| Berean Study Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. | 1The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines forty years. |
| 2Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. | 2There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was unable to conceive and had no children. |
| 3The angel 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. | 3The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "It is true that you are unable to conceive and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son. |
| 4Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean. | 4Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer, or to eat anything unclean; |
| 5For 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 to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” | 5for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines." |
| 6So 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. | 6Then the woman went and told her husband, "A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. |
| 7But 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.’ ” | 7He said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.'" |
| 8Then 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.” | 8Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, "Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born." |
| 9And 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. | 9God listened to Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field, and her husband Manoah was not with her. |
| 10The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!” | 10The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, "The man who came to me the other day has just come back!" |
| 11So 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. | 11So 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. |
| 12Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?” | 12Then Manoah asked, "When your words come true, what will be the boy's responsibilities and work?" |
| 13So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her. | 13The angel of the LORD answered Manoah, "Your wife needs to do everything I told her. |
| 14She 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.” | 14She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine or drink wine or beer. And she must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have commanded her." |
| 15“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.” | 15"Please stay here," Manoah told him, "and we will prepare a young goat for you." |
| 16And 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. | 16The angel of the LORD said to him, "If I stay, I won't eat your food. But if you want to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not know he was the angel of the LORD.) |
| 17Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?” | 17Then Manoah said to him, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?" |
| 18“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?” | 18"Why do you ask my name," the angel of the LORD asked him, "since it is beyond understanding." |
| 19Then 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. | 19Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD, who did something miraculous while Manoah and his wife were watching. |
| 20When 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. | 20When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown on the ground. |
| 21And 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. | 21The angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. |
| 22“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!” | 22"We're certainly going to die," he said to his wife, "because we have seen God!" |
| 23But 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.” | 23But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had intended to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and he would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us like this." |
| 24So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. | 24So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. |
| 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. | 25Then the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in the Camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. |
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