Israel is in the hands of the Philistines -- An angel appeareth to Manoah's wife, and to Manoah -- Manoah's sacrifice -- Samson is born.

¹⁾And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORDLord; and the LORDLord delivered them into the handhands 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 LORDLord 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, Beholdbehold, 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 intreatedentreated the LORDLord, 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 hastehast, and ran, and showed 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 LORDLord 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 LORDLord, I pray thee, letLet us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

¹⁶⁾And the angel of the LORDLord 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 LORDLord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORDLord.

¹⁷⁾And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORDLord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honor?

¹⁸⁾And the angel of the LORDLord 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 LORD:Lord; and the angel did wonderouslywondrously; 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 LORDLord ascended in the flame of the altar.; Andand Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

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

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 LORDLord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have showed 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 LORDLord blessed him.

²⁵⁾And the Spirit of the LORDLord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.