When Grace & Justice Collide

³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned all mediums and diviners from the land.

⁴ The Philistines gathered their forces and advanced to camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was so afraid that his heart beat wildly. ⁶ When Saul questioned the Lord, the Lord didn’t answer him—not by dreams, not by the Urim, and not by the prophets. ⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who communicates with ghosts! I’ll then go to her and ask by using her techniques.”

“There is such a medium in En-dor,” his servants replied.

⁸ So Saul disguised himself, dressing in different clothes. Then he and two men set out, going to the woman at nighttime.

“Please call up a ghost for me! Bring me the one I specify,” Saul said.

⁹ “Listen,” the woman said to him, “you know what Saul has done, how he has banned all mediums and diviners from the land. What are you doing? Trying to get me killed?”

¹⁰ But Saul promised to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you won’t get into trouble for this.”

¹¹ So the woman said, “Who do you want me to bring up for you?”

“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

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