1 Samuel 28

¹ And he counselide the Lord; and the Lord answeride not to hym, nether bi preestis, nether bi dremes, nether bi profetis. ² And Saul seide to hise seruauntis, Seke ye to me a womman hauynge a feend spekynge in the wombe; and Y schal go to hir, and Y schal axe bi hir. And hise seruauntis seiden to hym, A womman hauynge a feend spekynge in the wombe is in Endor. ³ Therfor Saul chaungide his clothing, and he was clothid with othere clothis; and he yede, and twei men with hym; and thei camen to the womman in the nyyt. And he seyde, Dyuyne thou to me in a fend spekynge in the wombe, and reise thou to me whom Y schal seie to thee. ⁴ And the womman seide to hym, Lo! thou woost hou grete thingis Saul hath do, and hou he dide awei fro the lond witchis, and fals dyuynours; whi therfor settist thou tresoun to my lijf, that Y be slayn? ⁵ And Saul swoor to hir in the Lord, and seide, The Lord lyueth; for no thing of yuel schal come to thee for this thing. ⁶ And the womman seide to hym, Whom schal Y reise to thee? And he seide, Reise thou Samuel to me. ⁷ Sotheli whanne the womman hadde seyn Samuel, sche criede with greet vois, and seide to Saul, Whi hast thou disseyued me? for thou art Saul. ⁸ 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. ⁹ And Saul seide to hir, What maner forme is of hym? And sche seide, An eld man stieth, and he is clothid with a mentil. And Saul vndirstood that it was Samuel; and Saul bowide hym silf on his face to the erthe, and worschipide. ¹⁰ Sotheli Samuel seide to Saul, Whi hast thou disesid me, that Y schulde be reisid? And Saul seide, Y am constreyned greetli; for Filisteis fiyten ayens me, and God yede awei fro me, and he nolde here me, nether bi the hond of profetis, nether bi dremes; therfor Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist schewe to me what Y schal do. ¹¹ And Samuel seide, What axist thou me, whanne God hath go awei fro thee, and passide to thin enemy? ¹² For the Lord schal do to thee as he spak in myn hond, and he schal kitte awey thi rewme fro thin hond, and he schal yyue it to Dauid, thi neiybore; ¹³ for thou obeiedist not to the vois of the Lord, nether didist the ire of hys strong veniaunce in Amalech. Therfor the Lord hath do to thee to day that that thou suffrist; 14 and the Lord schal yyue also Israel with thee in the hond of Filisteis. Forsothe to morewe thou and thi sones schulen be with me; but also the Lord schal bitake the castels of Israel in the hond of Filistiym. 15 And anoon Saul felde stretchid forth to erthe; for he dredde the wordis of Samuel, and strengthe was not in hym, for he hadde not ete breed in al that dai and al nyyt. 16 Therfor thilke womman entride to Saul, and seide; for he was disturblid greetli; and sche seide to hym, Lo! thin handmayde obeiede to thi vois, and Y haue put my lijf in myn hond, and Y herde thi wordis, whiche thou spakist to me. 17 Now therfor and thou here the vois of thin handmaide, and Y schal sette a mussel of breed bifor thee, and that thou etynge wexe strong, and maist do the iourney. 18 And he forsook, and seide, Y schal not ete. Sothely hise seruauntis and the womman compelliden hym; and at the laste, whanne the vois of hem was herd, he roos fro the erthe, and sat on the bed. 19 Sotheli thilke womman hadde a fat calf in the hows, and sche hastide, and killide hym; and sche took mele, and meddlide it, and made therf breed; ²⁰ and settide bifor Saul and bifor hise seruauntis, and whanne thei hadden ete, thei risiden, and walkiden bi al that nyyt. ²² Therfor alle the cumpenyes of Filisteis weren gaderid in Aphec, but also Israel settide tentis aboue the welle that was in Jezrael. ²³ And sotheli the princis of Filisteis yeden in cumpenyes of an hundrid, and in thousyndis; forsothe Dauid and hise men weren in the laste cumpenye with Achis. ²⁴ And the princes of Filisteis seiden to Achis, What wolen these Ebreis to hem silf? And Achis seide to the princes of Filisteis, Whether ye knowen not Dauid, that was the seruaunt of Saul, kyng of Israel? and he was with me in many daies, ether yeeris, and Y foond not in hym ony thing, fro the dai, in which he fledde to me til to this dai. ²⁵ Sotheli the princes of Filisteis weren wrooth ayens hym, and seiden to hym, The man turne ayen, and sitte in his place, in which thou hast ordened hym, and come he not down with vs in to batel, lest he be maad aduersarie to vs, whanne we han bigunne to fiyte; for hou mai he plese his lord in other maner, no but in oure heedis?