Judges:13

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* Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD , and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years . * Now there was a certain man from Zorah , of the family of the Danites , whose name was Manoah ; and his wife was barren and had no children . * And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her , "Indeed now , you are barren and have borne no children , but you shall conceive and bear a son . * Now therefore , please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink , and not to eat anything unclean . * For behold , you shall conceive and bear a son . And no razor shall come upon his head , for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb ; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines ." * So the woman came and told her husband , saying , "A Man of God came to me , and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God , very awesome ; but I did not ask Him where He was from , and He did not tell me His name . * And He said to me , "Behold , you shall conceive and bear a son . Now drink no wine or similar drink , nor eat anything unclean , for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death ."' * Then Manoah prayed to the LORD , and said , "O my Lord , please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born ." * And God listened to the voice of Manoah , and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field ; but Manoah her husband was not with her . * Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband , and said to him , "Look , the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me !" * So Manoah arose and followed his wife . When he came to the Man , he said to Him , "Are You the Man who spoke to this woman ?" And He said , "I am ." * Manoah said , "Now let Your words come to pass ! What will be the boy 's rule of life , and his work ?" * So the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah , "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful . * She may not eat anything that comes from the vine , nor may she drink wine or similar drink , nor eat anything unclean . All that I commanded her let her observe ." * Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD , "Please let us detain You , and we will prepare a young goat for You ." * And the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah , "Though you detain Me , I will not eat your food . But if you offer a burnt offering , you must offer it to the LORD ." (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD .) * Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD , "What is Your name , that when Your words come to pass we may honor You ?" * And the Angel of the LORD said to him , "Why do you ask My name , seeing it is wonderful ?" * So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering , and offered it upon the rock to the LORD . And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on -- * it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar--the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar ! When Manoah and his wife saw this , they fell on their faces to the ground . * When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife , then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the LORD . * And Manoah said to his wife , "We shall surely die , because we have seen God !" * But his wife said to him , "If the LORD had desired to kill us , He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands , nor would He have shown us all these things , nor would He have told us such things as these at this time ." * So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson ; and the child grew , and the LORD blessed him . * And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol .

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