Judges 13

Israel Is Given into Philistine Hands

1The children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

A Messenger Appears to Manoah’s Wife

2There was a certain man from Zorah, from the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had not given birth. 3The messenger of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Look, you are barren and have not given birth, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 4So now please be careful: do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean. 5For look, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

The Woman Tells Manoah

6The woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awe-inspiring. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name. 7But he said to me, ‘Look, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. So now do not drink wine or strong drink and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

Manoah Prays for Instruction

8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “Please, Lord, let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born.” 9God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the messenger of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field. Manoah her husband was not with her. 10The woman hurried and ran and told her husband, saying to him, “Look, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” 11Manoah rose and followed his wife. He came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” He said, “I am.” 12Manoah said, “Now when your words come to pass, what shall be the rule for the boy and his work?” 13The messenger of the LORD said to Manoah, “The woman must be careful concerning everything I said to her. 14She shall not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. Everything I commanded her, she shall keep.”

Manoah Offers a Young Goat

15Manoah said to the messenger of the LORD, “Please let us detain you, and we will prepare a young goat for you.” 16The messenger of the LORD said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that he was the messenger of the LORD. 17Manoah said to the messenger of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass we may honor you?” 18The messenger of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing that it is wonderful?”

The Messenger Ascends in the Flame

19So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it upon the rock to the LORD, to the one who works wonders. Manoah and his wife were watching. 20When the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the messenger of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground. 21The messenger of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the messenger of the LORD. 22Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had desired to put us to death, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hand, or shown us all these things, or now announced such things to us.”

Samson Is Born

24The woman gave birth to a son and called his name Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.