The Daily Audio Bible
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The Birth of Samson
13 The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites. His name was Manoah. His wife was not able to have children. 3 Then the angel of the Lord came to the woman and said to her, “See, you have not been able to have any children. But the Lord will make it possible for you to have a child and you will give birth to a son. 4 So be careful not to drink wine or strong drink. Do not eat anything that is unclean. 5 You will have a child and give birth to a son. His hair must never be cut. Because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born. He will begin to take Israel away from the Philistines’ power.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband. She said, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the angel of God, filling me with fear. I did not ask him where he came from. And he did not tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘See, it will be possible for you to have a child and give birth to a son. Do not drink wine or strong drink or eat anything that is unclean. For the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born to the time he dies.’”
8 Then Manoah asked the Lord, saying, “O Lord, let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again. Let him teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born.” 9 God listened to Manoah. The angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran to her husband in a hurry. She told him, “See, the man who came the other day has come to me again.” 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 Manoah said, “When your words come true, what will be the boy’s way of life? What should he do?” 13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Let the woman be careful to do all I have said. 14 She must not eat anything from the vine or drink wine or strong drink. She must not eat anything that is unclean. Let her obey all I have told her.”
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We ask of you, stay with us. So we may get a young goat ready for you to eat.” 16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “I will stay, but I will not eat your food. But if you get a burnt gift ready, then give it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. 17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? So we may honor you when your words come true.” 18 But the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is a name of wonder.” 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain gift. And he gave it on the rock to the Lord. Then the Lord did powerful works while Manoah and his wife watched. 20 For the fire went up from the altar toward heaven. And the angel of the Lord went up in the fire of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces on the ground. 21 The angel of the Lord did not show himself to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will die for sure. For we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had wanted to kill us, He would not have received a burnt gift and grain gift from us. He would not have shown us all these things, or let us hear these things.”
24 Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew up and the Lord brought good to him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to work through him at the tents of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson’s Philistine Wife
14 Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 He returned and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah. She is one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now get her for me as a wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your family or among all our people? Must you take a wife from the Philistines who have not gone through the religious act of the Jews?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” 4 His father and mother did not know that it was the Lord’s leading. For He was planning a way to go against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. They came as far as the grape-fields of Timnah. There a young lion came running toward him, making a loud noise. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson with power. Samson tore the lion apart like one tears a young goat. He had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 Then Samson went down and talked to the woman. She looked good to him. 8 When he returned later to take her, he turned to look at the dead lion. He saw that a lot of bees and some honey were inside the lion’s body. 9 So he took the honey out with his hands and went on his way, eating as he went. He came to his father and mother and gave some honey to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had taken the honey out of the lion’s body.
10 Then his father went down to the woman. Samson made a special supper there. The young men used to do this. 11 When the people saw him, they brought thirty friends to be with him. 12 And Samson said to them, “Let me see if you can answer this question. If you can find the answer within the seven days of the special supper, I will give you thirty linen coats and thirty pieces of clothing. 13 But if you cannot answer me, you must give me thirty linen coats and thirty pieces of clothing.” And they said to him, “Ask your question. Let us hear it.” 14 So Samson said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet. Now what does this mean?” But they could not answer the question in three days.
15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Make your husband tell us the answer. Or we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you asked us to come here so you can make us poor? Is it not true?” 16 So Samson’s wife cried in front of Samson, saying, “You only hate me. You do not love me. You have asked my people a question. And you have not told me the answer.” Samson said to her, “See, I have not told the answer to my father or mother. Should I tell it to you?” 17 But she cried in front of him for seven days while their special supper lasted. On the seventh day Samson told her the answer because she begged him so much. Then she told the answer to her people. 18 So the men of the city said to Samson before the sun went down on the seventh day, “What is more sweet than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my young cow, you would not have found the answer.” 19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power. Samson went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men of the town. He took their clothing and gave it to the men who answered his question. He was very angry and returned to his father’s house. 20 Samson’s wife was given to his friend who had been his best man at his wedding.
The Baptism of Jesus (A)
29 The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him. He said, “See! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world! 30 I have been talking about Him. I said, ‘One is coming after me Who is more important than I, because He lived before I was born.’ 31 I did not know who He was, but I have come to baptize with water so the Jews might know about Him.”
32 Then John said, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down on Jesus as a dove from heaven. The Holy Spirit stayed on Him. 33 I did not know Him then. But God sent me to baptize with water. God said to me, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down and stay on Him. He is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen. I am now saying that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Jesus Calls Andrew and Peter
35 The next day John the Baptist was standing with two of his own followers. 36 Jesus walked by. John looked at Him and said, “See! The Lamb of God.” 37 John’s two followers heard him say this and followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned around and saw them following. He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They followed Him and saw where He lived. They stayed with Him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who had heard John’s words and had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing he did was to find his brother Simon. He said to him, “We have found the Christ!” 42 Andrew took Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw Simon, He said, “You are Simon, the son of John. Your name will be Cephas.” The name Cephas means Peter, or a rock.
Jesus Calls Philip And Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go to the country of Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter were from this town also. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law. He is the One the early preachers wrote about. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of the town of Nazareth?” Philip said, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said, “See! There is a true Jew. There is nothing false in him.” 48 Nathanael said to Jesus, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip talked to you, I saw you under the fig tree.” 49 Nathanael said to Him, “Teacher, You are the Son of God. You are the King of the Jews.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that. 51 For sure, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and God’s angels going up and coming and down on the Son of Man.”
The Prayer of a Man in Trouble
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord! Let my cry for help come to You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble. Turn Your ear to me. Hurry to answer me in the day when I call. 3 For my days go up in smoke. And my bones are burned as with fire. 4 My heart is crushed and dried like grass. And I forget to eat my food. 5 I am nothing but skin and bones because of my loud cries. 6 I am like a pelican in the desert. I am like an owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake. And I feel like a bird alone on the roof.
8 Those who hate me have made it hard for me all day long. Those who are angry with me curse my name. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and have mixed my drink with tears, 10 because of Your great anger. For You have lifted me up and thrown me away. 11 My days are like the evening shadow. I dried up like grass.
12 But You and Your name, O Lord, will always be forever and to all people for all time. 13 You will rise up and have loving-pity on Zion. For it is time to show favor to her. The set time has come. 14 For Your servants respect her stones and show pity for her dust. 15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord. All the kings of the earth will fear Your shining-greatness. 16 For the Lord has built up Zion. He will come in His shining-greatness. 17 He will answer the prayer of those in need. He will not turn from their prayer.
18 This will be written for the children-to-come. So a people not yet born may give thanks to the Lord. 19 For He looked down from His holy place. He watched the earth from heaven, 20 to hear the loud cries of those in prison and to set free those who are being sent to death. 21 So the name of the Lord will be made known in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, 22 when the people gather together and the nations gather to serve the Lord.
23 He has taken away my strength. He has taken days from my life. 24 I said, “O my God, do not take me away when my days are only half done. Your years go on to all people of all time. 25 You made the earth in the beginning. You made the heavens with Your hands. 26 They will be destroyed but You will always live. They will all become old as clothing becomes old. You will change them like a coat. And they will be changed, 27 but You are always the same. Your years will never end. 28 The children of those who work for You will live on. And their children will be set before You.”
15 The one who is easy to fool believes everything, but the wise man looks where he goes.
16 A wise man fears God and turns away from what is sinful, but a fool is full of pride and is not careful.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.