The Book of Judges

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 13 -

(Numbers 6:1–21)

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

(a)

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

(b)

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 me his name.

But he said to me, ‘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,(c) between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Footnotes

(a)13:3 Or Angel; here and throughout chapter 13; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.

(b)13:5 Or set apart

(Numbers 6:1–21)

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.

The LORD’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive and bear a son.

Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing;

for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name;

but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink. Don’t eat any unclean thing, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we should do to the child who shall be born.”

God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field; but Manoah, her husband, wasn’t with her.

The woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, saying to him, “Behold, the man who came to me that day has appeared to me.”

Manoah arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “I am.”

Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What shall the child’s way of life and mission be?”

The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.

She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Let her observe all that I commanded her.”

Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “Please stay with us, that we may make a young goat ready for you.”

The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat your bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah didn’t know that he was the LORD’s angel.

Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”

The LORD’s angel said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible(a)?”

So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD. Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched.

For when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, the LORD’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife watched; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

But the LORD’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was the LORD’s angel.

Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”

But his wife said to him, “If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn’t have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time.”

The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

The LORD’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Footnotes

(a)13:18 or, wonderful