1Samuel:28-31

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* And it came to pass in those days , that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare , to fight with Israel . And Achish said unto David , Know thou assuredly , that thou shalt go out with me to battle , thou and thy men . * And David said to Achish , Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do . And Achish said to David , Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever . * Now Samuel was dead , and all Israel had lamented him , and buried him in Ramah , even in his own city . And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits , and the wizards , out of the land . * And the Philistines gathered themselves together , and came and pitched in Shunem : and Saul gathered all Israel together , and they pitched in Gilboa . * And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines , he was afraid , and his heart greatly trembled . * And when Saul enquired of the LORD , the LORD answered him not , neither by dreams , nor by Urim , nor by prophets . * Then said Saul unto his servants , Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit , that I may go to her , and enquire of her . And his servants said to him , Behold , there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor . * And Saul disguised himself , and put on other raiment , and he went , and two men with him , and they came to the woman by night : and he said , I pray thee , divine unto me by the familiar spirit , and bring me him up , whom I shall name unto thee . * And the woman said unto him , Behold , thou knowest what Saul hath done , how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits , and the wizards , out of the land : wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life , to cause me to die ? * And Saul sware to her by the LORD , saying , As the LORD liveth , there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing . * Then said the woman , Whom shall I bring up unto thee ? And he said , Bring me up Samuel . * And when the woman saw Samuel , she cried with a loud voice : and the woman spake to Saul , saying , Why hast thou deceived me ? for thou art Saul . * 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 . * And he said unto her , What form is he of ? And she said , An old man cometh up ; and he is covered with a mantle . And Saul perceived that it was Samuel , and he stooped with his face to the ground , and bowed himself . * And Samuel said to Saul , Why hast thou disquieted me , to bring me up ? And Saul answered , I am sore distressed ; for the Philistines make war against me , and God is departed from me , and answereth me no more , neither by prophets , nor by dreams : therefore I have called thee , that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do . * Then said Samuel , Wherefore then dost thou ask of me , seeing the LORD is departed from thee , and is become thine enemy ? * And the LORD hath done to him , as he spake by me : for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand , and given it to thy neighbour , even to David : * Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD , nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek , therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day . * Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines : and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me : the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines . * Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth , and was sore afraid , because of the words of Samuel : and there was no strength in him ; for he had eaten no bread all the day , nor all the night . * And the woman came unto Saul , and saw that he was sore troubled , and said unto him , Behold , thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice , and I have put my life in my hand , and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me . * Now therefore , I pray thee , hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid , and let me set a morsel of bread before thee ; and eat , that thou mayest have strength , when thou goest on thy way . * But he refused , and said , I will not eat . But his servants , together with the woman , compelled him ; and he hearkened unto their voice . So he arose from the earth , and sat upon the bed . * And the woman had a fat calf in the house ; and she hasted , and killed it , and took flour , and kneaded it , and did bake unleavened bread thereof : * And she brought it before Saul , and before his servants ; and they did eat . Then they rose up , and went away that night . * Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek : and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel . * And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds , and by thousands : but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish . * Then said the princes of the Philistines , What do these Hebrews here ? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines , Is not this David , the servant of Saul the king of Israel , which hath been with me these days , or these years , and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day ? * And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him ; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him , Make this fellow return , that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him , and let him not go down with us to battle , lest in the battle he be an adversary to us : for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master ? should it not be with the heads of these men ? * Is not this David , of whom they sang one to another in dances , saying , Saul slew his thousands , and David his ten thousands ? * Then Achish called David , and said unto him , Surely , as the LORD liveth , thou hast been upright , and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight : for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day : nevertheless the lords favour thee not . * Wherefore now return , and go in peace , that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines . * And David said unto Achish , But what have I done ? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day , that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king ? * And Achish answered and said to David , I know that thou art good in my sight , as an angel of God : notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said , He shall not go up with us to the battle . * Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master 's servants that are come with thee : and as soon as ye be up early in the morning , and have light , depart . * So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning , to return into the land of the Philistines . And the Philistines went up to Jezreel . * And it came to pass , when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day , that the Amalekites had invaded the south , and Ziklag , and smitten Ziklag , and burned it with fire ; * And had taken the women captives , that were therein : they slew not any , either great or small , but carried them away , and went on their way . * So David and his men came to the city , and , behold , it was burned with fire ; and their wives , and their sons , and their daughters , were taken captives . * Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept , until they had no more power to weep . * And David 's two wives were taken captives , Ahinoam the Jezreelitess , and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite . * And David was greatly distressed ; for the people spake of stoning him , because the soul of all the people was grieved , every man for his sons and for his daughters : but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God . * And David said to Abiathar the priest , Ahimelech 's son , I pray thee , bring me hither the ephod . And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David . * And David enquired at the LORD , saying , Shall I pursue after this troop ? shall I overtake them ? And he answered him , Pursue : for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all . * So David went , he and the six hundred men that were with him , and came to the brook Besor , where those that were left behind stayed . * But David pursued , he and four hundred men : for two hundred abode behind , which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor . * And they found an Egyptian in the field , and brought him to David , and gave him bread , and he did eat ; and they made him drink water ; * And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs , and two clusters of raisins : and when he had eaten , his spirit came again to him : for he had eaten no bread , nor drunk any water , three days and three nights . * And David said unto him , To whom belongest thou ? and whence art thou ? And he said , I am a young man of Egypt , servant to an Amalekite ; and my master left me , because three days agone I fell sick . * We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites , and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah , and upon the south of Caleb ; and we burned Ziklag with fire . * And David said to him , Canst thou bring me down to this company ? And he said , Swear unto me by God , that thou wilt neither kill me , nor deliver me into the hands of my master , and I will bring thee down to this company . * And when he had brought him down , behold , they were spread abroad upon all the earth , eating and drinking , and dancing , because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines , and out of the land of Judah . * And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day : and there escaped not a man of them , save four hundred young men , which rode upon camels , and fled . * And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away : and David rescued his two wives . * And there was nothing lacking to them , neither small nor great , neither sons nor daughters , neither spoil , nor any thing that they had taken to them : David recovered all . * And David took all the flocks and the herds , which they drave before those other cattle , and said , This is David 's spoil . * And David came to the two hundred men , which were so faint that they could not follow David , whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor : and they went forth to meet David , and to meet the people that were with him : and when David came near to the people , he saluted them . * Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial , of those that went with David , and said , Because they went not with us , we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered , save to every man his wife and his children , that they may lead them away , and depart . * Then said David , Ye shall not do so , my brethren , with that which the LORD hath given us , who hath preserved us , and delivered the company that came against us into our hand . * For who will hearken unto you in this matter ? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle , so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff : they shall part alike . * And it was so from that day forward , that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day . * And when David came to Ziklag , he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah , even to his friends , saying , Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD ; * To them which were in Bethel , and to them which were in south Ramoth , and to them which were in Jattir , * And to them which were in Aroer , and to them which were in Siphmoth , and to them which were in Eshtemoa , * And to them which were in Rachal , and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites , and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites , * And to them which were in Hormah , and to them which were in Chorashan , and to them which were in Athach , * And to them which were in Hebron , and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt . * Now the Philistines fought against Israel : and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines , and fell down slain in mount Gilboa . * And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons ; and the Philistines slew Jonathan , and Abinadab , and Malchishua , Saul 's sons . * And the battle went sore against Saul , and the archers hit him ; and he was sore wounded of the archers . * Then said Saul unto his armourbearer , Draw thy sword , and thrust me through therewith ; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through , and abuse me . But his armourbearer would not ; for he was sore afraid . Therefore Saul took a sword , and fell upon it . * And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead , he fell likewise upon his sword , and died with him . * So Saul died , and his three sons , and his armourbearer , and all his men , that same day together . * And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley , and they that were on the other side Jordan , saw that the men of Israel fled , and that Saul and his sons were dead , they forsook the cities , and fled ; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them . * And it came to pass on the morrow , when the Philistines came to strip the slain , that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa . * And they cut off his head , and stripped off his armour , and sent into the land of the Philistines round about , to publish it in the house of their idols , and among the people . * And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth : and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan . * And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul ; * All the valiant men arose , and went all night , and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan , and came to Jabesh , and burnt them there . * And they took their bones , and buried them under a tree at Jabesh , and fasted seven days .

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