Judges 13:1–25

¹ Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. ² Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. ³ The 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. ⁴ Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean. ⁵ For 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.” ⁶ So 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. ⁷ But 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.’” ⁸ Then 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.” ⁹ And 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. ¹⁰ The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!” ¹¹ So 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. ¹² Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?” ¹³ So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her. ¹⁴ She 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.” ¹⁵ “Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.” ¹⁶ And 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. ¹⁷ Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?” ¹⁸ “Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?” ¹⁹ Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering…