The Birth of Samson

1The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

2There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and didn't bear. 3The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and said to her, "See now, you are barren, and don't bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. 4Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don't eat any unclean thing: 5for, behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." 6Then 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; and I didn't ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name: 7but he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'"

8Then Manoah entreated Yahweh, and said, "Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child who shall be born." 9God 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. 10The woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, "Behold, the man has appeared to me, who came to me the [other] day." 11Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" He said, "I am." 12Manoah said, "Now let your words happen. What shall be the ordering of the child, and [how] shall we do to him?" 13The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her beware. 14She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe."

15Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, "Please, let us detain you, that we may make a young goat ready for you." 16The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I won't eat of your bread; and if you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to Yahweh." For Manoah didn't know that he was the angel of Yahweh. 17Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, "What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?" 18The angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why do you ask about my name, since it is wonderful?" 19So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to Yahweh: and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20For it happened, when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, that the angel of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

21But the angel of Yahweh did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. 22Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." 23But his wife said to him, "If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn't have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, neither would he have shown us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these."

24The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him. 25The Spirit of Yahweh began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.