Shìshījì 13

1 Yǐsèliè rén yòu xíng Yēhéhuá yǎn zhōng kàn wéi è de shì , Yēhéhuá jiāng tāmen jiāo zaì Fēilìshì rén shǒu zhōng sì shí nián .

2 Nàshí , yǒu yī gè Suǒlà rén , shì shǔ dàn zú de , míng jiào mǎ Nuóyà . tāde qī bù huáiyùn , bú shēngyù .

3 Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ xiàng nà fùrén xiǎnxiàn , duì tā shuō , xiàng lái nǐ bù huáiyùn , bú shēngyù , rújīn nǐ bì huáiyùn shēng yī gè érzi .

4 Suǒyǐ nǐ dāng jǐnshèn , qīng jiǔ nóng jiǔ dōu bùkĕ hē , yīqiè bù jié zhī wù yĕ bùkĕ chī .

5 Nǐ bì huáiyùn shēng yī gè érzi , bùkĕ yòng tì tóu dāo tì tāde tóu , yīnwei zhè háizi yī chū tāi jiù guī shén zuò ná xì ĕr rén . tā bì qǐ shǒu zhĕngjiù Yǐsèliè rén tuōlí Fēilìshì rén de shǒu .

6 Fùrén jiù huí qù duì zhàngfu shuō , yǒu yī gè shén rén dào wǒ miànqián lái , tāde xiàngmào rú shén shǐzhĕ de xiàngmào , shén shì kĕ wèi . wǒ méiyǒu wèn tā cóng nǎli lái , tā yĕ méiyǒu jiāng tāde míng gàosu wǒ ,

7 Què duì wǒ shuō , nǐ yào huáiyùn shēng yī gè érzi , suǒyǐ qīng jiǔ nóng jiǔ dōu bùkĕ hē , yīqiè bù jié zhī wù yĕ bùkĕ chī . yīnwei zhè háizi cóng chū tāi yīzhí dào sǐ , bì guī shén zuò ná xì ĕr rén .

8 Mǎ Nuóyà jiù qíqiú Yēhéhuá shuō , Zhǔ a , qiú nǐ zaì chāiqiǎn nà shén rén dào wǒmen zhèlǐ lái , hǎo zhǐjiào wǒmen zĕnyàng dāi zhè jiāngyào shēng de háizi .

9 Shén yīngyún mǎ Nuóyà de huà . fùrén zhēng zuò zaì tiánjiān de shíhou , shén de shǐzhĕ yòu dào Tānàli , tā zhàngfu mǎ Nuóyà què méiyǒu tóng tā zaì yī chù .

10 Fùrén jímáng paó qù gàosu zhàngfu shuō , nà rì dào wǒ miànqián lái de rén , yòu xiàng wǒ xiǎnxiàn .

11 Mǎ Nuóyà qǐlai gēnsuí tāde qī lái dào nà rén miànqián , duì tā shuō , yǔ zhè fùrén shuōhuà de jiù shì nǐ ma . tā shuō , shì wǒ .

12 Mǎ Nuóyà shuō , yuàn nǐde huà yìngyàn . wǒmen dāng zĕnyàng dāi zhè háizi , tā hòulái dāng zĕnyàng ne .

13 Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ duì mǎ Nuóyà shuō , wǒ gàosu fùrén de yīqiè shì , tā dōu dāng jǐnshèn .

14 Pútàoshù suǒ jié de dōu bùkĕ chī , qīng jiǔ nóng jiǔ dōu bùkĕ hē , yīqiè bù jié zhī wù yĕ bùkĕ chī . fán wǒ suǒ fēnfu de , tā dōu dāng zūnshǒu .

15 Mǎ Nuóyà duì Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ shuō , qiú nǐ róng wǒmen kuǎn liú nǐ , hǎo wèi nǐ yùbeì yī zhǐ shānyánggāo .

16 Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ duì mǎ Nuóyà shuō , nǐ suīrán kuǎn liú wǒ , wǒ què bù chī nǐde shíwù , nǐ ruò yùbeì Fánjì jiù dāng xiàn yǔ Yēhéhuá . yuánlái mǎ Nuóyà bù zhīdào tā shì Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ .

17 Mǎ Nuóyà duì Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ shuō , qǐng jiāng nǐde míng gàosu wǒ , dào nǐ huà yìngyàn de shíhou , wǒmen hǎo zūnjìng nǐ .

18 Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ duì tā shuō , nǐ hébì wèn wǒde míng , wǒ míng shì qímiào de .

19 Mǎ Nuóyà jiāng yī zhǐ shānyánggāo hé sù jì zaì pánshí shàng xiàn yǔ Yēhéhuá , shǐzhĕ xíng qímiào de shì . mǎ Nuóyà hé tāde qī guānkàn ,

20 Jiàn huǒyàn cóng tán shàng wǎng shàng shēng , Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ zaì tán shàng de huǒyàn zhōng yĕ shēng shàng qù le . mǎ Nuóyà hé tāde qī kànjian , jiù fǔfú yú dì .

21 Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ bú zaì xiàng mǎ Nuóyà hé tāde qī xiǎnxiàn , mǎ Nuóyà cái zhīdào tā shì Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ .

22 Mǎ Nuóyà duì tāde qī shuō , wǒmen bìyào sǐ , yīnwei kànjian le shén .

23 Tāde qī què duì tā shuō , Yēhéhuá ruò yào shā wǒmen , bì bù cóng wǒmen shǒu lǐ shōu nà Fánjì hé sù jì , bìng bú jiāng zhè yīqiè shì zhǐshì wǒmen , jīnrì yĕ bú jiāng zhèxie huà gàosu wǒmen .

24 Hòulái fùrén shēng le yī gè érzi , gĕi tā qǐmíng jiào Cānsūn . háizi zhǎngdà , Yēhéhuá cì fú yǔ tā .

25 Zaì mǎ hā ní dàn , jiù shì Suǒlà hé Yǐshí taó zhōngjiān , Yēhéhuá de líng cái gǎndòng tā .

Shìshījì 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

The Philistines, Samson announced. (1-7) The angel appears to Manoah. (8-14) Manoah's sacrifice. (15-23) Birth of Samson. (24,25)

Verses 1-7 Israel did evil: then God delivered them again into the hands of the Philistines. When Israel was in this distress, Samson was born. His parents had been long childless. Many eminent persons were born of such mothers. Mercies long waited for, often prove signal mercies; and by them others may be encouraged to continue their hope in God's mercy. The angel notices her affliction. God often sends comfort to his people very seasonably, when they feel their troubles most. This deliverer of Israel must be devoted to God. Manoah's wife was satisfied that the messenger was of God. She gave her husband a particular account, both of the promise and of the precept. Husbands and wives should tell each other their experiences of communion with God, and their improvements in acquaintance with him, that they may help each other in the way that is holy.

Verses 8-14 Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet, as Manoah, have believed. Good men are more careful and desirous to know the duty to be done by them, than to know the events concerning them: duty is ours, events are God's. God will guide those by his counsel, who desire to know their duty, and apply to him to teach them. Pious parents, especially, will beg Divine assistance. The angel repeats the directions he had before given. There is need of much care for the right ordering both of ourselves and our children, that we may be duly separate from the world, and living sacrifices to the Lord.

Verses 15-23 What Manoah asked for instruction in his duty, he was readily told; but what he asked to gratify his curiosity, was denied. God has in his word given full directions concerning our duty, but never designed to answer other questionings. There are secret things which belong not to us, of which we must be quite contented to be ignorant, while in this world. The name of our Lord is wonderful and secret; but by his wonderful works he makes himself known as far as is needful for us. Prayer is the ascent of the soul to God. But without Christ in the heart by faith, our services are offensive smoke; in him, acceptable flame. We may apply this to Christ's sacrifice of himself for us; he ascended in the flame of his own offering, for by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, ( Hebrews 9:12 ) . In Manoah's reflections there is great fear; We shall surely die. In his wife's reflection there is great faith. As a help meet for him, she encouraged him. Let believers who have had communion with God in the word and prayer, to whom he has graciously manifested himself, and who have had reason to think God has accepted their works, take encouragement from thence in a cloudy and dark day. God would not have done what he has done for my soul, if he had designed to forsake me, and leave me to perish at last; for his work is perfect. Learn to reason as Manoah's wife; If God designed me to perish under his wrath, he would not give me tokens of his favour.

Verses 24-25 The Spirit of the Lord began to move Samson when a youth. This was evidence that the Lord blessed him. Where God gives his blessing, he gives his Spirit to qualify for the blessing. Those are blessed indeed in whom the Spirit of grace begins to work in the days of their childhood. Samson drank no wine or strong drink, yet excelled in strength and courage, for he had the Spirit of God moving him; therefore be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 13

This chapter relates the birth of Samson, another of the judges of Israel, which was foretold by an angel to his mother, who told her husband of it, Jud 13:1-7 upon whose entreaty the angel appeared again, and related the same to them both, Jud 13:8-14 and who was very, respectfully treated by the man, and by the wonderful things he did was known by him to be an angel of the Lord, which greatly surprised him, Jud 13:15-23 and the chapter is closed with an account of the birth of Samson, and of his being early endowed with the Spirit of God, Jud 13:24,25.