1 And it cometh to pass in those days, that the Philistines gather their camps for the war, to fight against Israel, and Achish saith unto David, 'Thou dost certainly know that with me thou dost go out into the camp, thou and thy men.' 2 And David saith unto Achish, 'Therefore — thou dost know that which thy servant dost do.' And Achish saith unto David, 'Therefore — keeper of my head I do appoint thee all the days.' 3 And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. 4 And the Philistines are gathered, and come in, and encamp in Shunem, and Saul gathereth all Israel, and they encamp in Gilboa, 5 and Saul seeth the camp of the Philistines, and feareth, and his heart trembleth greatly, 6 and Saul asketh at Jehovah, and Jehovah hath not answered him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 And Saul saith to his servants, 'Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;' and his servants say unto him, 'Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.' 8 And Saul disguiseth himself and putteth on other garments, and goeth, he and two of the men with him, and they come in unto the woman by night, and he saith, 'Divine, I pray thee, to me by the familiar spirit, and cause to come up to me him whom I say unto thee.' 9 And the woman saith unto him, 'Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul — to put me to death?' 10 And Saul sweareth to her by Jehovah, saying, 'Jehovah liveth, punishment doth not meet thee for this thing.' 11 And the woman saith, 'Whom do I bring up to thee?' and he saith, 'Samuel — bring up to me.' 12 And the woman seeth Samuel, and crieth with a loud voice, and the woman speaketh unto Saul, saying, 'Why hast thou deceived me — and thou Saul?' 13 And the king saith to her, 'Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?' and the woman saith unto Saul, 'Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.' 14 And he saith to her, 'What [is] his form?' and she saith, 'An aged man is coming up, and he [is] covered with an upper robe;' and Saul knoweth that he [is] Samuel, and boweth — face to thee earth — and doth obeisance. 15 And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?' And Saul saith, 'I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God hath turned aside from me, and hath not answered me any more, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for thee to let me know what I do.' 16 And Samuel saith, 'And why dost thou ask me, and Jehovah hath turned aside from thee, and is thine enemy? 17 And Jehovah doth for Himself as He hath spoken by my hand, and Jehovah rendeth the kingdom out of thy hand, and giveth it to thy neighbour — to David. 18 Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, nor didst the fierceness of His anger on Amalek — therefore this thing hath Jehovah done to thee this day; 19 yea, Jehovah giveth also Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow thou and thy sons [are] with me; also the camp of Israel doth Jehovah give into the hand of the Philistines.' 20 And Saul hasteth and falleth — the fulness of his stature — to the earth, and feareth greatly because of the words of Samuel; also power was not in him, for he had not eaten bread all the day, and all the night. 21 And the woman cometh in unto Saul, and seeth that he hath been greatly troubled, and saith unto him, 'Lo, thy maid-servant hath hearkened to thy voice, and I put my soul in my hand, and I obey thy words which thou hast spoken unto me; 22 and now, hearken, I pray thee, also thou, to the voice of thy maid-servant, and I set before thee a morsel of bread, and eat, and there is in thee power when thou goest in the way.' 23 And he refuseth, and saith, 'I do not eat;' and his servants urge on him, and also the woman, and he hearkeneth to their voice, and riseth from the earth, and sitteth on the bed. 24 And the woman hath a calf of the stall in the house, and she hasteth and slaughtereth it, and taketh flour, and kneadeth, and baketh it unleavened things, 25 and bringeth nigh before Saul, and before his servants, and they eat, and rise, and go on, during that night.
1 Samuel · Young's Literal Translation
1 Samuel 28 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 29:1–3; 1 Samuel 17:1; 1 Samuel 7:7; 1 Samuel 27:12; 1 Samuel 13:5
- 2 Romans 12:9; 1 Samuel 27:10; 2 Samuel 16:16–19
- 3 Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:27; 1 Samuel 25:1; Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10–11
- 4 Joshua 19:18; 1 Samuel 31:1; 2 Kings 4:8; 2 Samuel 1:6; 2 Samuel 1:21
- 5 Isaiah 7:2; Job 18:11; Isaiah 57:20–21; Psalm 73:19; Psalm 48:5–6
- 6 Numbers 12:6; 1 Samuel 14:37; Lamentations 2:9; Numbers 27:21; Ezekiel 20:1–3
- 7 Acts 16:16; Joshua 17:11; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Psalm 83:10; Habakkuk 2:3
- 8 1 Chronicles 10:13; Isaiah 8:19; 1 Kings 22:30; 2 Chronicles 18:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22
- 9 1 Samuel 28:3; 2 Kings 5:7; 2 Samuel 18:13
- 10 2 Samuel 14:11; 1 Samuel 19:6; Mark 6:23; Genesis 3:5; Exodus 20:7
- 12 1 Samuel 28:3; 1 Kings 14:5
- 13 Exodus 22:28; Psalm 82:6–7; Exodus 4:16; John 10:34–35
- 14 1 Samuel 15:27; 1 Samuel 24:8; 2 Kings 2:13–14; 2 Kings 2:8
- 15 Luke 16:23–26; 1 Samuel 28:6; 1 Samuel 18:12; Hosea 9:12; Proverbs 14:14
- 16 2 Kings 6:27; Revelation 18:20; Psalm 68:1–3; Revelation 18:24–19:6; Lamentations 2:5
- 17 1 Samuel 15:27–29; 1 Samuel 24:20; 1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Samuel 13:13–14; Proverbs 16:4
- 18 1 Kings 20:42; 1 Samuel 15:9; Jeremiah 48:10; 1 Chronicles 10:13; 1 Samuel 13:9
- 19 Acts 5:9–10; Exodus 9:18; Jeremiah 28:16–17; 1 Kings 22:28; 1 Samuel 12:25
- 20 Job 15:20–24; Psalm 50:21–22; Job 26:2; 1 Samuel 28:5; 1 Samuel 25:37
- 21 Judges 12:3; 1 Samuel 19:5; Job 13:14
- 23 1 Kings 21:4; Proverbs 25:20; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 2 Kings 5:13; 2 Kings 4:8
- 24 Luke 15:23; Genesis 18:7–8
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And that miserable man, for instance, until David departed, burst not forth into that piteous cry, bewail ing himself and saying, "I am sore distressed, and the Philistines make war against me, and the Lord is departed from me." Until he was separated from David, he fell not in war, but was both in safety and in glory; for indeed …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)