| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Some time later, the Israelis again practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, so the LORD handed them over into the domination of the Philistines for 40 years. | 1The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines 40 years. |
| 2There was one man from Zorah, from the family of the descendants of Dan, whose name was Manoah. Since his wife was infertile, she hadn't borne 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. |
| 3One day the angel of the LORD presented himself to the woman. "Hello!" he greeted her. "Though you are infertile at this time and haven't borne a child, you're about to 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. |
| 4So be sure that you don't drink wine or anything intoxicating, and don't eat anything unclean | 4Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer, or to eat anything unclean; |
| 5because—surprise!—you're going to conceive and give birth to a son! Don't put a razor to his head, because the young man will be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from inside the womb. He will begin to deliver Israel from domination by 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." |
| 6Then the woman went to tell her husband. She said, "A man of God appeared to me. He looked like what an angel of God would look like—very frightening. I didn't ask him where he had come from and he didn't 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. |
| 7He told me, 'Surprise!—you're going to conceive and give birth to a son!' and as for you, 'Be sure that you don't drink wine or anything intoxicating, and don't eat anything unclean,' 'because the young man will be a Nazirite dedicated to God from inside the womb' until the day he dies." | 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.'" |
| 8So Manoah prayed to the LORD, "Please, Lord, have the man of God whom you sent before come again so he can instruct us what to do on behalf of the child 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." |
| 9God listened to Manoah's request, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting out in the pasture. But her husband Manoah wasn't 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. |
| 10so the woman ran quickly to tell her husband, "Look! The man who came the other day appeared to me!" | 10The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, "The man who came to me today has just come back!" |
| 11So Manoah got up quickly and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he told him, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?" He replied, "I am." | 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. |
| 12Manoah asked, "Now, when what you've said occurs, what is to be the young man's way of life and work?" | 12Then Manoah asked, "When Your words come true, what will the boy's responsibilities and mission be?" |
| 13The angel of the LORD replied to Manoah, "Just have your wife be careful to carry out everything that I told her. | 13The Angel of the LORD answered Manoah, "Your wife needs to do everything I told her. |
| 14She must not consume anything extracted from grape vines, including wine or anything intoxicating, and she must not eat anything unclean, doing everything that I commissioned her to do." | 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."" |
| 15Manoah responded to the angel of the LORD, "Please, let us detain you while we prepare a young goat for you." | 15Please stay here," Manoah told Him, "and we will prepare a young goat for You." |
| 16The angel of the LORD answered Manoah, "If you detain me, I won't be eating your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, you'll be making a sacrifice to the LORD." The angel of the LORD said this because Manoah didn't know that he 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." For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD. |
| 17Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, "What's your name, because when what you've said happens, we'll glorify you?" | 17Then Manoah said to Him, "What is Your name, so that we may honor You when Your words come true?"" |
| 18The angel of the LORD answered him, "Why are you asking this about my name? It's 'Wonderful.'" | 18Why do you ask My name," the Angel of the LORD asked him, "since it is wonderful." |
| 19So Manoah prepared a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a boulder to the LORD, who kept on performing miracles while Manoah and his wife watched continually. | 19Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD, and He did a wonderful thing while Manoah and his wife were watching. |
| 20When the burnt offering was engulfed in flames that sprang up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame that came from the altar. When Manoah and his wife observed this, they collapsed on their faces 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. |
| 21The angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah or to his wife, and then Manoah knew confidently that the visitor 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." |
| 22Then Manoah told his wife, "We're going to die for sure, because we've seen God!" | 22We're going to die," he said to his wife, "because we have seen God!" |
| 23But his wife replied to him, "If the LORD had intended to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from us, he wouldn't have shown us all these things, and he wouldn't have permitted us to hear things like this, now would he?" | 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 now like this." |
| 24Later on, the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew strong 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. |
| 25Then the Spirit of the LORD began to rouse him where the tribe of Dan was encamped, between Zorah and Eshtaol. | 25Then the Spirit of the LORD began to direct him in the Camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. |
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