.)

17 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?

18 And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Why do you ask after My name, seeing it is incomprehensible?

19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah. And He did an extraordinary thing while Manoah and his wife were watching;

20 it happened as the flame went up toward the heavens from the altar; that the Angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar! And Manoah and his wife were watching this, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

21 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared no more to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of Jehovah.

22 And Manoah said to his wife, We shall die the death, because we have seen God!

23 But his wife said to him, If Jehovah had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.

24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move upon him at the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.