Judges 13:3-24

New International Version

³ The angel of the Lord^(A) appeared to her^(B) and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.^{(C) 4} Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink^(D) and that you do not eat anything unclean.^{(E) 5} You will become pregnant and have a son^(F) whose head is never to be touched by a razor^(G) because the boy is to be a Nazirite,^(H) dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead^(I) in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

⁶ Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God^(J) came to me. He looked like an angel of God,^(K) very awesome.^(L) I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine^(M) or other fermented drink^(N) and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.^(O)’”

⁸ Then Manoah^(P) prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God^(Q) you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

⁹ God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. ¹⁰ The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me^(R) the other day!”

¹¹ Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”

“I am,” he said.

¹² So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

¹³ The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. ¹⁴ She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink^(S) nor eat anything unclean.^(T) She must do everything I have commanded her.”

¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat^(U) for you.”

¹⁶ The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering,^(V) offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize^(W) that it was the angel of the Lord.)

¹⁷ Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name,^(X) so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”

¹⁸ He replied, “Why do you ask my name?^(Y) It is beyond understanding.^[a]” ¹⁹ Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock^(Z) to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: ²⁰ As the flame^(AA) blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.^{(AB) 21} When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized^(AC) that it was the angel of the Lord.

²² “We are doomed^(AD) to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen^(AE) God!”

²³ But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”^(AF)

²⁴ The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.^(AG) He grew^(AH) and the Lord blessed him,^(AI)