1 Samuel 28
New American Standard Bible
Saul and the Spirit Medium
28 Now it came about in those days that (A)the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you will learn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Then I will assuredly make you [a]my bodyguard (B)for [b]life!”
3 Now (C)Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him (D)in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the (E)mediums and spiritists from the land. 4 So the Philistines assembled and came and camped (F)in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in (G)Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 6 (H)So Saul inquired of the Lord, but (I)the Lord did not answer him, either in (J)dreams, or by the (K)Urim, or by the prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, (L)there is a woman who is a medium at (M)En-dor.”
8 Then Saul (N)disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “(O)Consult the spirit for me, please, and (P)bring up for me the one whom I shall [c]name for you.” 9 But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know (Q)what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” 10 So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” 13 But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a [d]divine being coming up from the earth.” 14 He said to her, “[e]How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and (R)he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and (S)he bowed with his face to the ground and paid [f]homage.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and (T)God has abandoned me and (U)no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.” 16 Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy? 17 And the Lord has done [g]just (V)as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 Just as (W)you did not [h]obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Furthermore, the Lord will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow (X)you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”
20 Then Saul immediately fell full length to the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; there was no strength in him either, because he had eaten no [i]food all day and all night. 21 The woman came to Saul and saw that he was utterly horrified, and she said to him, “Behold, your servant has [j]obeyed you, and (Y)I have [k]taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 22 So now you too, please listen to the voice of your servant, and let me serve you a piece of bread, and eat it, so that you will have strength when you go on your way.” 23 But he refused and said, “(Z)I will not eat.” (AA)However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to [l]them. So he got up from the ground and sat on (AB)the bed. 24 Now the woman had a (AC)fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; then she (AD)took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 She then served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 28:2 Lit guardian of my head
- 1 Samuel 28:2 Lit all the days
- 1 Samuel 28:8 Lit say
- 1 Samuel 28:13 Or god
- 1 Samuel 28:14 Lit What is his form
- 1 Samuel 28:14 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- 1 Samuel 28:17 Lit for Himself just; another reading is to you just
- 1 Samuel 28:18 Lit listen to the voice of
- 1 Samuel 28:20 Lit bread
- 1 Samuel 28:21 Lit listened to your voice
- 1 Samuel 28:21 Lit put
- 1 Samuel 28:23 Lit their voice
1 Samuel 28
King James Version
28 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6 And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.
19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.
22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
23 But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.
1 Samuel 28
Living Bible
28 About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel.
“Come and help us fight,” King Achish said to David and his men.
2 “Good,” David agreed. “You will soon see what a help we can be to you.”
“If you are, you shall be my personal bodyguard for life,” Achish told him.
3 (Meanwhile, Samuel had died and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. King Saul had banned all mediums and wizards from the land of Israel.)
4 The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul and the armies of Israel were at Gilboa. 5-6 When Saul saw the vast army of the Philistines, he was frantic with fear and asked the Lord what he should do. But the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim,[a] or by the prophets. 7-8 Saul then instructed his aides to try to find a medium so that he could ask her what to do, and they found one at Endor. Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. He went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
“I’ve got to talk to a dead man,” he pleaded. “Will you bring his spirit up?”
9 “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has had all of the mediums and fortune-tellers executed. You are spying on me.”
10 But Saul took a solemn oath that he wouldn’t betray her.
11 Finally the woman said, “Well, whom do you want me to bring up?”
“Bring me Samuel,” Saul replied.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”
13 “Don’t be frightened!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a specter coming up out of the earth,” she said.
14 “What does he look like?”
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe.”
Saul realized that it was Samuel and bowed low before him.
15 “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me back?” Samuel asked Saul.
“Because I am in deep trouble,” he replied. “The Philistines are at war with us, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams; so I have called for you to ask you what to do.”
16 But Samuel replied, “Why ask me if the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 17 He has done just as he said he would and has taken the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 All this has come upon you because you did not obey the Lord’s instructions when he was so angry with Amalek. 19 What’s more, the entire Israeli army will be routed and destroyed by the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me.”
20 Saul now fell full length upon the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day. 21 When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. 22 Now do what I say, and let me give you something to eat so you’ll regain your strength for the trip back.”
23 But he refused. The men who were with him added their pleas to that of the woman until he finally yielded and got up and sat on the bed. 24 The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it and kneaded dough and baked unleavened bread. 25 She brought the meal to the king and his men, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 28:5 or by Urim. The Urim and Thummim were holy instruments which were used as lots in determining the will of God. See Exodus 28:30.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.