Israel in Philistine bondage for forty years—An angel comes to Manoah’s wife and promises a son who shall begin to deliver Israel—The angel comes again; he ascends in a flame from the altar—Samson is born, and the Spirit of the Lord moves upon him.

1 - And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the L ORD ; and the L ORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

2 - ¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

3 - And the angel of the L ORD 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 - Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5 - For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

6 - ¶ Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: 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 drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

8 - Then Manoah intreated the L ORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

9 - And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 - And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11 - And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

12 - And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

13 - And the angel of the L ORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

14 - She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

15 - ¶ And Manoah said unto the angel of the L ORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16 - And the angel of the L ORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the L ORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the L ORD.

17 - And Manoah said unto the angel of the L ORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18 - And the angel of the L ORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret ?

19 - So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the L ORD : and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 - For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the L ORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

21 - But the angel of the L ORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the L ORD.

22 - And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23 - But his wife said unto him, If the L ORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

24 - ¶ And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the L ORD blessed him.

25 - And the Spirit of the L ORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.