1Forsooth 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.

2And David said to Achish, Now thou shalt know what things thy servant shall do. And Achish said to David, And I shall set thee keeper of mine head in all days.

3Forsooth 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.

4And Philistines were gathered, and came, and setted tents in Shunem; soothly and Saul gathered all Israel, and came into Gilboa.

5And Saul saw the castles [or tents] of Philistines, and he dreaded, and his heart dreaded greatly.

6And he counselled with the Lord; and the Lord answered not to him, neither by priests, nor by dreams, nor by prophets.

7And 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.

8Therefore 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.

9And 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; why therefore settest thou treason to my life, that I be slain?

10And Saul swore to her in the Lord, and said, The Lord liveth; for nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing.

11And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up to thee? And he said, Raise thou Samuel up to me.

12Soothly 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.

13And the king said to her, Do not thou dread; what hast thou seen? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending or going up from [the] earth.

14And Saul said to her, What manner form is of him? [or What manner is the form of him?] And she said, An eld [or old] 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.

15And 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.

16And Samuel said, What askest thou me, when God hath gone away from thee, and hath passed to thine enemy?

17For the Lord shall do to thee as he spake in mine hand, and he shall cut away thy realm from thine hand, and he shall give it to David, thy neighbour;

18for 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;

19and 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 [or tents] of Israel in the hand of the Philistines.

20And 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.

21Therefore that woman entered to Saul, and said; for he was troubled greatly; 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.

22And 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.

23And 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.

24Soothly that woman had a fat calf in the house, and she hasted, and killed it; and she took meal, and meddled [or mingled] it together, and made therf bread;

25and she set forth before Saul, and before his servants, and when they had eaten, they rose up, and walked in all the night.