CHAPTER 28
1 Forsooth it was done in those days, the Philistines gathered together their companies, that they should be made ready against Israel to battle. And Achish said to David, Thou witting know now, for thou shalt go out with me in tents, thou and thy men. (And it was done in those days, the Philistines gathered together the companies of their troops, to prepare for battle against Israel. And Achish said to David, Thou must know, that thou shalt go out with me to the battle, thou and thy men.)
2 And David said to Achish, (And) Now thou shalt know what things thy servant shall do. And Achish said to David, And I shall set thee (the) keeper of mine head in all days.
3 Forsooth Samuel was dead, and all Israel bewailed him, and they buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul did away from the land witches and false diviners.
4 And (the) Philistines were gathered, and came, and setted tents in Shunem; soothly and Saul gathered all Israel, and came into Gilboa.
5 And Saul saw the castles of Philistines [or And Saul saw the tents of (the) Philistines], and he dreaded, and his heart dreaded greatly. (And Saul saw the army of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his heart greatly dreaded or and his heart greatly feared.)
6 And he counselled (with) the Lord; and the Lord answered not to him (or but the Lord did not answer him), neither by priests, nor by dreams, nor by prophets.
7 And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye to me a woman having a fiend speaking in the womb; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire by her. And his servants said to him, A woman having a fiend speaking in the womb is in Endor. (And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye out for me a woman who hath a familiar spirit; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire through her. And his servants said to him, There is a woman who hath a familiar spirit in Endor.)
8 Therefore Saul changed his clothing, and he was clothed with other clothes; and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman in the night. And he said, Divine thou to me in a fiend speaking in the womb, and raise thou up to me whom I shall say to thee, (or And he said, Call thou for me thy familiar spirit, and raise thou up for me whom I shall name to thee).
9 And the woman said to him, Lo! thou knowest how great things Saul hath done, and how he hath done away from the land witches, and false diviners, (or and how he hath done away with witches, and false diviners, from the land); why therefore settest thou treason to my life, that I be slain?
10 And Saul swore to her in the Lord, and said, The Lord liveth; for nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing. (And Saul swore to her by the Lord, and said, As the Lord liveth; nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing.)
11 And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up to thee? And he said, Raise thou Samuel up to me. (And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up for thee? And he said, Raise thou up Samuel for me.)
12 Soothly when the woman had seen Samuel, she cried with [a] great voice, and said to Saul, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said to her, Do not thou dread (or Fear not); what hast thou seen? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending from [the] earth.
14 And Saul said to her, What manner form is of him? [or What manner is the form of him?] And she said, An eld man goeth up, and he is clothed with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel; and Saul bowed himself on his face to the earth, and worshipped. (And Saul said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man goeth up, and he is clothed with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel; and Saul bowed himself low to the ground, and honoured him.)
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou dis-eased me, that I should be raised? And Saul said, I am constrained greatly; for the Philistines fight against me, and God hath gone away from me, and he would not hear me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I called thee, that thou shouldest show to me what I shall do. (And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disturbed me, so that I am raised up? And Saul said, I am in great trouble; for the Philistines fight against me, and God hath gone away from me, and he will not answer me, not by prophets, nor by dreams; and so I called thee, so that thou couldest tell me what I should do.)
16 And Samuel said, What askest thou me, when God hath gone away from thee, and hath passed to thine enemy? (And Samuel said, Why askest thou me, when God hath gone away from thee, and hath become thy enemy?)
17 For the Lord shall do to thee as he spake in mine hand (or For the Lord shall do to thee as he spoke through me), and he shall cut away thy realm from thine hand, and he shall give it to David, thy neighbour;
18 for thou obeyedest not the voice of the Lord, neither thou didest the fierce wrath of the Lord in Amalek. Therefore the Lord hath done to thee today that that thou sufferest (or And so the Lord hath done to thee what thou sufferest today);
19 and the Lord shall give also Israel with thee in the hand of Philistines. Forsooth tomorrow thou and thy sons shall be with me; but also the Lord shall betake the castles of Israel in the hand of the Philistines, [or but and the Lord shall take the tents of Israel in the hand of the Philistines]. (and the Lord shall also give Israel along with thee into the hands of the Philistines. Yea, tomorrow thou and thy sons shall be with me; and the Lord shall deliver the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.)
20 And anon Saul fell down and was stretched forth upon the earth; for he dreaded the words of Samuel, and strength was not in him, for he had not eaten bread in all that day and all that night. (And at once Saul fell down and was stretched out on the ground; for he feared Samuel’s words, and there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten any food all that day and all that night.)
21 Therefore that woman entered to Saul, and said; for he was troubled greatly (or for he was greatly troubled); and she said to him, Lo! thine handmaid hath obeyed to thy voice, and I have put my life in mine hand, and I heard thy words, which thou spakest to me.
22 And now therefore thou hear the voice of thine handmaid, and I shall set a morsel of bread before thee, and that thou eating wax strong, and mayest do thy journey. (And so now listen thou to the voice of thy servantess, for I shall set a morsel of food before thee, and once that thou hast eaten it, thou shalt grow strong, and then thou shalt go forth on thy journey.)
23 And he forsook it, and said, I shall not eat. But his servants and the woman compelled him; and at the last, when the voice of them was heard, he rose up from the earth, and sat on the bed.
24 Soothly that woman had a fat calf in the house, and she hasted, and killed it; and she took meal, and meddled it together, and made therf bread, (or and she took meal, and mixed it together, and made unleavened bread);
25 and she set (it) forth before Saul, and before his servants, and when they had eaten, they rose up, and walked in all the night (or and walked through all that night).