Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, to the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed then for forty years.
In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan live in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you. must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink no eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be curt. FOr he will be dedicated to God as a Nazarite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” (vv. 1-5, NLT)
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord saying,” Lord please let the man of God come back to us again and give us some more instructions about the son who is to be born.”
God answered Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God appear once again to his wife while she was sitting in a field. U ther husband, Manoah, was not with her. So she quickly ran and told her husband, “The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!”
Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day?”
“Yes,” he replied, “I am.”
So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life an work?”
The angel of the Lord answered, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I ave her. She must not eat grapes, or raisins, or drink wine or any alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”
Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for your to eat.”
I will stay,’ the angel of the Lord replied, ‘but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burn offering as a sacrifice to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize it was the angel of the Lord.). (vv. 8-16, NLT)