Judges 13

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

Once more, the Israelites broke God's heart with their wrongdoings. In response, God handed them over to the Philistines for four long decades.

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.

In the town of Zorah, lived a man named Manoah, a Danite. His wife, unable to bear children, was consumed by sadness and longing.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

The Lord's messenger appeared to the woman, gently saying, "You may feel empty now, unable to bear a child. But soon, you'll be filled with life, carrying a son in your womb."

Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

Please, I urge you, avoid alcohol and strong drinks, and don't consume anything impure.

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.

Indeed, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son. His hair will never be cut, symbolizing his dedication to God from birth. This child will start the journey of freeing Israel from the Philistines.

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:

The woman rushed to her husband, her voice trembling, "A divine man visited me, his face as awe-inspiring as an angel's. I didn't ask where he was from or his name, but his presence was overwhelming."

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.

He told me, "You're going to have a baby boy. But from now on, no alcohol or unclean food. Your child is destined to be a servant of God, from birth till death."

Then Manoah intreated the LORD, 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.

Manoah pleaded with the Lord, "Please, my Lord, let your messenger return to guide us on how to raise the child that is to be born."

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.

God heard Manoah's plea and sent His angel back to his wife, who was alone in the field, her husband Manoah was not by her side.

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.

The woman quickly rushed to her husband, excitement in her voice, "Remember the man from the other day? He's appeared to me again!"

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.

Manoah quickly got up, following his wife to the stranger. He asked him, "Are you the one who spoke to my wife?" The man confirmed, "Yes, it's me."

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

Manoah pleaded, "May your promises come true. Guide us, how should we raise this child, what should we do for him?"

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

The angel of the LORD warned Manoah, "Ensure the woman takes to heart all that I've told her."

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.

She must avoid anything from the vine, no wine or strong drinks, and nothing impure. She should strictly follow all my instructions.

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

Manoah pleaded with the Lord's angel, "Please, stay with us until we've prepared a meal for you."

And the angel of the LORD 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 LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

The angel of the LORD told Manoah, "Even if you insist, I won't eat your bread. If you want to make a burnt offering, it should be for the LORD." Manoah, unaware, didn't realize he was speaking to an angel of the LORD.

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

Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, "What's your name? We want to honor you when your words become reality."

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

The angel of the LORD gently asked him, "Why do you seek my name when it's meant to be a mystery?"

So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

With a heart full of reverence, Manoah presented a young goat and a grain offering on a rock, a humble gift to the Lord. The angel performed a wonder that left them in awe, as Manoah and his wife watched with wide-eyed wonder.

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

As the fire from the altar reached for the sky, God's angel rose within its blaze. Manoah and his wife, awestruck, fell to their knees in reverence.

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

The divine messenger ceased to visit Manoah and his wife. It was then that Manoah realized, with awe and reverence, that he had been in the presence of an angel from the Lord.

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

Manoah turned to his wife, fear in his eyes, "We're doomed, my love, for we've gazed upon God Himself."

But his wife said unto him, If the LORD 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.

His wife gently reminded him, "If God wanted us dead, He wouldn't have accepted our sacrifices, nor shown us His wonders. He wouldn't have shared His wisdom with us at this moment."

And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

The woman gave birth to a son, named Samson. As he grew, he was showered with blessings from the Lord.

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

At times, in the camp of Dan, nestled between Zorah and Eshtaol, the Lord's Spirit would stir within him, guiding his actions and thoughts.