Judges
Chapter 13
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1The sons of Israel again did what was evil in the eyes of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., and God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2There was a certain man from Zorah, from the clan of the Danite, and his name was Manoah. His wife was Unable to have a child. and had not borne a child.
3The messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. appeared to the woman and said to her, Look, please, you are Unable to have a child. and have not borne a child, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
4Now be careful, please. Do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.
5For look, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. No razor shall come up on his head, for the boy shall be a A person who takes a vow to be set apart. The hair is left uncut, and wine is not drunk. of God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
6The woman came and said to her husband, A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very fearsome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name.
7He said to me, Look, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. Now do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy shall be a A person who takes a vow to be set apart. The hair is left uncut, and wine is not drunk. of God from the womb until the day of his death.
8Manoah pleaded with God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. and said, Please, my Lord, the man of God whom you sent, let him come again to us, please, and teach us what we should do for the boy who is to be born.
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- Translation
Adonai here is “my Lord,” spoken to Yahweh. The name itself is in the plea, “Manoah pleaded with Yahweh.”
9God listened to Manoah’s voice. The messenger of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field, and Manoah her husband was not with her.
10The woman hurried and ran and told her husband, and she said to him, Look, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.
11Manoah got up and went after his wife. He came to the man and said to him, Are you the man who spoke to the woman? He said, I am.
12Manoah said, Now, when your words come, what shall be the rule for the boy, and what shall be done for him?
13The messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to Manoah, Of everything that I said to the woman, she shall be careful.
14Of anything that comes from the vine of the wine she shall not eat. Wine and strong drink she shall not drink. Anything unclean she shall not eat. Everything that I commanded her, she shall keep.
15Manoah said to the messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., Please let us detain you, and we will prepare a kid of the goats before you.
16The messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to Manoah, If you detain me, I will not eat your bread. If you prepare a whole offering, offer it up to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.. For Manoah did not know that he was the messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
17Manoah said to the messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., What is your name, so that, when your words come, we may honor you?
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- Text
The written consonants are devarekha, “your words,” plural. The Masoretic reading is devarkha, “your word.” The written plural is printed.
18The messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to him, Why do you ask for my name? It is too wonderful.
19Manoah took the kid of the goats and the grain gift and offered them up on the rock to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.. He acted wondrously, and Manoah and his wife were watching.
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- Translation
Mafpli la’asot is that he acted in a way that was beyond them. The subject is the messenger.
20When the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. went up in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.
21The messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. did not appear again to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the messenger of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
22Manoah said to his wife, We shall die, die, for we have seen God.
23His wife said to him, If God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. had wanted to kill us, he would not have taken a whole offering and a grain gift from our hand, and he would not have shown us all these things, and at this time he would not have let us hear something like this.
24The woman bore a son and called his name Samson. The boy grew, and God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. blessed him.
25The spirit of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
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- Translation
Mahaneh-dan is the camp of Dan.