¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,^(A) impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror^(A) filled his heart. ⁶ He inquired^(B) of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams^(C) or Urim^(D) or prophets.^{(E) 7} Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium,^(F) so I may go and inquire of her.”

“There is one in Endor,^(G)” they said.

⁸ So Saul disguised^(H) himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult^(I) a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

⁹ But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off^(J) the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap^(K) for my life to bring about my death?”

¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

¹¹ Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me?^(L) You are Saul!”

¹³ The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure^[a] coming up out of the earth.”^(M)

¹⁴ “What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe^(N) is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed^(O) from me. He no longer answers^(P) me, either by prophets or by dreams.^(Q) So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn^(R) the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey^(S) the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath^(T) against the Amalekites,^(U) the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons^(V) will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

²¹ When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life^(W) in my hands and did what you told me to do. ²² Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”

²³ He refused^(X) and said, “I will not eat.”

But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

²⁴ The woman had a fattened calf^(Y) at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.

¹³ Saul died^(A) because he was unfaithful^(B) to the Lord; he did not keep^(C) the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium^(D) for guidance,

²² When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”

“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel^(A) abound?”

²⁴ Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists,^(A) the household gods,^(B) the idols and all the other detestable^(C) things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord.

The Darkness Turns to Light

¹⁹ When someone tells you to consult^(A) mediums and spiritists,^(B) who whisper and mutter,^(C) should not a people inquire^(D) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

¹⁷ “Now, son of man, set your face^(A) against the daughters^(B) of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them^{(C) 18} and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? ¹⁹ You have profaned^(D) me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread.^(E) By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.^(F)

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.^{(G) 21} I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^{(H) 22} Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies,^(I) when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,^{(J) 23} therefore you will no longer see false visions^(K) or practice divination.^(L) I will save^(M) my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.^(N)’”