1   And eft the sones of Israel diden yuel in the `si&yogh;t of the Lord, which bitook hem in to the hondis of Filisteis fourti &yogh;eer. 2   Forsothe a man was of Saraa, and of the kynrede of Dan, `Manue bi name, and he hadde a bareyn wijf. 3   To `which wijf an aungel of the Lord apperide,

and seide to hir, Thou art bareyn, and with out fre children; but thou schalt conseyue, and schalt bere a sone. 4   Therfor be thou war, lest thou drynke wyn, and sydur, nethir ete thou ony vnclene thing; 5   for thou schalt conceyue and schalt bere a sone, whos heed a rasour schal not towche; for he schal be a Nazarei of God fro his &yogh;ong age, and fro the modris wombe; and he schal bigynne to delyuere Israel fro the hond of Filisteis. 6   And whanne sche hadde come to hir hosebonde, sche seide to hym, The man of God cam to me, and hadde an aungel cheer, and he was ful ferdful, `that is, worschipful `and reuerent; and whanne Y hadde axide hym, who he was, and fro whannus he cam, and bi what name he was clepid, he nolde seie to me; 7   but he answeride this, Lo! thou schalt conseyue, and schalt bere a sone; be thou war, that thou drynke not wyn ne sidur, nether ete ony vncleene thing; for the child schal be a Nazarey, `that is, hooli of the Lord, fro his &yogh;onge age and fro the modris wombe `til to the dai of his deeth. 8   Therfor Manue preide the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche, that the man of God, whom thou sentist, come eft, and teche vs, what we owen to do of the child, that schal be borun. 9   And the Lord herde Manue preiynge; and the aungel of the Lord apperide eft to his wijf sittynge in the feeld; forsothe Manue, hir hosebonde, was not with hir. And whanne sche hadde seyn the aungel, 10   sche hastide, and ran to hir hosebonde, and telde to hym, and seide, Lo! the man whom Y si&yogh; bifore, apperide to me. 11   Which roos, and suede his wijf; and he cam to the man, and seide to hym, Art thou he, that hast spoke to the womman? And he answeride, Y am. 12   To whom Manue seide, Whanne thi word schal be fillid, what wolt thou, that the

child do, ethir fro what thing schal he kepe hym silf? 13   And the `aungel of the Lord seide to Manue, Absteyne he hym silf fro alle thingis which Y spak to thi wijf. 14   And ete he not what euer thing cometh forth of the vyner, drynke he not wyn, and sidur, ete he not ony vncleene thing and fille he; and kepe that, that Y comaundide to hym. 15   Therfor Manue seide to the `aungel of the Lord, Y biseche, that thou assente to my preieris, and we aray ^note to thee a `kide of the geet. 16   To whom the aungel of the Lord answeride, Thou&yogh; thou constreynest me, Y schal not ete thi looues; forsothe if thou wolt make brent sacrifice, offre thou it to the Lord. And Manue wiste not, that it was `an aungel of the Lord. 17   And Manue seide to hym, What name is to thee, that if thi word be fillid, we onoure thee? 18   To whom he answeride, Whi axist thou my name, which is wondurful ^note? 19   Therfor Manue took a `kide of the geet, and fletynge sacrifices, and puttide on the stoon, and offryde to the Lord that doith wondirful thingis <sup>note</sup>. Forsothe he and his wijf bihelden. 20   And whanne the flawme of the auter stiede in to heuene, the aungel of the Lord stiede togidere in the flawme. And whanne Manue and his wijf hadden seyn this, thei felden lowe to erthe. 21   And the aungel of the Lord apperide no more to hem. And anoon Manue vndurstood, that he was an aungel of the Lord. 22   And he seide to his wijf, We schulen die bi deeth, for we sien the Lord. 23   To whom the womman answeride, If the Lord wolde sle vs, he schulde not haue take of oure hondis brent sacrifices, and moiste sacrifices, but nether he schulde haue schewid alle thingis to vs, nether `he schulde haue seid tho thingis, that schulen come. 24   Therfor sche childide a sone,

and clepide his name Sampson; and the child encreesside, and the Lord blesside hym. 25   And the spirit of the Lord bigan to be with hym in the castels of Dan, bitwixe Saraa and Escahol.

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