New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Judges 13
1
Once again the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for 40 years.
Reference
2
A certain man from Zorah was named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan. Manoah had a wife who wasn't able to have children.
Reference
People
3
The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife. He said, "You are not able to have children. But you are going to become pregnant. You will have a baby boy.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 1:13
Genesis 18:10
Genesis 17:16
Judges 13:10
Judges 13:6
References Lord
Luke 1:11
Judges 13:8
Judges 2:1
2 Kings 4:16
1 Samuel 1:20
4
Make sure you do not drink any kind of wine. Also make sure you do not eat anything that is 'unclean.'
Reference
5
"You will become pregnant. You will have a son. He must not use a razor on his head. He must not cut his hair. That is because the boy will be a Nazirite. He will be set apart to God from the day he is born. He will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines."
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 6:5
1 Samuel 1:11
1 Chronicles 18:1
2 Samuel 8:1
References Israel
1 Samuel 7:13
6
Then the woman went to her husband. She told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God. His appearance was so amazing that it filled me with great wonder. I didn't ask him where he came from. And he didn't tell me his name.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 1:17
Acts 6:15
Luke 9:29
Daniel 10:5
Daniel 8:17
Daniel 10:11
References God
Deuteronomy 33:1
1 Samuel 9:6
Luke 1:19
2 Kings 4:9
7
"But he said to me, 'You will become pregnant. You will have a son. So do not drink any kind of wine. Do not eat anything that is "unclean." That is because the boy will be a Nazirite. He will belong to God in a special way from the day he is born until the day he dies.' "
8
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord. He said, "Lord, I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again. He told us we would have a son. We want the man of God to teach us how to bring up the boy."
Reference
9
God heard Manoah. And the angel of God came again to the woman. He came while she was out in the field. But her husband Manoah wasn't with her.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 65:2
10
The woman hurried to her husband. She told him, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day is here!"
11
Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he spoke to him. He said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he replied.
12
So Manoah asked him, "What will happen when your words come true? What rules should we follow for the boy's life and work?"
Reference
13
The angel of the Lord answered him. He said, "Your wife must do everything I have told her to do.
14
She must not eat anything that comes from grapevines. She must not drink any kind of wine. She must not eat anything that is 'unclean.' She must do everything I have commanded her to do."
Reference
15
Manoah spoke to the angel of the Lord. He said, "We would like you to stay and eat. We want to prepare a young goat for you."
16
The angel of the Lord replied, "Even if I stay, I will not eat any of your food. But if you still want to prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord." Manoah didn't realize it was the angel of the Lord.
17
Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord a question. "What is your name?" he said. "We want to honor you when your word comes true."
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 32:29
18
The angel replied, "Why are you asking me what my name is? You would not be able to understand it."
Reference
19
Manoah got a young goat. He brought it together with the grain offering. He sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. Then the Lord did an amazing thing. It happened while Manoah and his wife were watching.
20
A flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven. The angel of the Lord rose up in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw it, they fell with their faces to the ground.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 2:11
Matthew 17:6
References Lord
1 Chronicles 21:16
Ezekiel 1:28
Sacrifice
Leviticus 9:24
21
The angel of the Lord didn't show himself again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized it was the angel of the Lord.
Reference
22
"We're going to die!" he said to his wife. "We've seen God!"
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 6:5
Exodus 33:20
John 5:37
Deuteronomy 4:38
References God
Deuteronomy 5:26
Genesis 32:30
John 1:18
Judges 6:22
23
But his wife answered, "The Lord doesn't want to kill us. If he did, he wouldn't have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from us. He wouldn't have shown us all of those things. He wouldn't have told us we're going to have a son."
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 12:21
John 14:20
References Lord
Psalm 25:14
Psalm 86:17
John 15:15
Proverbs 3:32
24
Later, the woman had a baby boy. She named him Samson. As he grew up, the Lord blessed him.
Reference
People
Chapter Summary
Judges chapter 13 contains an introduction to Samson and a description of events related to his birth. Israel has again turned away from the Lord, and the Philistines have taken over the country for forty years. An angel of the Lord comes to the wife of Manoah, who cannot have children, and tells her that she will have a son who will be a Nazarite from birth.
Other verses from Judges contain similar constructions about the Lord giving Israel over to their enemies. The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and He delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
The Philistines are one of the nations that were Israel’s enemies. They were mainly coastal and played an important role during the time of the judges. Unlike previous chapters, the narrative does not mention Israel calling for the Lord’s help. The story moves to the announcement of the birth of Samson, who will deliver Israel from the Philistines.
There was a man in Zorah, in the land of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and did not have children. An angel of the Lord appeared to her and said that despite her condition, she would have a son.
The angel gave instructions concerning the child, specifying that she must abstain from wine and strong drink and must not eat unclean things. The child would be a Nazarite from birth, and the angel noted that no razor would touch his head.
The reason was connected to the child’s future role: he would begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. The woman told her husband what had happened while the angel was there. She described him as a man of God, whose appearance was very awe-inspiring. The woman did not know that the stranger who spoke to them was an angel.
Manoah prayed to God that the man of God would return so that he could ask him what he wanted for their son. God heard Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was in the field. She ran to tell her husband that the man was there again.
Manoah met him and asked whether he was the man who had been talking to his wife. The angel confirmed that he was. Manoah asked what they should do with the boy when he grew up and repeated the restrictions that the angel had imposed on his wife. The woman had to avoid wine and strong drinks and unclean things. She had to keep all that God had spoken concerning the child.
Manoah asked the angel to stay with them for a meal. He did not know that he was talking to an angel of the Lord. The angel replied that he would not eat their food, but if they prepared a sacrifice to the Lord, they could eat it. Manoah asked the angel for his name so that they could honor him when the word of God had come to them. The angel replied that his name was wonderful, meaning that it was not known. Manoah did not realize that this stranger had been an angel of the Lord.
Manoah prepared a young goat with a meat offering and invited the angel to accept it. He laid it on a rock, and the fire from heaven consumed it, and the angel of the Lord went up into heaven in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they fell on their faces to the ground in fear. Manoah realized that they had been talking to an angel of the Lord.
He told his wife that they were certain to die because they had seen God. His wife believed otherwise: if the Lord had wanted to kill them, He would not have received their burnt offering and meat offering, and He would not have showed them these signs or spoken to them.
Manoah and his wife saw the signs and realized that the Lord had sent the angel. He had chosen their son for a great role in Israel’s future. Samson was born to them and was called Samson. God blessed him and made him grow up.
The last verse states that the spirit of the Lord began to move Samson in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. This sets the stage for the story of Samson that is told in the following chapters.
Judges chapter 13 sets the stage for the introduction of Samson. He has not yet delivered Israel, but the details of his birth have been introduced to prepare the reader for the story. His father and mother are introduced, and the angel of the Lord speaks to them, giving them instructions about their son. It is clear that he will be dedicated to God and that Israel will play an important role in his future. The chapter also indicates that God can act before people know what He intends to do.
Manoah and his wife did not know what God intended for their son, but they knew that He had chosen him for a special mission. The name Samson refers to the sun, which may indicate that God will show his power through Samson by bringing light into Israel’s darkness.
Samson’s birth is unique compared to other judges who had been introduced. His mother was instructed by an angel concerning restrictions to observe during pregnancy and nursing. Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth, which was rare for Israel’s men. His Nazariteship was connected to his uncut hair, and it played an important role in his story. The angel of the Lord spoke to the woman, revealing that the boy would be a Nazarite from birth. This laid the foundation for Samson’s deliverer role. The last part of the chapter mentions Israel still being under the Philistines’ power, and the story of Samson shows how God will begin to deliver them. Samson’s story is just beginning, and he will face victories as well as weaknesses on his path.
Other verses from Judges contain similar constructions about the Lord giving Israel over to their enemies. The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and He delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
The Philistines are one of the nations that were Israel’s enemies. They were mainly coastal and played an important role during the time of the judges. Unlike previous chapters, the narrative does not mention Israel calling for the Lord’s help. The story moves to the announcement of the birth of Samson, who will deliver Israel from the Philistines.
There was a man in Zorah, in the land of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and did not have children. An angel of the Lord appeared to her and said that despite her condition, she would have a son.
The angel gave instructions concerning the child, specifying that she must abstain from wine and strong drink and must not eat unclean things. The child would be a Nazarite from birth, and the angel noted that no razor would touch his head.
The reason was connected to the child’s future role: he would begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. The woman told her husband what had happened while the angel was there. She described him as a man of God, whose appearance was very awe-inspiring. The woman did not know that the stranger who spoke to them was an angel.
Manoah prayed to God that the man of God would return so that he could ask him what he wanted for their son. God heard Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was in the field. She ran to tell her husband that the man was there again.
Manoah met him and asked whether he was the man who had been talking to his wife. The angel confirmed that he was. Manoah asked what they should do with the boy when he grew up and repeated the restrictions that the angel had imposed on his wife. The woman had to avoid wine and strong drinks and unclean things. She had to keep all that God had spoken concerning the child.
Manoah asked the angel to stay with them for a meal. He did not know that he was talking to an angel of the Lord. The angel replied that he would not eat their food, but if they prepared a sacrifice to the Lord, they could eat it. Manoah asked the angel for his name so that they could honor him when the word of God had come to them. The angel replied that his name was wonderful, meaning that it was not known. Manoah did not realize that this stranger had been an angel of the Lord.
Manoah prepared a young goat with a meat offering and invited the angel to accept it. He laid it on a rock, and the fire from heaven consumed it, and the angel of the Lord went up into heaven in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they fell on their faces to the ground in fear. Manoah realized that they had been talking to an angel of the Lord.
He told his wife that they were certain to die because they had seen God. His wife believed otherwise: if the Lord had wanted to kill them, He would not have received their burnt offering and meat offering, and He would not have showed them these signs or spoken to them.
Manoah and his wife saw the signs and realized that the Lord had sent the angel. He had chosen their son for a great role in Israel’s future. Samson was born to them and was called Samson. God blessed him and made him grow up.
The last verse states that the spirit of the Lord began to move Samson in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. This sets the stage for the story of Samson that is told in the following chapters.
Judges chapter 13 sets the stage for the introduction of Samson. He has not yet delivered Israel, but the details of his birth have been introduced to prepare the reader for the story. His father and mother are introduced, and the angel of the Lord speaks to them, giving them instructions about their son. It is clear that he will be dedicated to God and that Israel will play an important role in his future. The chapter also indicates that God can act before people know what He intends to do.
Manoah and his wife did not know what God intended for their son, but they knew that He had chosen him for a special mission. The name Samson refers to the sun, which may indicate that God will show his power through Samson by bringing light into Israel’s darkness.
Samson’s birth is unique compared to other judges who had been introduced. His mother was instructed by an angel concerning restrictions to observe during pregnancy and nursing. Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth, which was rare for Israel’s men. His Nazariteship was connected to his uncut hair, and it played an important role in his story. The angel of the Lord spoke to the woman, revealing that the boy would be a Nazarite from birth. This laid the foundation for Samson’s deliverer role. The last part of the chapter mentions Israel still being under the Philistines’ power, and the story of Samson shows how God will begin to deliver them. Samson’s story is just beginning, and he will face victories as well as weaknesses on his path.