Samson Is Born
1 Once again the Israelites started disobeying the Lord. So he let the Philistines take control of Israel for 40 years.
2 Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was not able to have children, 3-5 but one day an angel from the Lord appeared to her and said:
You have never been able to have any children, but very soon you will be pregnant and have a son. He will belong to God from the day he is born, so his hair must never be cut. And even before he is born, you must not drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden by God's laws.
Your son will begin to set Israel free from the Philistines.
6 She went to Manoah and said, “A prophet who looked like an angel of God came and talked to me. I was so frightened, that I didn't even ask where he was from. He didn't tell me his name, 7 but he did say that I'm going to have a baby boy. I'm not supposed to drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden by God's laws. Our son will belong to God for as long as he lives.”
8 Then Manoah prayed, “Our Lord, please send that prophet again and let him tell us what to do for the son we are going to have.”
9 God answered Manoah's prayer, and the angel went back to Manoah's wife while she was resting in the fields. Manoah wasn't there at the time, 10 so she found him and said, “That same man is here again! He's the one I saw the other day.”
11 Manoah went with his wife and asked the man, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
12 Manoah then asked, “When your promise comes true, what rules must he obey and what will be his work?”
13 “Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her,” the Lord's angel answered. 14 “She must not eat or drink anything made from grapes. She must not drink wine or beer or eat anything forbidden by God's laws. I told her exactly what to do.”
15 “Please,” Manoah said, “stay here with us for just a little while, and we'll fix a young goat for you to eat.” 16 Manoah didn't realize that he was really talking to one of the Lord's angels.
The angel answered, “I can stay for a little while, although I won't eat any of your food. But if you would like to offer the goat as a sacrifice to the Lord, that would be fine.”
17 Manoah said, “Tell us your name, so we can honor you after our son is born.”
18 “No,” the angel replied. “You don't need to know my name. And if you did, you couldn't understand it.”
19 So Manoah took a young goat over to a large rock he had chosen for an altar, and he built a fire on the rock. Then he killed the goat, and offered it with some grain as a sacrifice to the Lord. But then an amazing thing happened. 20 The fire blazed up toward the sky, and the Lord's angel went up toward heaven in the fire. Manoah and his wife bowed down low when they saw what happened.
21 Although the angel didn't appear to them again, they realized he was one of the Lord's angels. 22 Manoah said, “We have seen an angel. Now we're going to die.”
23 “The Lord isn't going to kill us,” Manoah's wife responded. “The Lord accepted our sacrifice and grain offering, and he let us see something amazing. Besides, he told us that we're going to have a son.”
24 Later, Manoah's wife did give birth to a son, and she named him Samson. As the boy grew, the Lord blessed him. 25 Then, while Samson was staying at Dan's Camp between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the Spirit of the Lord took control of him.
Simsona dzimšana
(4Moz 6:1–21)1 Atkal Israēla dēli darīja to, kas ļauns Kunga acīs, un Kungs četrdesmit gadus viņus nodeva filistiešu rokās.
2 Bija kāds vīrs no Coras, no Dāna dzimtas, vārdā Mānohs, viņa sieva bija neauglīga un nebija dzemdējusi. 3 Kunga eņģelis parādījās tai sievai un teica: “Redzi, tu neauglīgā un nedzemdējusī, tu ieņemsi un dzemdēsi dēlu! 4 Tad nu sargies dzert vīnu un reibinošu dzērienu un ēst nešķīstu! 5 Redzi, tu ieņemsi un dzemdēsi dēlu, skujamais nazis lai neiet pār viņa galvu, jo šis zēns ir Dieva nazīrietis kopš dzimšanas! Viņš sāks atpestīt Israēlu no filistiešiem.” 6 Tad šī sieva nāca un sacīja savam vīram: “Pie manis bija atnācis Dieva vīrs, viņš izskatījās kā Dieva eņģelis – ļoti baismīgs! Es viņam nejautāju, no kurienes viņš un kā viņu sauc, un viņš man to neteica. 7 Bet viņš man sacīja: redzi, tu ieņemsi un dzemdēsi dēlu! Tad nu nedzer vīnu un reibinošu dzērienu un neēd neko nešķīstu, lai šis zēns būtu Dieva nazīrietis kopš dzimšanas līdz nāves dienai!”
8 Tad Mānohs pielūdza Kungu, sacīdams: “Lūdzu, mans Kungs, lai Dieva vīrs, ko tu sūtīji, atkal nāk pie mums un māca, ko mums darīt ar zēnu, kurš piedzims!” 9 Dievs uzklausīja Mānohu, un Dieva eņģelis atkal atnāca pie tās sievas, kad viņa sēdēja laukā, bet viņas vīrs Mānohs nebija kopā ar viņu. 10 Un sieva steidzīgi skrēja un stāstīja savam vīram: “Redzi, man ir parādījies tas vīrs, kurš todien bija atnācis pie manis!” 11 Mānohs cēlās, devās līdzi savai sievai un, atnācis pie tā vīra, teica viņam: “Vai tu esi tas, kurš runāja ar šo sievu?” Viņš atbildēja: “Es.” 12 Tad Mānohs teica: “Tagad, kad tavs sacītais būs piepildījies, saki, kas šim zēnam ir nospriests un darāms?” 13 Un Kunga eņģelis teica Mānoham: “No visa, ko es teicu šai sievai, lai viņa sargās! 14 Lai viņa neēd neko, kas ir no vīnakoka, vīnu un reibinošu dzērienu lai viņa nedzer un lai neēd neko nešķīstu. Lai viņa ievēro visu, ko es viņai pavēlēju!” 15 Un Mānohs teica Kunga eņģelim: “Ļauj, mēs tevi aizkavēsim un sagatavosim tev kādu kazlēnu!” 16 Bet Kunga eņģelis atbildēja Mānoham: “Ja arī tu mani aizkavēsi, es neēdīšu tavu ēdienu, bet, ja tu sagatavosi sadedzināmo upuri Kungam, tad dari to!” – Mānohs nezināja, ka tas ir Kunga eņģelis. 17 Un Mānohs prasīja Kunga eņģelim: “Kā tevi sauc? Lai mēs varam tevi godināt, kad tevis sacītais piepildīsies!” 18 Kunga eņģelis viņam sacīja: “Kāpēc tu prasi manu vārdu? Tas ir brīnumains.”
19 Tad Mānohs ņēma kazlēnu un savu dāvanu un upurēja uz klints Kungam – tam, kurš ir brīnumains savos darbos. Mānohs un viņa sieva skatījās. 20 Kad liesma no altāra cēlās pret debesīm, Kunga eņģelis pacēlās augšup altāra liesmā. Mānohs un viņa sieva to redzēja, un viņi krita uz sava vaiga pie zemes. 21 Kunga eņģelis vairs neparādījās ne Mānoham, ne viņa sievai. Tad Mānohs saprata, ka tas bijis Kunga eņģelis. 22 Un Mānohs teica savai sievai: “Mirtin mums jāmirst, jo mēs Dievu esam redzējuši!” 23 Bet viņa sieva tam teica: “Ja Kungs būtu gribējis mūs nonāvēt, viņš nebūtu pieņēmis mūsu sadedzināmo upuri un dāvanu un nebūtu mums visu šo rādījis, nedz pasludinājis šīs lietas.” 24 Sieva dzemdēja dēlu un nosauca viņu vārdā Simsons. Zēns auga, un Kungs viņu svētīja. 25 Kunga Gars sāka viņu skubināt Dāna apmetnē starp Coru un Eštāolu.
