¹³ So Saul died ^(A)for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also ^(B)consulted a medium, seeking guidance.

⁶ “If ^(A)a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, ^(B)I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

^31 (A)“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

¹⁹ And when they say to you, “Inquire of the ^(A)mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of ^(B)the dead on behalf of the living?

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone ^(A)who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,^[a] anyone who ^(B)practices divination or ^(C)tells fortunes or interprets omens, or ^(D)a sorcerer ¹¹ or a charmer or ^(E)a medium or a necromancer or ^(F)one who inquires of the dead, ^12 (G)for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And ^(H)because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. ¹³ You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, ¹⁴ for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, ^(A)“Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at ^(B)En-dor.”

⁸ So Saul ^(C)disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, ^(D)“Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” ⁹ The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, ^(E)how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, ^(F)“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?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” ¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped ^(G)in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and ^(H)God has turned away from me and ^(I)answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” ¹⁶ And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for ^(J)the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ^18 (K)Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you ^(L)and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.

² Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel ^(A)in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.

^18 (A)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.