1 Samuel 28:3-25
Expanded Bible
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had ·shown their sadness [mourned; lamented] for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah.
And Saul had ·forced out [removed; banned] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land [Lev. 19:31; 20:6].
4 The Philistines ·came together [assembled; mobilized] and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa. 5 When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart ·pounded with fear [trembled violently]. 6 He ·prayed to [inquired of] the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, Urim [C devices carried by the High Priest to inquire of God; Ex. 28:30], or prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his ·servants [advisers; attendants], “Find me a woman who ·is a medium [is a necromancer; T has a familiar spirit] so I may go and ·ask her what will happen [inquire of/consult her].”
His servants answered, “There is a ·medium [a necromancer; T woman with a familiar spirit] in Endor.”
8 Then Saul put on other clothes to disguise himself, and at night he and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, “·Talk to [Consult] a spirit for me. ·Bring [Conjure] up the person I name.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has ·forced [outlawed; L cut off] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land. ·You are [Why are you…?] trying to trap me and get me killed.”
10 Saul made a ·promise [vow; oath] to the woman in the name of the Lord. He said, “As surely as the Lord lives, you won’t be ·punished [blamed] for this.”
11 The woman asked, “Whom do you want me to ·bring up [conjure]?”
He answered, “·Bring [Conjure] up Samuel.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, “Why have you ·tricked [deceived] me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to the woman, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ·spirit [ghost; god; divine being] coming up out of the ·ground [earth].”
14 Saul asked, “What ·does he look like [is his appearance/form]?”
The woman answered, “An old man wearing a ·coat [robe; cloak] is coming up.”
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he ·bowed facedown [prostrated himself] on the ground [and paid homage/did obeisance].
15 Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by ·bringing [conjuring] me up?”
Saul said, “I am ·greatly troubled [L in great trouble/distress]. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] me. He won’t answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That’s why I ·called for [summoned] you. Tell me what to do.”
16 Samuel said, “The Lord has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] you and has become your enemy. So why do you ·call on [ask; consult] me? 17 He has done what he ·said he would do [predicted; foretold]—the things he said ·through me [L by my hand; 15:27–29]. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David [16:1–13]. 18 You did not obey the [L voice of the] Lord; you did not ·show the Amalekites how angry he was with them [carry out/execute his fierce anger/wrath on Amalek; 15:10–23]. That’s why he has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will hand over both Israel and you ·to [L into the hands of] the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”
20 Saul ·quickly [immediately] fell flat on the ground and was ·afraid [terrified] of what Samuel had said. ·He was also very weak [And his strength was gone] because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was really ·frightened [terrified; shaken; distraught]. She said, “Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have ·risked my life [L taken my life in my hands] and ·done [listened to] what you told me to do. 22 Now please also listen to me. Let me give you some ·food [bread] so you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way.”
23 But Saul refused, saying, “I won’t eat.”
His servants joined the woman in ·asking [urging] him to eat, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the ·bed [couch].
24 At the house the woman had a fat calf, which she quickly ·killed [slaughtered]. She took some flour and kneaded dough with her hands. Then she baked some ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread]. 25 She put the food before Saul and his servants, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
Read full chapter
1 Samuel 28:3-25
New American Standard Bible
3 Now (A)Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him (B)in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the (C)mediums and spiritists from the land. 4 So the Philistines assembled and came and camped (D)in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in (E)Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 6 (F)So Saul inquired of the Lord, but (G)the Lord did not answer him, either in (H)dreams, or by the (I)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, (J)there is a woman who is a medium at (K)En-dor.”
8 Then Saul (L)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, “(M)Consult the spirit for me, please, and (N)bring up for me the one whom I shall [a]name for you.” 9 But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know (O)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 [b]divine being coming up from the earth.” 14 He said to her, “[c]How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and (P)he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and (Q)he bowed with his face to the ground and paid [d]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 (R)God has abandoned me and (S)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 [e]just (T)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 (U)you did not [f]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 (V)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 [g]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 [h]obeyed you, and (W)I have [i]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, “(X)I will not eat.” (Y)However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to [j]them. So he got up from the ground and sat on (Z)the bed. 24 Now the woman had a (AA)fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; then she (AB)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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
