Judges 13 - Introduction

1 Israel is in the hand of the Philistines.

2 An Angel appeareth to Manoahs wife.

8 The Angel appeareth to Manoah.

15 Manoahs sacrifice, whereby the Angel is discouered.

24 Samson is borne.

1 And the children of Israel [Note: Hebrew: added to commit, etc.] [Note: Judges 2:11; Judges 3:7; Judges 4:1; Judges 6:1; Judges 10:6.] did euill againe in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord deliuered them into the hand of the Philistines forty yeeres.

2 And there was a certaine 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 Lord appeared vnto the woman, and said vnto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne.

4 Now therefore beware [Note: Numbers 6:2-3.] I pray thee, and drinke not wine, nor strong drinke, and eat not any vncleane thing.

5 For loe, thou shalt conceiue, and beare a sonne, and [Note: Numbers 6:5; 1 Samuel 1:11.] no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite vnto God from the wombe: and he shall begin to deliuer Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

6 Then the woman came, and told her husband, saying; A man of God came vnto mee, 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 vnto mee, Behold, thou shalt conceiue and beare a sonne; and now, drinke no wine nor strong drinke, neither eate any vncleane thing: for the childe shal be a Nazarite to God, from the wombe, to the day of his death.

8 Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send, come againe vnto vs, & teach vs what we shall do vnto the childe that shall be borne.

9 And God hearkened to the voyce of Manoah; and the Angel of God came againe vnto the woman as shee

[Samsons birth is foretolde.]

sate in the field: But Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 And the woman made haste, and ranne, and shewed her husband, and said vnto him; Behold, the man hath appeared vnto me, that came vnto me the other day.

11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said vnto him, Art thou the man that spakest vnto the woman? And he said, I am.

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to passe: [Note: Hebrew: what shall be the maner of the, etc.] How shall wee order the childe, and [Note: Or, what shall he doe? Hebrew: What shall be his worke?] how shall we doe vnto him?

13 And the Angel of the Lord said vnto Manoah, Of all that I said vnto the woman, let her beware.

14 She may not eate of any thing that commeth of the Uine, neither let her drinke wine or strong drinke, nor eat any vncleane thing: all that I commanded her, let her obserue.

15 And Manoah saide vnto the Angel of the Lord, I pray thee let vs deteine thee, vntill wee shall haue made ready a kid [Note: Hebrew: before thee.] for thee.

16 And the Angel of the Lord said vnto Manoah, Though thou deteine mee, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it vnto the Lord: for Manoah knew not that he was an Angel of the Lord.

17 And Manoah said vnto the Angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to passe, we may doe thee honour?

18 And the Angel of the Lord said vnto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is [Note: Or, wonderfull.] secret?

19 So Manoah tooke a kid, with a meat offering, and offered it vpon a rocke vnto the Lord: and the Angel did wonderously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 For it came to passe, when the flame went vp toward heauen 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.

21 (But the Angel of the Lord did no more appeare to Manoah and to his wife:) then Manoah knewe that he was an Angel of the Lord.

22 And Manoah said vnto his wife,

[Samsons mariage.]

[Note: Exodus 33:20; Judges 6:22.] Wee shall surely die, because wee haue seene God.

23 But his wife said vnto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill vs, he would not haue receiued a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would hee haue shewed vs all these things, nor would as at this time haue told vs such things as these.

24 And the woman bare a sonne, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, & the Lord blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the Lord beganne to mooue him at times in the campe of Dan, betweene Zorah and Eshtaol.