1 The Israelites sinned against Jehovah again. So he let the Philistines rule them for forty years.

2 There was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife was not able to have children.

3 Jehovah’s angel appeared to her and said: »You have not been able to have children, but you will become pregnant and have a son.

4 »Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food.

5 »After your son is born never cut his hair. This is because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite. He will begin the work of delivering Israel from the Philistines.«

6 Then the woman told her husband: »A man of God came to me. He looked as frightening as the angel of God. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

7 »He told me I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me: ‘Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. This is because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a Nazirite as long as he lives.’«

8 Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah: »Please, Jehovah, let the man of God that you sent come back to teach us what we must do with the boy when he is born.«

9 God did what Manoah asked. His angel came back to the woman while she was in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her,

10 She ran to tell him, »The man who came to me the other day appeared to me again.«

11 Manoah followed his wife to the man and asked, »Are you the man who talked to my wife?« »Yes,« he answered.

12 Manoah said: »When your words come true, what must the boy do? What kind of a life must he live?«

13 Jehovah’s angel answered: »Your wife must be sure to do everything I told her.

14 »She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine. She must not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. She must do everything I told her to do.«

15 Not knowing that it was Jehovah’s angel, Manoah said: »Please do not go yet. Let us cook a young goat for you.«

16 The angel replied: »If I stay I will not eat your food. But if you want to prepare it, burn it as an offering to Jehovah.«

17 Manoah replied: »Tell us your name. We want to honor you when your words come true.«

18 The angel asked: »Why do you want to know my name? It is ‘Wonderful.’« (Isaiah 9:6)

19 So Manoah took a young goat and some grain, and offered them on the rock altar to Jehovah the God who works wonders.

20 While the flames were going up from the altar, Manoah and his wife saw Jehovah’s angel go up toward heaven in the flames. They did not see the angel again.

21 Manoah knew then that the man was Jehovah’s angel. He and his wife fell on their faces to the ground.

22 Manoah told his wife: »We will die, for we have seen God a God-like being!«

23 His wife answered: »If Jehovah wanted to kill us he would not accept our offerings. He would not have shown us all this or told us these things.«

24 The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and Jehovah blessed him.

25 Jehovah’s power strengthened him while he was between Zorah and Eshtaol in the Camp of Dan.