1 Bet Israēla bērni joprojām darīja to, kas bija ļauns Tā Kunga acīs, un Tas Kungs tos nodeva filistiešu rokās četrdesmit gadus. 2 Un tur bija kāds vīrs no Coras, Dana cilts, tā vārds bija Manua, un viņa sieva bija neauglīga, un tā nebija vēl dzemdējusi. 3 Tad Tā Kunga eņģelis parādījās šai sievai un sacīja viņai: "Redzi, tu domā, ka tu esi neauglīga, jo tu neesi dzemdējusi, bet tu kļūsi grūta, un tu dzemdēsi dēlu. 4 Tādēļ esi piesardzīga un nedzer vīnu, nedz reibinošus dzērienus un neēd neko tādu, kas ir nešķīsts. 5 Jo, redzi, tu kļūsi grūta un dzemdēsi dēlu, un skujamam nazim nebūs nākt pār viņa galvu, jo zēns būs nazīrietis, novēlēts Dievam; lai viņš ir tāds, no mātes klēpja nākot, un viņš sāks glābt Israēlu no filistiešu rokas." 6 Pēc tam šī sieva atgriezās un sacīja savam vīram: "Pie manis atnāca Dieva vīrs, un viņa izskats bija kā Dieva eņģeļa izskats, ļoti bijājams, un es viņu nejautāju, no kurienes tas ir, un viņš man arī neteica savu vārdu. 7 Bet viņš man sacīja: "Redzi, tu kļūsi grūta un dzemdēsi dēlu; bet tagad nedzer vīnu, nedz stiprus reibinošus dzērienus un neēd neko tādu, kas ir nešķīsts, jo šis zēns būs nazīrietis, novēlēts Dievam, sākot ar viņa piedzimšanu līdz pat viņa nāves dienai." 8 Tad Manua lūdza To Kungu un teica: "Ak, Kungs, es Tevi lūdzu, lai tas Dieva vīrs, ko Tu biji sūtījis, vēlreiz atnāk pie mums un pamāca mūs, kā mēs ar to zēnu, kam ir jāpiedzimst, lai rīkojamies." 9 Un Dievs uzklausīja Manuas balsi, un Dieva eņģelis vēlreiz atnāca pie sievas; viņa bija atsēdusies tīrumā, bet viņas vīrs Manua nebija pie viņas. 10 Tad šī sieva steidzās un skrēja un sacīja savam vīram: "Redzi, man ir parādījies tas pats vīrs, kas bija pie manis atnācis viņdien." 11 Tad Manua piecēlās, sekoja savai sievai un gāja pie tā vīra, un tam sacīja: "Vai tu esi tas vīrs, kurš esi ar šo sievu runājis?" Un tas sacīja: "Es tas esmu." 12 Tad Manua teica: "Ja tavs vārds piepildītos, kā tad vajadzētu rīkoties ar šo zēnu, un kas viņam būs jādara?" 13 Tad Tā Kunga eņģelis sacīja Manuam: "Šī sieva lai atturas no visa tā, ko es viņai esmu minējis. 14 Neko, kas izaug no vīna koka, viņai nebūs ēst, un viņai nebūs dzert ne vīnu, ne stiprus reibinošus dzērienus, un viņai nebūs neko tādu ēst, kas ir nešķīsts; visu, ko es esmu viņai pavēlējis, to lai viņa ievēro." 15 Tad Manua sacīja Tā Kunga eņģelim: "Mēs gribam tevi vēl aizkavēt, līdz cienastam sagatavojam tev kazlēnu." 16 Bet Tā Kunga eņģelis sacīja Manuam: "Ja tu mani arī aizturētu, es tomēr tavu ēdienu neēstu, bet, ja tu gribi dedzināmo upuri nest, tad nes to Tam Kungam." - Manua nezināja, ka tas bija Tā Kunga eņģelis. 17 Un Manua jautāja Tā Kunga eņģelim: "Kā tevi sauc? Ja tavs vārds piepildītos, tad mēs gribētu tevi godināt." 18 Bet Tā Kunga eņģelis viņam sacīja: "Kāpēc tu tā prasi - kāds mans vārds? Tas ir noslēpums." 19 Un Manua ņēma kazlēnu līdz ar ēdamo upuri pie tā un upurēja to kā dedzināmo upuri uz klints Tam Kungam. Un viņš lika notikt brīnišķīgām lietām, Manua un viņa sieva skatīja tās. 20 Un redzi, tiklīdz liesma no altāra pacēlās augšup pret debesīm, tā arī Tā Kunga eņģelis devās augšup altāra liesmā. Kad Manua un viņa sieva to redzēja, tad viņi krita uz sava vaiga pie zemes. 21 Bet Tā Kunga eņģelis vairs neatklājās nedz Manuam, nedz viņa sievai, un tikai tad Manua saprata, ka tas bija bijis Tā Kunga eņģelis. 22 Tad Manua sacīja savai sievai: "Mēs mirdami mirsim, tādēļ ka esam Dievu redzējuši." 23 Bet viņa sieva sacīja viņam: "Ja Tam Kungam būtu paticis mūs nonāvēt, tad Viņš nebūtu pieņēmis no mūsu rokām nedz dedzināmo upuri, nedz ēdamo upuri; viņš arī nebūtu mums visas šīs lietas parādījis, nedz arī visu to mums licis dzirdēt šinī laikā. 24 Un sieva dzemdēja dēlu un nosauca viņu vārdā Simsons; un zēns pieauga, un Tas Kungs viņu svētīja. 25 Un Tā Kunga Gars sāka viņā rosīties, tas notika Dana nometnē, starp Coru un Eštaolu.
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.
