Judges 13 - Prayer Tents

The Birth of Samson

13Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.H1121H3478H6213H7451H3254H5869H3068H3068H5414H3027H6430H705H8141 2In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.H259H376H6881H4940H1839H8034H4495H802H6135H3205 3The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.H4397H3068H7200H802H559H6135H3205H2029H3205H1121 4So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food.H8104H8354H3196H7941H398H2931 5You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines."H2030H3205H1121H4177H5927H7218H5288H5139H430H990H2490H3467H3478H3027H6430 6The woman ran and told her husband, "A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God's angels, terrifying to see. I didn't ask where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name.H802H935H559H376H559H376H430H935H4758H4758H4397H430H3966H3372H7592H5046H8034 7But he told me, 'You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.'"H559H2030H3205H1121H7941H3196H8354H398H2932H5288H5139H430H990H3117H4194 8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, saying, "Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born."H4495H6279H3068H559H994H136H4994H376H430H7971H935H3384H6213H5288H3205 9God answered Manoah's prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her.H430H8085H6963H4495H4397H430H935H802H3427H7704H4495H376 10So she quickly ran and told her husband, "The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!"H802H4116H7323H5046H376H559H376H7200H935H3117 11Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day?" "Yes," he replied, "I am."H4495H6965H3212H310H802H935H376H559H376H1696H802H559 12So Manoah asked him, "When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy's life and work?"H4495H559H1697H935H4941H5288H4639 13The angel of the LORD replied, "Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her.H4397H3068H559H4495H559H802H8104 14She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food."H398H3318H1612H8354H3196H7941H398H2932H6680H8104 15Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat."H4495H559H4397H3068H6113H6213H1423H5795H6440 16"I will stay," the angel of the LORD replied, "but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the LORD." (Manoah didn't realize it was the angel of the LORD.)H4397H3068H559H4495H6113H398H3899H518H6213H5930H5927H3068H4495H3045H4397H3068 17Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, "What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you."H4495H559H4397H3068H8034H1697H935H3513 18"Why do you ask my name?" the angel of the LORD replied. "It is too wonderful for you to understand."H4397H3068H559H7592H8034H6383H6383 19Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did an amazing thing.H4495H3947H1423H5795H4503H5927H6697H3068H6213H6381H4495H802H7200 20As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.H3851H5927H8064H4196H4397H3068H5927H3851H4196H4495H802H7200H5307H6440H776 21The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the LORD,H4397H3068H3254H7200H4495H802H4495H3045H4397H3068 22and he said to his wife, "We will certainly die, for we have seen God!"H4495H559H802H4191H4191H7200H430 23But his wife said, "If the LORD were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles."H802H559H3863H3068H2654H4191H3947H5930H4503H3027H7200H6256H8085H2063 24When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up.H802H3205H1121H7121H8034H8123H5288H1431H3068H1288 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol.H7307H3068H2490H6470H4264H1835H6881H847