1   And eft the sones of Yrael diden yuel in the si&yogh;t of the Lord, the which took hem in to the hoondis of the Philisteyns fourti &yogh;eer. 2   And there was a maner man of Saraa, and of the lynage of Dan, Manue bi name, hauynge a wijf bareyn. 3   To whom aperyde the aungel of the Lord, and seide to hyre, Bareyn thou art,

and with out free children; but thou shalt conseyue, and bere a sone. 4   Be war thanne, lest thou drynke wyn and sither, ne eny thing vnclene thou eete; 5   for thou shalt conseyue, and bere a sone, whos heed shal no rasure towche; forsothe he shal be a Nazare of God from his childhod, and fro the wombe of the moder; and he shal bygynne to delyuer Yrael fro the hoond of the Philistiens. 6   The which, whanne she was comen to hire housbond, seide to hym, A man of God cam to me, hauynge an aungelis chere, feerful wel myche; whom whanne Y hadde askid, who he was, and whennus he was comen, and what name he were clepid, he wolde not to me seye; but thus he answerde, Loo! 7    thou shalt conseyue, and bere a sone; be war that thou drynke no wyn ne sither, ne eete eny thing vnclene; forsothe he shal be a Nazare child of the Lord, fro his &yogh;on&yogh;th and fro the wombe of the moder into the day of his deeth. 8   And so Manue preyede the Lord, and seith, Y biseche, Lord, that the man of God, `the whiche thou sentist, com eft, and teche vs, what we owen to doo of the child, that is to be born. 9   And the Lord herde Manue preiynge; and eft aperide the aungel of the Lord to his wijf sittynge in the feeld; forsothe Manue hir housboond was not with hir. The which, whanne she hadde seen the aungel, 10   hiede, and ranne to hir man, and tolde to hym, seiynge, Loo! the man aperide to me, whom before I saw&yogh;. 11   The which roos, and folewide his wijf; and comynge to the man he seide to hym, Art thow the which spak to the womman? And he answerde, Y am. 12   To whom Manue, Whanne, he seith, thi word were fulfillid, what wolt thou, that the child doo, or fro what thing shal he kepe hym silf? 13   And the aungel of the

Lord seide to Manue, Fro alle thingis that Y spak to thi wijf, absteine he hym. 14   And what euer thing growith of the vyn eete he not, wyn and sithir drynk he not, noon vnclene thing eete he; and that Y haue comaundid to hym, fulfille he and kepe. 15   And so Manue seide to the aungel of the Lord, Y biseche thee, that thou assente to my preiers, and we make to thee a kidde of the she geet. 16   To whom answerde the aungel, If thou me constreynest, Y shal not eete thi looues; forsothe if thou wolt doo brent sacrifice, offre thou that to the Lord. And Manue wist not, that it was the aungel of the Lord. 17   And he seide to hym, What is name to thee, that if thi word were fulfillid, we doon worship to thee? To whom he answerde, 18   Whi askist thou my name, that is merueylows? 19   And so Manue took a kidde of the geet, and sacrifices of licours, and putte vpon the stoon, offrynge to the Lord that doth merueylows thingis. Forsothe he and the wijf of hym biheelden. 20   And whanne the flawme of the auter stiede into heuene, the aungel of the Lord togidre in the flawme stiede vp. The which thing whanne Manue hadde seen and his wijf, redi thei fellen into the erthe. 21   And na more to hym aperide the aungel of the Lord. And anoon Manue vndurstood to be the aungel of the Lord. 22   And he seide to hys wijf, Bi deeth die we, for we han seen the Lord. 23   To whom answerde the womman, If the Lord wold slee vs, of oure hoondis brent sacrifice and offryngis of licours he wold not haue take; but alle thes thingis he wold not haue shewid to vs, ne tho thingis that ben to com haue seid. 24   And so she beere a child, and clepide the name of him Sampson; and the child wexe, and the Lord blesside

to hym. 25   And the spyrit of the Lord began to be with hym in the tentis of Dan, bitwix Saraa and Eskahol.

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