³¹ ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after ^(A)them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

^27 (A)‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter ^(A)pass^[a] through the fire, ^(B)or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ^11 (C)or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or ^(D)one who calls up the dead.

Saul Consults a Medium

28 Now ^(A)it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”

² So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.”

And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”

Saul Consults a Medium^(B)

³ Now ^(C)Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in ^(D)Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put ^(E)the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

⁴ Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at ^(F)Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at ^(G)Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was ^(H)afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the Lord, ^(I)the Lord did not answer him, either by ^(J)dreams or ^(K)by Urim or by the prophets.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, ^(L)that I may go to her and inquire of her.”

And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And ^(M)he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”

⁹ Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has ^(N)cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”

¹⁰ And Saul swore 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 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”

And the woman said to Saul, “I saw ^(O)a^[a] spirit ascending out of the earth.”

¹⁴ So he said to her, “What is his form?”

And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with ^(P)a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

¹⁵ Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you ^(Q)disturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and ^(R)God has departed from me and ^(S)does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ And the Lord has done for ^[b]Himself ^(T)as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ^18 (U)Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon ^(V)Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with ^(W)me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

²¹ And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have ^(X)put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. ²² Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”

²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”

So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had ^[a]committed against the Lord, ^(A)because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because ^(B)he consulted a medium for guidance. ¹⁴ But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and ^(C)turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

^6 (A)Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced ^(B)soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and ^(C)consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and ^[a]fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with ^[b]the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to ^(A)Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and ^(B)cool my tongue; for I ^(C)am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, ^(D)remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ^(E)‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ^(F)‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, ^(G)neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

^5 (A)For there is one God and ^(B)one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,