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Now Saul, the king of the Hebrews, had cast out of the country the
fortune-tellers, and the necromancers, and all such as exercised the like
arts, excepting the prophets. But when he heard that the Philistines were
already come, and had pitched their camp near the city Shunem, situate
in the plain, he made haste to oppose them with his forces; and when he
was come to a certain mountain called Gilboa, he pitched his camp over-against
the enemy; but when he saw the enemy's army he was greatly troubled, because
it appeared to him to be numerous, and superior to his own; and he inquired
of God by the prophets concerning the battle, that he might know beforehand
what would be the event of it. And when God did not answer him, Saul was
under a still greater dread, and his courage fell, foreseeing, as was but
reasonable to suppose, that mischief would befall him, now God was not
there to assist him; yet did he bid his servants to inquire out for him
some woman that was a necromancer and called up the souls of the dead,
that So he might know whether his affairs would succeed to his mind; for
this sort of necromantic women that bring up the souls of the dead, do
by them foretell future events to such as desire them. And one of his servants
told him that there was such a woman in the city Endor, but was known to
nobody in the camp; hereupon Saul put off his royal apparel, and took two
of those his servants with him, whom he knew to be most faithful to him,
and came to Endor to the woman, and entreated her to act the part of a
fortune-teller, and to bring up such a soul to him as he should name to
her. But when the woman opposed his motion, and said she did not despise
the king, who had banished this sort of fortune-tellers, and that he did
not do well himself, when she had done him no harm, to endeavor to lay
a snare for her, and to discover that she exercised a forbidden art, in
order to procure her to be punished, he sware that nobody should know what
she did; and that he would not tell any one else what she foretold, but
that she should incur no danger. As soon as he had induced her by
this oath to fear no harm, he bid her bring up to him the soul of Samuel.
She, not knowing who Samuel was, called him out of Hades. When he appeared,
and the woman saw one that was venerable, and of a divine form, she was
in disorder; and being astonished at the sight, she said, "Art not
thou king Saul?" for Samuel had informed her who he was. When he had
owned that to be true, and had asked her whence her disorder arose, she
said that she saw a certain person ascend, who in his form was like to
a god. And when he bid her tell him what he resembled, in what habit he
appeared, and of what age he was, she told him he was an old man already,
and of a glorious personage, and had on a sacerdotal mantle. So the king
discovered by these signs that he was Samuel; and he fell down upon the
ground, and saluted and worshipped him. And when the soul of Samuel asked
him why he had disturbed him, and caused him to be brought up, he lamented
the necessity he was under; for he said, that his enemies pressed heavily
upon him; that he was in distress what to do in his present circumstances;
that he was forsaken of God, and could obtain no prediction of what was
coming, neither by prophets nor by dreams; and that "these were the
reasons why I have recourse to thee, who always took great care of me."
But
1
Samuel, seeing that the end of Saul's life was come, said, "It is
in vain for thee to desire to learn of me any thing future, when God hath
forsaken thee: however, hear what I say, that David is to be king, and
to finish this war with good success; and thou art to lose thy dominion
and thy life, because thou didst not obey God in the war with the Amalekites,
and hast not kept his commandments, as I foretold thee while I was alive.
Know, therefore, that the people shall be made subject to their enemies,
and that thou, with thy sons, shall fall in the battle tomorrow, and thou
shalt then be with me [in Hades]."