13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God 1 came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. 2 I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 13:7 He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. 3 So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. 4 For the child will be dedicated 5 to God from birth till the day he dies.’”
13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, 6 “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God 7 to visit 8 us again, so he can teach 9 us how we should raise 10 the child who will be born.” 13:9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. 11 God’s angelic messenger visited 12 the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. 13:10 The woman ran at once and told her husband, 13 “Come quickly, 14 the man who visited 15 me the other day has appeared to me!” 13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met 16 the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” 17 He said, “Yes.” 18 13:12 Manoah said, “Now, when your announcement comes true, 19 how should the child be raised and what should he do?” 20 13:13 The Lord’s messenger told 21 Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. 22 13:14 She should not drink 23 anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. 24 She should obey everything I commanded her to do.”
1 tn Heb “The man of God.”
2 tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”
3 tn See the note on the word “son” in 13:5, where this same statement occurs.
4 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
5 tn Traditionally “a Nazirite.”
5 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “the man of God.”
7 tn Heb “come to.”
8 tc The LXX has “enlighten,” understanding the Hebrew to read וִיאִירֵנוּ (vi’irenu, “to give light”) rather than the reading of the MT, וְיוֹרֵנוּ (vÿyorenu, “to teach”).
9 tn Heb “what we should do for.”
7 tn Heb “God listened to the voice of Manoah.”
8 tn Heb “came to.”
9 tn Heb “and said to him.” This phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
10 tn Heb “Look.”
11 tn Heb “came to.”
11 tn Heb “came to.”
12 tn Heb “the woman.”
13 tn Heb “I [am].”
13 tn Heb “Now, [when] your word comes [to pass].”
14 tn Heb “what will be the child’s rule [i.e., way of life] and his work?”
15 tn Or “said to.”
16 tn Heb “To everything I said to the woman she should pay attention.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes “to everything,” probably because Manoah’s wife did not tell her husband everything the angel had said to her (cf. vv. 3-5 with v. 7). If she had, Manoah probably would not have been so confused about the child’s mission.
17 tn Heb “eat.”
18 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”