Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

1 Samuel 28:13

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Clairvoyance;   En-Dor;   Familiar Spirits;   Miracles;   Necromancy;   Samuel;   Saul;   Sorcery;   Witchcraft;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles through Evil Agents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Endor;   Soul;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Demon;   Descent into Hell (Hades);   Magic;   Sheol;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Magic;   Saul;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Saul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Divination and Magic;   Medium;   Samuel, Books of;   Urim and Thummim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ancestor-Worship;   Death;   En-Dor;   Eschatology;   God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Descent into Hades;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Magic;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Endor;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ascend;   Decease, in the Old Testament and Apocyphra;   God, Names of;   Intercession;   Resurrection;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Sheol;   Woman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ancestor Worship;   Endor, the Witch of;   Immortality of the Soul;   Necromancy;   Samuel;  

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.
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.
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."
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 Saul told his officers, "Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I'll go to her and find out what's going to happen." His servants told him, "There's a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead." 8 That night, Saul put on different clothing so nobody would recognize him. Then he and two of his men went to the woman, and asked, "Will you bring up the ghost of someone for us?" 9 The woman said, "Why are you trying to trick me and get me killed? You know King Saul has gotten rid of everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead!" 10 Saul replied, "I swear by the living Lord that nothing will happen to you because of this." 11 "Who do you want me to bring up?" she asked. "Bring up the ghost of Samuel," he answered. 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. Then she turned to Saul and said, "You've tricked me! You're the king!" 13 "Don't be afraid," Saul replied. "Just tell me what you see." She answered, "I see a spirit rising up out of the ground." 14 "What does it look like?" "It looks like an old man wearing a robe." Saul knew it was Samuel, so he bowed down low.

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
but the Lord appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then built an altar there for the Lord .
Genesis 13:15
I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever!
Genesis 15:1
Later the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly."
Genesis 26:3
You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.
Genesis 26:24
where the Lord appeared to him that night and told him, "Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants."
Genesis 28:4
May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
Genesis 28:6
Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria
Genesis 28:7
and that he had obeyed his father and mother.
Genesis 28:15
Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you—I will do all I have promised.
Genesis 28:16
Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, "The Lord is in this place, and I didn't even know it."

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.


 
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