The Birth of Samson

13 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines^(A) for forty years.^(B)

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

⁶ Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God^(P) came to me. He looked like an angel of God,^(Q) very awesome.^(R) 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^(S) or other fermented drink^(T) and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.^(U)’”

⁸ Then Manoah^(V) prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God^(W) 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^(X) 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^(Y) nor eat anything unclean.^(Z) 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^(AA) 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,^(AB) offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize^(AC) that it was the angel of the Lord.)

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

¹⁸ He replied, “Why do you ask my name?^(AE) It is beyond understanding.^[a]” ¹⁹ Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock^(AF) to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: ²⁰ As the flame^(AG) 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.^{(AH) 21} When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized^(AI) that it was the angel of the Lord.

²² “We are doomed^(AJ) to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen^(AK) 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.”^(AL)

²⁴ The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.^(AM) He grew^(AN) and the Lord blessed him,^{(AO) 25} and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir^(AP) him while he was in Mahaneh Dan,^(AQ) between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ² “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard^(B) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.^(C) Tell^(D) them everything I command you; do not omit^(E) a word. ³ Perhaps they will listen and each will turn^(F) from their evil ways. Then I will relent^(G) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴ Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen^(H) to me and follow my law,^(I) which I have set before you, ⁵ and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened^(J)), ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh^(K) and this city a curse^[a](L) among all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷ The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸ But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded^(M) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized^(N) him and said, “You must die!^{(O) 9} Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”^(P) And all the people crowded^(Q) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰ When the officials^(R) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(S) of the Lord’s house. ¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(T) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(U)

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials^(V) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy^(W) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.^{(X) 13} Now reform^(Y) your ways and your actions and obey^(Z) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent^(AA) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for me, I am in your hands;^(AB) do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood^(AC) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words^(AD) in your hearing.”

¹⁶ Then the officials^(AE) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!^(AF) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸ “Micah^(AG) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:

¹⁹ “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah^(AL) fear the Lord and seek^(AM) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,^(AN) so that he did not bring the disaster^(AO) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster^(AP) on ourselves!”

²⁰ (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim^(AQ) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim^(AR) and all his officers and officials^(AS) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.^(AT) But Uriah heard of it and fled^(AU) in fear to Egypt. ²² King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan^(AV) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword^(AW) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)^(AX)

²⁴ Furthermore, Ahikam^(AY) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.