Psalm 89^[a]

A maskil^[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

² A certain man of Zorah,^(A) named Manoah,^(B) from the clan of the Danites,^(C) had a wife who was childless,^(D) unable to give birth. ³ The angel of the Lord^(E) appeared to her^(F) and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.^{(G) 4} Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink^(H) and that you do not eat anything unclean.^{(I) 5} You will become pregnant and have a son^(J) whose head is never to be touched by a razor^(K) because the boy is to be a Nazirite,^(L) dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead^(M) in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

⁶ Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God^(N) came to me. He looked like an angel of God,^(O) very awesome.^(P) I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine^(Q) or other fermented drink^(R) and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.^(S)’”

⁸ Then Manoah^(T) prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God^(U) you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

⁹ God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. ¹⁰ The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me^(V) the other day!”

¹¹ Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”

“I am,” he said.

¹² So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

¹³ The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. ¹⁴ She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink^(W) nor eat anything unclean.^(X) She must do everything I have commanded her.”

¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat^(Y) for you.”

¹⁶ The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering,^(Z) offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize^(AA) that it was the angel of the Lord.)

¹⁷ Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name,^(AB) so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”

¹⁸ He replied, “Why do you ask my name?^(AC) It is beyond understanding.^[a]” ¹⁹ Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock^(AD) to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: ²⁰ As the flame^(AE) blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.^{(AF) 21} When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized^(AG) that it was the angel of the Lord.

²² “We are doomed^(AH) to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen^(AI) God!”

²³ But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”^(AJ)

²⁴ The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.^(AK) He grew^(AL) and the Lord blessed him,^(AM)

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”^(A)

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?^{(B) 42} Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants^(C) and from Bethlehem,^(D) the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided^(E) because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.^(F)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”^(G) the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?”^(H) the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?^{(I) 49} No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus,^(J) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”^(K)