Read the Bible

¹ Nowe at that time the Philistims assembled their bandes and armie to fight with Israel: therfore Achish said to Dauid, Be sure, thou shalt go out with me to the battel, thou, and thy men.² And Dauid said to Achish, Surely thou shalt knowe, what thy seruant can doe. And Achish sayde to Dauid, Surely I will make thee keeper of mine head for euer.³ ( Samuel was then dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah his owne citie: and Saul had put away the sorcerers, and the soothsayers out of the land)⁴ Then the Philistims assembled themselues, and came, and pitched in Shunem: and Saul assembled all Israel, and they pitched in Gilboa.⁵ And when Saul saw the hoste of the Philistims, he was afraid, & his heart was sore astonied.⁶ Therefore Saul asked counsel of the Lord, and the Lorde answered him not, neither by dreames, nor by Vrim, nor yet by Prophets.

⁷ Then saide Saul vnto his seruants, Seeke me a woman that hath a familiar spirite, that I may goe to her, and aske of her. And his seruants said to him, Beholde, there is a woman at En-dor that hath a familiar spirit.⁸ Then Saul changed him selfe, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he saide, I pray thee, coniecture vnto me by the familiar spirite, and bring me him vp whome I shall name vnto thee.⁹ And the woman saide vnto him, Beholde, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath destroyed the sorcerers, and the southsayers out of the land: wherefore then seekest thou to take me in a snare to cause me to die?¹⁰ And Saul sware to her by the Lorde, saying, As the Lord liueth, no harme shall come to thee for this thing.¹¹ Then said the woman, Whom shal I bring vp vnto thee? And he answered, Bring me vp Samuel.¹² And when the woman sawe Samuel, she cryed with a loude voyce, and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceiued me? for thou art Saul.¹³ And the King said vnto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said vnto Saul, I saw gods ascending vp out of the earth.¹⁴ Then he said vnto her, What facion is hee of? And she answered, An olde man commeth vp lapped in a mantel: and Saul knewe that it was Samuel, and he enclined his face to the grounde, and bowed him selfe.

¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me vp? Then Saul answered, I am in great distresse: for the Philistims make warre against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophetes, neither by dreames: therefore I haue called thee, that thou mayest tell me, what I shall doe.¹⁶ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then doest thou aske of me, seeing the Lord is gone from thee, and is thine enemie?¹⁷ Euen the Lord hath done to him, as hee spake by mine hande: for the Lord will rent the kingdome out of thine hande, and giue it thy neighbour Dauid.¹⁸ Because thou obeyedst not the voyce of the Lorde, nor executedst his fierce wrath vpon the Amalekites, therefore hath the Lorde done this vnto thee this day.¹⁹ Moreouer the Lord wil deliuer Israel with thee into the handes of the Philistims: and to morowe shalt thou and thy sonnes be with me, and the Lorde shall giue the hoste of Israel into the handes of the Philistims.

²⁰ Then Saul fell streight way all along on the earth, and was sore afraide because of the wordes of Samuel, so that there was no strength in him: for he had eaten no bread all the day nor all the night.²¹ Then the woman came vnto Saul, & sawe that he was sore troubled, and said vnto him, See, thine handmaide hath obeyed thy voyce, and I haue put my soule in mine hande, and haue obeyed thy wordes which thou saydest vnto me.²² Now therefore, I pray thee, hearke thou also vnto ye voyce of thine handmaid, & let me set a morsell of bread before thee, that thou mayest eat and get thee strength, and go on thy iourney.²³ But he refused, and said, I will not eate: but his seruants and the woman together compelled him, and he obeyed their voyce: so he arose from the earth, and sate on the bed.²⁴ Nowe the woman had a fat calfe in the house, and she hasted, and killed it, and tooke floure and kneaded it, and baked of it vnleauened bread.²⁵ Then she brought them before Saul, and before his seruants: and when they had eaten, they stoode, and went away the same night.