Christian Standard Bible | New International Version |
1The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines forty years. | 1Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. |
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. | 2A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. |
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. | 3The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. |
4Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer, or to eat anything unclean; | 4Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. |
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." | 5You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines." |
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. | 6Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. |
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.'" | 7But he said to me, 'You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.'" |
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." | 8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born." |
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. | 9God 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. |
10The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, "The man who came to me the other day has just come back!" | 10The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" |
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. | 11Manoah 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. |
12Then Manoah asked, "When your words come true, what will be the boy's responsibilities and work?" | 12So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy's life and work?" |
13The angel of the LORD answered Manoah, "Your wife needs to do everything I told her. | 13The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told 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." | 14She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." |
15"Please stay here," Manoah told him, "and we will prepare a young goat for you." | 15Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you." |
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.) | 16The 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, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.) |
17Then Manoah said to him, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?" | 17Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" |
18"Why do you ask my name," the angel of the LORD asked him, "since it is beyond understanding." | 18He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." |
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. | 19Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: |
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. | 20As the flame 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. |
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. | 21When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. |
22"We're certainly going to die," he said to his wife, "because we have seen God!" | 22"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" |
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." | 23But 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." |
24So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. | 24The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, |
25Then the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in the Camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. | 25and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. |
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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