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¹ It fortuned at ye same tyme, that the Philistynes gathered their hoost together to the battayll, to go agaynst Israel. And Achis sayde vnto Dauid: Thou shalt knowe, that thou and thy men shal go forth with me in the hoost.² Dauid sayde vnto Achis: Well, thou shalt se what thy seruaut shal do. Achis saide vnto Dauid: Therfore wyll I ordene the to be the keper of my heade as longe as I lyue.³ As for Samuel, he was deed, and all ye people had mourned for him, & buried him in his cite Ramath. So Saul had dryuen the soythsayers and expounders of tokens out of ye londe.⁴ Now whan the Philistynes gathered them selues together, and came and pitched their tentes at Sunem, Saul gathered all the people together, & they pitched at Gilboa.⁵ But whan Saul sawe the hoost of the Philistynes, he was afrayed, and his hert was discoraged,⁶ and he axed councell at the LORDE. But ye LORDE gaue him no answere, nether by dreames, ner by the lighte, ner by prophetes.

⁷ The sayde Saul vnto his seruauntes: Seke me a woma which hath a sprete of soythsayege, that I maye go vnto her, and axe at her. His seruauntes sayde vnto him: Beholde, at Endor is there a woman, which hath a sprete of soythsayenge.⁸ And Saul chaunged his clothes, and put on other, and wente his waye and two men with him, and came by nighte vnto the woman, and sayde: Prophecye vnto me (I pray the) thorow the sprete of soythsayenge, and brynge me him vp whom I shal name vnto the.⁹ The woma saide vnto him: Beholde, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath roted out the soythsayers & witches from the londe, wherfore wilt thou brynge my soule then in to ye nett, that I maye be slayne?¹⁰ But Saul sware vnto her by ye LORDE, and sayde: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, there shall no harme happen vnto the for this.¹¹ Then sayde ye woman: Whom shal I brynge vp vnto the? He sayde: Brynge me vp Samuel.¹² Now whan ye woman sawe Samuel, she cryed loude, and sayde vnto Saul: Wherfore hast thou begyled me? Thou art Saul.¹³ 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?¹⁴ He sayde: How is he shapened? She sayde: There commeth vp an olde man, and is clothed with a longe garment. Then perceaued Saul that it was Samuel, & bowed him selfe downe wt his face to the grounde, and worshiped him.

¹⁵ Samuel saide vnto Saul: Why hast thou disquyeted me, to cause me be broughte vp? Saul sayde: I am sore troubled, the Philistynes fighte against me, & God is departed frome, & geueth me no answere, nether by prophetes ner by dreames: therfore haue I called the, yt thou mightest shewe me, what I shal do.¹⁶ Samuel sayde: What wilt thou axe at me, seynge the LORDE is departed from the, and is become thine enemye?¹⁷ The LORDE shal do vnto the euen as he spake by me, and shall plucke the kyngdome out of thy hande, and geue it vnto Dauid thy neghboure,¹⁸ because thou hast not herkened vnto the voyce of the LORDE, ner perfourmed the displeasure of his wrath agaynst Amalek. Therfore hath the LORDE done this now vnto the.¹⁹ Morouer the LORDE shal delyuer Israel with the also in to the handes of the Philistynes: tomorow shalt thou and thy sonnes be with me. And the hoost of Israel shal the LORDE delyuer in to the handes of the Philistynes.

²⁰ Then fell Saul immediatly vnto the earth, for he coulde not stonde, and was sore afrayed at these wordes of Samuel, so that there was nomore strength in him: for he had eaten no bred all that daye and all that night.²¹ And the woman wente into Saul, & sawe that he was sore vexed, and sayde vnto him: Beholde, thy handmayde hath herkened vnto thy voyce, and I haue put my soule in my hande, so that I haue herkened vnto yi wordes which thou spakest vnto me.²² Therfore folowe thou also the voyce of thy handmayde. I wil set a morsell of bred before the to eate, that thou mayest come to thy strength, & go yi waye.²³ But he refused, and sayde, I wil not eate. Then his seruauntes & the woman copelled him, so that he herkened vnto their voyce. And he rose vp from ye grounde, and sat vpon the bed.²⁴ The woman had a fat calfe at home, so she made haist, and kylled it, and toke meell and dyd kneet it, and baked swete cakes,²⁵ & broughte them forth before Saul, & before his seruauntes. And whan they had eaten, they stode vp, and wete their waye yt nighte.