Shuphatym (Judges) — 13

The Birth of Shamsun

1 Again the Yasharalym did evil in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, And HE handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

2 In those days a man named Manuah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zurah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 

3 The Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH appeared to Manuah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 

4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 

5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH as a Nazirite from birth, he will begin to rescue Yashar'AL from the Philistines.”

6 The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH appeared to me! He looked like one of the Malakym of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, terrifying to see. I did not ask where he was from, and He did not tell me his name. 

7 But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH as a Nazarite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.’”

8 Then Manuah prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, saying, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, please let the man of 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.”

9 Then 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH answered Manuah’s prayer, and the Malak of 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH  appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manuah, was not with her. 

10 So she quickly ran and told her husband, “The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!”

11 Manuah ran back with his wife and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day? “Yes,” he replied, “I am.”

12 So Manuah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?”

13 The Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. 

14 She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”

15 Then Manuah said to the Malak of   𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.”

16 “I will stay,” the Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH replied, “but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.” (Manuah did not realize it was the Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.)

17 Then Manuah asked the Malak of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.”

18 “Why do you ask my name?” the Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

19 Then Manuah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. And as Manuah and his wife watched, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH did an amazing thing. 

20 As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH ascended in the fire. When Manuah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.

21 The Malak did not appear again to Manuah and his wife. Manuah finally realized it was the Malak of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, 

22 and he said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH!”

23 But his wife said, “If 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  was going to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He would not have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.”

24 When her son was born, she named him Shamsun, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  Baraked him as he grew up. 

25 And the RUACH of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  began to stir him while he lived in Mahanah-dan, which is located between the towns of Zurah and Ashtaul.