1 Samuel 28:13

King James Version

And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Parallel Translations

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

Hebrew Names Version
The king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what do you see? The woman said to Sha'ul, I see a god coming up out of the eretz.

Lexham English Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid! What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up from the ground!"

English Standard Version
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."

New Century Version
The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."

New English Translation
The king said to her, "Don't be afraid! What have you seen?" The woman replied to Saul, "I have seen one like a god coming up from the ground!"

Amplified Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but [tell me] what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a divine [superhuman] being coming up from the earth."

New American Standard Bible
But the king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up from the earth."

Geneva Bible (1587)
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.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth."

Contemporary English Version
"Don't be afraid," Saul replied. "Just tell me what you see." She answered, "I see a spirit rising up out of the ground."

Complete Jewish Bible
The king replied, "Don't be afraid. Just tell me what you see." The woman said to Sha'ul, "I see a god-like being coming up out of the earth."

Darby Translation
And the king said to her, Be not afraid; but what didst thou see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw a god ascending out of the earth.

Easy-to-Read Version
The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."

George Lamsa Translation
And the king said to her, Fear not; what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Good News Translation
"Don't be afraid!" the king said to her. "What do you see?" "I see a spirit coming up from the earth," she answered.

Literal Translation
And the king said to her, Do not be afraid. For what have you seen? And the woman said to Saul, I have seen a god coming up out of the earth.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the kynge sayde vnto her: Feare not, what seist thou? The woman sayde vnto Saul: I se goddes comynge vp out of ye earth?

American Standard Version
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.

Bible in Basic English
And the king said to her, Have no fear: what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king saide vnto her: Be not afrayd: What sawest thou? The woman saide vnto Saul: I sawe gods ascending vp out of the earth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said unto her: 'Be not afraid; for what seest thou?' And the woman said unto Saul: 'I see a godlike being coming up out of the earth.'

King James Version (1611)
And the king sayd vnto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said vnto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said to her, Fear not; tell me whom thou has seen. And the woman said to him, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

English Revised Version
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.

Berean Standard Bible
"Do not be afraid," the king replied. "What do you see?" "I see a god coming up out of the earth," the woman answered.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng seide to hir, Nyl thou drede; what hast thou seyn? And the womman seide to Saul, Y siy goddis stiynge fro erthe.

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Update Bible Version
And the king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said to her be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

World English Bible
The king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.

New King James Version
And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit [fn] ascending out of the earth."

New Living Translation
"Don't be afraid!" the king told her. "What do you see?" "I see a god coming up out of the earth," she said.

New Life Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."

New Revised Standard
The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the ground."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king said unto her - Be not afraid, but what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, A god, saw I, coming up out of the earth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said to her: Fear not: what hast thou seen? and the woman said to Saul: I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Revised Standard Version
The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."

THE MESSAGE
The king told her, "You have nothing to fear... but what do you see?" "I see a spirit ascending from the underground."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth."

Contextual Overview

⁷ Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. ⁸ And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. ⁹ And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? ¹⁰ And Saul sware to her by the Lord , saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. ¹¹ Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ¹² And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ¹³ And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. ¹⁴ And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

gods ascending: Exodus 4:16, Exodus 22:28, Psalms 82:6, Psalms 82:7, John 10:34, John 10:35

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 13:28 - fear not Luke 24:37 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord , who appeared unto him.

Genesis 13:15
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 26:3
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Genesis 26:24
And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

Genesis 28:4
And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

Genesis 28:6
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan;

Genesis 28:7
And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;

Genesis 28:15
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Genesis 28:16
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said unto her, be not afraid,.... Meaning not of the apparition, but of him; since he had sworn no punishment should come upon her, and he should inviolably observe his oath: for what sawest thou? for as yet Saul himself saw not anything, the woman being between him and the apparition; or she might be in another room with her familiar spirit performing the operations when Samuel appeared:

and the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth; a great personage, one of a majestic form, like the gods, or judges and civil magistrates, sometimes so called, as Kimchi and R. Isaiah rightly interpret it; and so the Targum,

"I saw an angel of the Lord;''

a person that looked like one; for not many came up with him, and particularly Moses, as say some Jewish writers d.

d T. Bab. Chagigah, fol. 4. 8. Pirke Eliezer, c. 33.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Gods - אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym is here used in a general sense of a supernatural appearance, either angel or spirit. Hell, or the place of the departed (compare 1 Samuel 28:19; 2 Samuel 12:23) is represented as under the earth Isaiah 14:9-10; Ezekiel 32:18.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 28:13. I saw gods ascending out of the earth. — The word אלהום elohim, which we translate gods, is the word which is used for the Supreme Being throughout the Bible; but all the versions, the Chaldee excepted, translate it in the plural number, as we do. The Chaldee has, I see מלאכא דיי malacha dayeya, an angel of the Lord, ascending from the earth. This sight alarmed the woman; it was what she did not expect; in this she could not recognise her familiar, and she was terrified at the appearance.