1 The people of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 There was a man from Zorah, from the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “You are barren and have borne no children, but you will conceive and bear a son. 4 Now be careful: do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, and do not eat anything unclean. 5 For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor must come upon his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 The woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very awe-inspiring. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name. 7 He said to me, ‘You will conceive and bear a son. Now do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’ ”

8 Manoah pleaded with the LORD and said, “Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come to us again and teach us what we should do for the boy who is to be born.” 9 God listened to the voice of Manoah. The angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband. She said to him, “The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me!” 11 Manoah arose and followed his wife. He came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” He said, “I am.” 12 Manoah said, “Now may your words come true. What is to be the boy’s way of life, and what is he to do?” 13 The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “The woman must be careful about everything I said to her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, drink wine or intoxicating drink, or eat anything unclean. She must observe everything I commanded her.” 15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you while we prepare a young goat for you.” 16 The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Even if you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD. 17 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?” 18 The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful.”

19 Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering and offered them on the rock to the LORD. He worked a wonder while Manoah and his wife watched. 20 When the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife saw it and fell on their faces to the ground. 21 The angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22 Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, or shown us all these things, or told us such things at this time.” 24 The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 The Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.