The Lord’s angelic messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, “You are infertile and childless, but you will conceive and have a son.

His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech.

There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was infertile and childless.

Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and the Lord empowered him.

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father.

They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. But the city’s name used to be Laish.

Gilead’s wife also gave him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, because you are another woman’s son.”

Look, you will conceive and have a son. You must never cut his hair, for the child will be dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power of the Philistines.”

He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. For the child will be dedicated to God from birth till the day he dies.’”

Manoah prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God to visit us again, so he can teach us how we should raise the child who will be born.”