13 1 Israel for their wickedness is oppressed of the Philistines. 3 The Angel appeareth to Manoah’s wife, 16 The Angel commandeth him to sacrifice unto the Lord. 24 The birth of Samson.

¹ But the children of Israel continued to commit ^(A)wickedness in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

² ¶ Then there was a man in Zorah of the family of the Danites named Manoah, whose wife was ^[a]barren, and bare 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 ^(B)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 ^(C)come on his head: for the child shall be a ^[b]Nazirite 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 exceedingly ^[c]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 Nazirite to God from his birth to the day of his death.

⁸ Then Manoah ^[d]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 ^[e]today.

¹¹ And Manoah arose and went after his wife, and came to the ^[f]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 ^[g]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 ^[h]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 ^[i]secret?

¹⁹ Then Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a stone unto the Lord: and the Angel did ^[j]wondrously, while 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, ^(D)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 ^[k]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 bore 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 ^[l]strengthen him in the host of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14 2 Samson desireth to have a wife of the Philistines. 6 He killeth a lion. 12 He propoundeth a riddle. 19 He killeth thirty. 20 His wife forsaketh him, and taketh another.

¹ Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines,

² And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore ^[a]give me her to wife.

³ Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there ^[b]never a wife among the daughters of thy brethren, and among all my people, that thou must go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Give me her, for she pleaseth me well.

⁴ But his father and his mother knew not that it came of the Lord, that he should seek an occasion against the ^[c]Philistines: for at that time the Philistines reigned over Israel.

⁵ ¶ Then went Samson, and his father and his mother down to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and behold, a young lion roared upon him.

⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord ^[d]came upon him, and he tare him, as one should have rent a kid, and had nothing in his hand, neither told he his father nor his mother what he had done.

⁷ And he went down, and talked with the woman which was beautiful in the eyes of Samson.

⁸ ¶ And within a few days, when he returned ^[e]to receive her, he went aside to see the carcass of the lion: and behold, there was a swarm of bees, and honey in the body of the lion.

⁹ And he took thereof in his hands, and went eating, and came to his father and to his mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told not them, that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.

¹⁰ So his father went down unto the woman, and Samson made there a ^[f]feast: for so used the young men to do.

¹¹ And when ^[g]they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.

¹² Then Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: and if you can declare it me within seven days of the feast, and find it out, I will give you thirty sheets, and thirty ^[h]change of garments.

¹³ But if you cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they answered him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

¹⁴ And he said unto them, Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong came sweetness: and they could not in three days expound the riddle.

¹⁵ And when the seventh day was ^[i]come, they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thine husband that he may declare us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire. Have ye called us ^[j]to possess us? is it not so?

¹⁶ And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Surely thou hatest me, and lovest me not: for thou hast put forth a riddle unto the ^[k]children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

¹⁷ Then Samson’s wife wept before him ^[l]seven days, while their feast lasted, and when the seventh day came, he told her, because she was importunate upon him: so she told the riddle to the children of her people.

¹⁸ And the men of the city said unto him the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a Lion? Then said he unto them, ^[m]If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

¹⁹ And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down ^[n]to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them and spoiled them, and gave change of garments unto them, which expounded the riddle: and his wrath was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

²⁰ Then Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

20 1 Paul appointed to go to Macedonia: 7 In Troas preaching until midnight, 9 Eutychus fell down dead out of a window, 10 he raised him to life: 15 At Miletus, 17 Having called the Elders of Ephesus together, 23 he declareth what things shall come upon himself, 28 and others.

¹ Now ^[a]after the tumult was appeased, Paul called the disciples unto him, and embraced them, and departed to go into Macedonia.

² And when he had gone through those parts, and had exhorted them with ^[b]many words, he came into Greece.

^3 [c]And having tarried there three months, because the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.

⁴ And there accompanied him into Asia, Sopater of Berea, and of them of Thessalonica, Aristarchus, and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and of them of Asia, Tychicus, and Trophimus.

⁵ These went before, and tarried us at Troas.

⁶ And we sailed forth from Philippi, after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days.

^7 [d]And the ^[e]first day of the week, the disciples being come together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued the preaching unto midnight.

^8 [f]And there were many lights in an upper chamber, where they were gathered together.

⁹ And there sat in a window a certain young man, named Eutychus, fallen into a dead sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he overcome with sleep, fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

¹⁰ But Paul went down, and laid himself upon him, and embraced him, saying, Trouble not yourselves: for his life is in him.

¹¹ Then when Paul was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, having spoken a long while till the dawning of the day, he so departed.

¹² And they brought the boy alive, and they were not a little comforted.

¹³ ¶ Then we went before to ship, and sailed unto the city Assos, that we might receive Paul there: for so had he appointed, and would himself go afoot.

¹⁴ Now when he was come unto us to Assos, and we had received him, we came to Mitylene.

¹⁵ And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios, and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium: the next day we came to Miletus.

^16 [g]For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted to be, if he could possible, at Jerusalem, at the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷ ¶ Wherefore from ^[h]Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, and called the Elders of the Church.

^18 [i]Who when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,

¹⁹ Serving the Lord with all modesty, and with many tears, and temptations, which came unto me by the layings await of the Jews,

²⁰ And how I kept ^[j]back nothing that was profitable, but have showed you, and taught you openly and throughout every house.

²¹ Witnessing both to the Jews, and to the Grecians the repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

^22 [k]And now behold, I go ^[l]bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, and know not what things shall come unto me there,

²³ Save that the holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me.

²⁴ But I pass not at all, neither is my life dear unto myself, so that I may fulfill my course with joy, and the ministration which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God.

²⁵ And now behold, I know that henceforth ye all, through whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

²⁶ Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am ^[m]pure from the blood of all men.

^27 [n]For I have kept nothing back, but have showed you all the counsel of God.

²⁸ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, whereof the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to ^[o]feed the Church of God which ^[p]he hath purchased with ^[q]that his own blood.

^29 [r]For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

³⁰ Moreover of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to ^[s]draw disciples after them.

³¹ Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone, both night and day with tears.

^32 [t]And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build further, and to give you an ^[u]inheritance, among all them, which are sanctified.

^33 [v]I have coveted no man’s silver, nor gold, nor apparel.

³⁴ Yea, ye know, that these hands have ministered unto my ^(A)necessities, and to them that were with me.

³⁵ I have showed you all things, how that so laboring, ye ought to ^[w]support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how that he said, It is a blessed thing to give, rather than to receive.

³⁶ And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

^37 [x]Then they wept all abundantly, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,

³⁸ Being chiefly sorry for the words which he spake, That they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.