1. The Israelites sinned against the Lord again, and he let the Philistines rule them for forty years.
2. At that time there was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife had never been able to have children.
3. The Lord's angel appeared to her and said, “You have never been able to have children, but you will soon be pregnant and have a son.
4. Take care not to drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food;
5. and after your son is born, you must never cut his hair, because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite. He will begin the work of rescuing Israel from the Philistines.”
6. Then the woman went and said to her husband, “A man of God has come to me, and he looked as frightening as the angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.
7. But he did tell me that I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me not to drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food, because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a Nazirite as long as he lives.”
8. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, let the man of God that you sent come back to us and tell us what we must do with the boy when he is born.”
9. God did what Manoah asked, and his angel came back to the woman while she was sitting in the fields. Her husband Manoah was not with her,
10. so she ran at once and said to him, “Look! The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me again.”
11. Manoah got up and followed his wife. He went to the man and asked, “Are you the man who was talking to my wife?”“Yes,” he answered.
12. Then Manoah asked, “When your words come true, what must the boy do? What kind of a life must he lead?”
13. The Lord's angel answered, “Your wife must be sure to do everything that I have told her.