Judges Chapter 13

Judges Chapter 13
1 But the children of Israel continued to
commit wickedness in the sight of the
Lord, and the Lord delivered them into
the hands of the Philistines forty year. 2
Then there was a man in Zorah of the
family of the Danites, named Manoah,
whose wife was barren, and bear not.
3 And the angel of the Lord appeared
unto the woman, and said unto her,
Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest
not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a
son.
4 And now therefore beware that thou
drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither
eat any unclean thing.
5 For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a
son, and no razor shall come on his
head: for the child shall be a Nazarite
unto God from his birth: and he shall
begin to save Israel out of the hands of
the Philistines.
6 Then the wife came, and told her
husband, saying, A man of God came
unto me, and the fashion of him was like
the fashion of the angel of God
exceeding fearful, but I asked him not
whence he was, neither told he me his
name,
7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt
conceive, and bear a son, and now thou
shalt drink no wine, nor strong drink,
neither eat any unclean thing: for the
child shall be a Nazarite to God from his
birth to the day of his death. 8 Then
Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, I
pray thee, my Lord, Let the man of God,
whom thou sentest, come again now unto
us, and teach us what we shall do unto
the child when he is born.
9 And God heard the voice of Manoah,
and the angel of God came again unto the
wife, as she sat in the field, but Manoah
her husband was not with her. 10 And
the wife made haste and ran, and showed
her husband and said unto him, Behold,
the man hath appeared unto me, that
came unto me today. 11 And Manoah
arose and went after his wife, and came
to the man, and said unto him, Art thou
the man that spakest unto the woman?
And he said, Yea. 12 Then Manoah said,
Now let thy saying come to pass: but
how shall we order the child and do unto
him?
13 And the angel of the Lord said unto
Manoah, The woman must beware of all
that I said unto her.
14 She may eat of nothing that cometh of
the vine tree: she shall not drink wine
nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean
thing: let her observe all that I have
commanded her.
15 Manoah then said unto the angel of
the Lord, I pray thee, let us retain thee,
until we have made ready a kid for thee.
16 And the angel of the Lord said unto
Manoah, Though thou make me abide, I
will not eat of thy bread, and if thou wilt
make a burnt offering, offer it unto the
Lord: for Manoah knew not that it was
an angel of the Lord. 17 Again Manoah
said unto the angel of the Lord, What is
thy name, that when thy saying is come to
pass, we may honor thee?
18 And the angel of the Lord said unto
him, Why askest thou thus after my name,
which is secret?
19 Then Manoah took a kid with a meat
offering, and offered it upon a stone unto
the Lord: and the angel did wondrously,
whiles Manoah and his wife looked on.
20 For when the flame came up toward
heaven from the altar, the angel of the
Lord ascended up in the flame of the
altar, and Manoah and his wife beheld it,
and fell on their faces unto the ground.
21 (So the angel of the Lord did no more
appear unto Manoah and his wife.) Then
Manoah knew that it was an angel of the
Lord.
22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We
shall surely die, because we have seen
God.
23 But his wife said unto him, If the
Lord would kill us, he would not have
received a burnt offering, and a meat
offering of our hands, neither would he
have showed us all these things, nor
would now have told us any such. 24
And the wife bear a son, and called his
name Samson: and the child grew, and
the Lord blessed him.
25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to
strengthen him in the host of Dan,
between Zorah, and Eshtaol.