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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Samuel 28:13

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."

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."
Contemporary English Version
"Don't be afraid," Saul replied. "Just tell me what you see." She answered, "I see a spirit rising up out of the ground."
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.
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 Finally, Saul said to his officers, "Find me a woman who is a medium. Then I can go ask her what will happen." His officers answered, "There is a medium at Endor." 8 That night, Saul put on different clothes so that no one would know who he was. Then Saul and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, "I want you to bring up a ghost who can tell me what will happen in the future. You must call for the ghost of the person I name." 9 But the woman said to him, "You know that Saul forced all the mediums and fortunetellers to leave the land of Israel. You are trying to trap me and kill me." 10 Saul used the Lord 's name to make a promise to the woman. He said, "As surely as the Lord lives, you won't be punished for doing this." 11 The woman asked, "Who do you want me to bring up for you?" Saul answered, "Bring up Samuel." 12 And it happened—the woman saw Samuel and screamed. She said to Saul, "You tricked me! You are Saul." 13 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." 14 Saul asked, "What does he look like?" The woman answered, "He looks like an old man wearing a special robe." Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down. His face touched the ground.

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
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your descendants." Abram built an altar to honor the Lord who appeared to him there.
Genesis 13:15
All this land that you see I will give to you and your people who live after you. This will be your land forever.
Genesis 15:1
After all these things happened, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. God said, "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you and give you a great reward."
Genesis 26:3
Stay in this land, and I will be with you. I will bless you. I will give you and your family all these lands. I will do what I promised to Abraham your father.
Genesis 26:24
The Lord spoke to him that night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Don't be afraid. I am with you, and I will bless you. I will make your family great. I will do this because of my servant Abraham."
Genesis 28:4
and that God will bless you and your children the same way he blessed Abraham. And I pray that you will own the land where you live. This is the land God gave to Abraham."
Genesis 28:6
Esau learned that his father Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. He also learned that Isaac commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman.
Genesis 28:7
Esau learned that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Paddan Aram.
Genesis 28:15
"I am with you, and I will protect you everywhere you go. I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised."
Genesis 28:16
Then Jacob woke up and said, "I know that the Lord is in this place, but I did not know he was here until I slept."

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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