The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Judges
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Chapter 13
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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Then, once again, the sons of Israel defied the Lord, and for forty years he left them at the mercy of the Philistines.
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There was a certain tribesman of Dan called Manue, who lived at Saraa, and had a wife that bore him no children.
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To her the Lord’s angel appeared, and said, Poor barren one, poor childless one, thou art to conceive, and bear a son.
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See to it that no wine or strong drink, no unclean food passes thy lips,
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for this son whom thou art to conceive and bear is to be a Nazirite from his birth; even when he is a child, no razor must come near his head. And he shall strike the first blow to deliver Israel from the power of the Philistines.
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So when she met her husband she told him, I have been speaking with a messenger from God, who might have been an angel, such awe his look inspired in me. Who he was, his home, his name, he would not tell,
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but the message he gave me was that I should conceive, and have a son. And I must abstain from wine and all strong drink, and from all unclean food, because this son of mine was to be a Nazirite from his childhood up, bound to the Lord by his vow from the day of his birth to the day of his death.

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Thereupon Manue entreated the Lord to send his messenger again, and tell them how this child, once born, should be nurtured.
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And the Lord granted his prayer; once more the angel of God appeared to his wife, as she sat resting in a field. Her husband was not with her, and she, upon sight of the angel,
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ran off to fetch him; He has come back, she told him, the man I saw a few days since.
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So he rose and followed her, and asked the angel whether it was he that had brought the message to his wife; Yes, he said, it was I.
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Tell me, then, said Manue, when thy promise is fulfilled, what life is the boy to lead, what things are they he must shun?
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But the angel of the Lord answered, Enough that thy wife should observe the warnings I gave her,
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eating nothing that grows in the vineyard, drinking no wine or strong drink, abstaining from all unclean food; these commands of mine she must carry out faithfully.
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And now Manue said to the angel of the Lord, Pray do me one favour; allow us to cook a kid for thy eating.
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Detain me if thou wilt, said the angel, but of thy food I must not eat; offer burnt-sacrifice, if thou wilt, to the Lord. And still Manue did not recognize that it was the Lord’s angel;
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What is thy name? he asked. If thy words come true, we would fain give thee some token of gratitude.
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My name? said he. Do not ask my name; it is a high mystery.
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So Manue brought the kid, and a bread-offering with it, and laid it on the rock, presenting it before the Lord; and mystery indeed there was, before the eyes of Manue and his wife;
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as flames went up to heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up too, there amid the flames.
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At the sight, Manue and his wife fell down face to earth. Now that he had disappeared from their view, Manue knew him for what he was,
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and said to his wife, This is certain death; we have seen the Lord.
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Nay, answered his wife, if the Lord meant us harm, he would not have accepted our sacrifice and our bread-offering; he would not have shewn us this marvellous sight, nor told us what is to befall.
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And so she bore a son, and called him Samson. As the lad grew, the Lord’s blessing was on him.
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It was at the Encampment of Dan, between Saraa and Esthaol, that the spirit of the Lord first visited him.