Saul and the Medium

28 At that time, the Philistines^(A) gathered their military units into one army to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the army^[a] with me.”

² David replied to Achish, “Good, you will find out what your servant can do.”

So Achish said to David, “Very well, I will appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”^(B)

³ By this time Samuel had died,^(C) all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city,^(D) and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.^{(E) 4} The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid and his heart pounded. ⁶ He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.^{(F) 7} Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”

His servants replied, “There is a woman at En-dor^(G) who is a medium.”^(H)

⁸ Saul disguised himself^(I) by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me.^(J) Bring up for me the one I tell you.”^(K)

⁹ But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done,^(L) how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?”

¹⁰ Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you^[b] from this.”

¹¹ “Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?” the woman asked.

“Bring up Samuel for me,” he answered.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, “Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!”

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

“I see a spirit form^[c] coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.

¹⁴ Then Saul asked her, “What does he look like?”

“An old man is coming up,” she replied. “He’s wearing a robe.”^(M) Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he knelt low with his face to the ground and paid homage.^(N)

¹⁵ “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul.

“I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me.^(O) He doesn’t answer me anymore,^(P) either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”

¹⁶ Samuel answered, “Since the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? ¹⁷ The Lord has done^[d] exactly what he said through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.^{(Q) 18} You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek;^(R) therefore the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The Lord will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me,^[e](S) and the Lord will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. ²¹ The woman came over to Saul, and she saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands^(T) and did what you told me to do. ²² Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.”

²³ He refused, saying, “I won’t eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them.^(U) He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.^(V)

²⁴ The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it.^(W) She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Afterward, they got up and left that night.

Philistines Reject David

29 The Philistines^(X) brought all their military units together at Aphek^(Y) while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.^{(Z) 2} As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men^(AA) were passing in review behind them with Achish. ³ Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time.^[f] From the day he defected until today, I’ve found no fault with him.”^(AB)

⁴ The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him.^(AC) He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle.^(AD) What better way could he ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of our men? ⁵ Isn’t this the David they sing about during their dances:

⁶ So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good^[g] to have you fighting^[h] in this unit with me, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today.^(AF) But the leaders don’t think you are reliable. ⁷ Now go back quietly and you won’t be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong.”

⁸ “But what have I done?” ^(AG) David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ Achish answered David, “I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God.^(AH) But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’^{(AI) 10} So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you.^[i](AJ) When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.” ¹¹ So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

After the Exile

9 All Israel was registered in the genealogies that are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was exiled^(A) to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. ² The first^(B) to live in their towns on their own property again were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.^(C)

²² The total number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their settlements. David and the seer Samuel had appointed them^(L) to their trusted positions. ²³ So they and their sons were assigned as guards to the gates of the Lord’s temple, which had been the tent-temple. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ Their relatives came from their settlements^(M) at fixed times to be with them seven days,^{(N) 26} but the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of God’s temple.^{(O) 27} They spent the night in the vicinity of God’s temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning.^(P)

²⁸ Some of them were in charge of the utensils used in worship. They would count them when they brought them in and when they took them out. ²⁹ Others were put in charge of the furnishings and all the utensils of the sanctuary,^(Q) as well as the fine flour,^(R) wine, oil, incense, and spices. ³⁰ Some of the priests’ sons mixed the spices.^{(S) 31} A Levite called Mattithiah, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread.^{[d] 32} Some of the Kohathites’ relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the Bread of the Presence^(T) every Sabbath.

³³ The singers,^(U) the heads of the Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other tasks because they were on duty day and night.^{(V) 34} These^(W) were the heads of the Levite families, chiefs according to their family records; they lived in Jerusalem.

Saul’s Family

Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples^{(A) 2} and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ^(B)

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”^(C)

³ “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.

“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.^(D)

⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,^(E) telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(F)

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on^(G) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues^[a] and to prophesy.^{(H) 7} Now there were about twelve men in all.

In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.^{(I) 9} But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.^{(J) 10} This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks,^(K) heard the word of the Lord.^(L)

Demonism Defeated at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, ¹² so that even facecloths or aprons^[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.^(M)

¹³ Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” ^{(N) 14} Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus^(O) was held in high esteem.^(P)

¹⁸ And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ while many of those who had practiced magic^(Q) collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.^(R)

The Riot in Ephesus

²¹ After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit^[c] to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”^{(S) 22} After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus,^(T) he himself stayed in Asia for a while.^(U)

²³ About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way.^{(V) 24} For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. ²⁵ When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.^{(W) 27} Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius^(X) and Aristarchus,^(Y) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. ³¹ Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture^[d] into the amphitheater. ³² Some were shouting one thing and some another,^(Z) because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander^[e] after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.^{(AA) 34} But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great^[f] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our^[g] goddess. ³⁸ So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.^{(AB) 39} But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting^(AC) for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.” ⁴¹ After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.