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parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
1Sa Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31
1Sa 28 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) “Why’ve you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Shemuel asked.
¶ “I’m very distressed,” Sha’ul replied, “and the Philistines are about to go to war against me. And God has turned away from me and doesn’t answer me anymore—he hasn’t sent me any prophets or given me any dreams, So I’ve called to you so you can tell me what I should do.”
OET-LV and_he/it_said Shəmūʼēl to Shāʼūl to/for_what disturbed_me by_bringing_up DOM_me and_he/it_said Shāʼūl it_is_distress to_me exceedingly and_Fəlishəttiy [are]_fighting in/on/at/with_me and_god he_has_turned_aside from_with_me and_not answers_me yet neither in/on/at/with_hand_of the_prophets nor in/on/at/with_dreams and_called to/for_yourself(m) to_tell_me what will_I_do.
UHB וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל לָ֥מָּה הִרְגַּזְתַּ֖נִי לְהַעֲל֣וֹת אֹתִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁ֠אוּל צַר־לִ֨י מְאֹ֜ד וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים ׀ נִלְחָמִ֣ים בִּ֗י וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים סָ֤ר מֵֽעָלַי֙ וְלֹֽא־עָנָ֣נִי ע֗וֹד גַּ֤ם בְּיַֽד־הַנְּבִיאִם֙ גַּם־בַּ֣חֲלֹמ֔וֹת וָאֶקְרָאֶ֣ה לְךָ֔ לְהוֹדִיעֵ֖נִי מָ֥ה אֶעֱשֶֽׂה׃ס ‡
(vayyoʼmer shəmūʼēl ʼel-shāʼūl lāmmāh hirgaztanī ləhaˊₐlōt ʼotiy vayyoʼmer shāʼūl ʦar-liy məʼod ūfəlishtim nilḩāmim biy vēʼlohim şār mēˊālay vəloʼ-ˊānānī ˊōd gam bəyad-hannəⱱīʼim gam-baḩₐlomōt vāʼeqrāʼeh ləkā ləhōdīˊēnī māh ʼeˊₑseh.ş)
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, blue:Elohim.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXX Καὶ εἶπε Σαμουὴλ, ἱνατί παρηνώχλησάς μοι ἀναβῆναί με; καὶ εἶπε Σαοὺλ, θλίβομαι σφόδρα, καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι πολεμοῦσιν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀφέστηκεν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπακήκοέ μοι ἔτι καὶ ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις· καὶ νῦν κέκληκά σε γνωρίσαι μοι τί ποιήσω.
(Kai eipe Samouaʸl, hinati paraʸnōⱪlaʸsas moi anabaʸnai me; kai eipe Saʼoul, thlibomai sfodra, kai hoi allofuloi polemousin en emoi, kai ho Theos afestaʸken apʼ emou, kai ouk epakaʸkoe moi eti kai en ⱪeiri tōn profaʸtōn kai en tois enupniois; kai nun keklaʸka se gnōrisai moi ti poiaʸsō. )
BrTr And Samuel said, Why hast thou troubled me, that I should come up? And Saul said, I am greatly distressed, and the Philistines war against me, and God has departed from me, and no longer [fn]hearkens to me either by the hand of prophets or by dreams: and now I have called thee to tell me what I shall do.
28:15 Gr. has hearkened.
ULT And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul said, “It is very narrow for me, and the Philistines are about to fight against me. And God has turned aside from on me and does not answer me anymore, neither by the hand of the prophets, nor by the dreams, so I have called to you, to cause me to know what I will do.”
UST Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you bothered me by causing me to appear?”
¶ Saul said, “I am very worried. The army of Philistia is about to attack my army, and God has abandoned me. He does not answer my questions anymore. He does not give me dreams to tell me what to do or give messages to prophets to tell me what to do. That is the reason that I came to see you. So you tell me what I should do!”
BSB § Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
§ “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
OEB Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ And Saul answered, ‘I am in great trouble, for the Philistines are making war against me and God has turned from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have called you to tell me what I should do.’
WEBBE Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?”
¶ Saul answered, “I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, by prophets, or by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am terribly troubled! The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He does not answer me – not by the prophets nor by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what I should do.”
LSV And Samuel says to Saul, “Why have you troubled me, to bring me up?” And Saul says, “I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God has turned aside from me, and has not answered me anymore, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for you to let me know what I [should] do.”
FBV Samuel said to Saul, “Why are you bothering me by bringing me up?”
¶ “I'm in terrible trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are attacking me, and God has abandoned me. He doesn't answer me anymore, either by prophets or by dreams. That's why I have called you up so you tell me what to do.”
T4T Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you bothered/disturbed me by causing me to appear?”
¶ Saul said, “I am very worried. The army of Philistia is about to attack my army, and God has abandoned me. He does not answer my questions any more. He does not give me dreams to tell me what to do or give messages to prophets to tell me what to do. That is the reason that I came to see you. So you tell me what I should do!”
LEB Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul said, “I am in distress![fn] For the Philistines are about to make war against me, but God has turned away from me, and he does not answer me any more, not by the prophets[fn] or by the dreams. So I called to you to let me know what I should do.”
BBE And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you made me come up, troubling my rest? And Saul in answer said, I am in great danger; for the Philistines are making war on me, and God has gone away from me and will no longer give me any answer, by the prophets or by dreams: so I have sent for you to make clear to me what I am to do.
Moff No Moff 1SA book available
JPS 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.'
ASV 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.
DRA And Samuel said to Saul: Why hast thou disturbed my rest, that I should be brought up? And Saul said, I am in great distress: for the Philistines fight against me, and God is departed from me, and would not hear me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest shew me what I shall do.
YLT And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?' And Saul saith, 'I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God hath turned aside from me, and hath not answered me any more, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for thee to let me know what I do.'
Drby And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul said, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and [fn]God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do.
28.15 Elohim
RV 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.
Wbstr And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am grievously distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God hath departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do.
KJB-1769 ¶ 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.[fn]
(¶ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou/you 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/you, that thou/you mayest/may make known unto me what I shall do. )
28.15 by prophets: Heb. by the hand of prophets
KJB-1611 ¶ [fn]And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me vp? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistins make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophets, nor by dreames: therefore I haue called thee, that thou mayst make knowen vnto me, what I shall doe.
(¶ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou/you disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistins make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophets, nor by dreames: therefore I have called thee/you, that thou/you mayest/may make known unto me, what I shall do.)
28:15 Hebr. by the hand of Prophets.
Bshps And Samuel said to Saul: Why hast thou vnquieted me, to make me be brought vp? Saul aunswered: I am sore encumbred, for ye Philistines make warre against me, and God is departed from me, and aunswereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreames: And therefore I haue called thee, that thou mayest tell me what I shall do.
(And Samuel said to Saul: Why hast thou/you unquieted me, to make me be brought up? Saul answered: I am sore encumbred, for ye/you_all Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and aunswereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreames: And therefore I have called thee/you, that thou/you mayest/may tell me what I shall do.)
Gnva And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me vp? Then Saul answered, I am in great distresse: for the Philistims make warre against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophetes, neither by dreames: therefore I haue called thee, that thou mayest tell me, what I shall doe.
(And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou/you disquieted me, to bring me up? Then Saul answered, I am in great distresse: for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by Prophets, neither by dreames: therefore I have called thee/you, that thou/you mayest/may tell me, what I shall do. )
Cvdl Samuel saide vnto Saul: Why hast thou disquyeted me, to cause me be broughte vp? Saul sayde: I am sore troubled, the Philistynes fighte against me, & God is departed frome, & geueth me no answere, nether by prophetes ner by dreames: therfore haue I called the, yt thou mightest shewe me, what I shal do.
(Samuel said unto Saul: Why hast thou/you disquyeted me, to cause me be brought up? Saul said: I am sore troubled, the Philistines fight against me, and God is departed frome, and giveth/gives me no answer, neither by prophets nor by dreames: therefore have I called them, it thou/you mightest show me, what I shall do.)
Wycl 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.
(Truly Samuel said to Saul, Whi hast thou/you disesid me, that I should be reisid? And Saul said, I am constreyned greatly; for Philistines fightn against me, and God went away from me, and he nolde here me, neither by the hand of prophets, neither by dremes; therefore I called thee/you, that thou/you should show to me what I shall do.)
Luth Samuel aber sprach zu Saul: Warum hast du mich unruhig gemacht, daß du mich heraufbringen lässest? Saul sprach: Ich bin sehr geängstet, die Philister streiten wider mich, und GOtt ist von mir gewichen und antwortet mir nicht, weder durch Propheten noch durch Träume; darum habe ich dich lassen rufen, daß du mir weisest, was ich tun solle.
(Samuel but spoke to Saul: Warum have you me unruhig made, that you me heraufbringen lässest? Saul spoke: I am very geängstet, the Philistines argue/battle against mich, and God is from to_me gewichen and antwortet to_me not, weder through Propheten still through Träume; therefore have I you/yourself lassen rufen, that you to_me wiset, what/which I do/put solle.)
ClVg Dixit autem Samuel ad Saul: Quare inquietasti me ut suscitarer? Et ait Saul: Coarctor nimis: siquidem Philisthiim pugnant adversum me, et Deus recessit a me, et exaudire me noluit neque in manu prophetarum, neque per somnia: vocavi ergo te, ut ostenderes mihi quid faciam.
(Dixit however Samuel to Saul: Quare inquietasti me as suscitarer? And he_said Saul: Coarctor nimis: indeed Philistines pugnant adversum me, and God recessit from me, and exaudire me noluit nor in by_hand prophetarum, nor through somnia: vocavi therefore you(sg), as ostenderes to_me quid faciam. )
28:15 God has left me: The same Hebrew term is used in 16:14 and Judg 16:20.
• won’t reply by prophets or dreams: Cp. 1 Sam 28:6.
Calling up the Dead
The Old Testament forbids occult practices, such as spiritism, divination, and necromancy, in which someone attempts to contact the dead, usually to seek guidance about the future (see Deut 18:9-12). Practicing necromancy and consulting a necromancer were capital offenses (Lev 20:6, 27; cp. 1 Sam 28:9). God’s people were instead to rely on God for divine guidance.
God buried Moses in an unmarked grave (Deut 34:6), possibly because he did not want the Israelites to make Moses’ grave a shrine, present offerings to his spirit, worship him, or attempt to consult his spirit. They may have been prone to these sorts of practices because of their time in Egypt and because of Moses’ stature and his role in mediating Israel’s covenant with God.
The Old Testament makes it plain that the dead cannot be contacted (cp. 2 Sam 12:23; Job 14:10-12; Pss 88:10; 115:17). Samuel is the only known exception; God apparently commanded him to return and speak (see 1 Sam 28:12-19). Saul’s sin in consulting a medium was so severe that the Chronicler singles out this failure in commenting on Saul’s downfall (see 1 Chr 10:13-14). There is never any justification for seeking advice from the dead when we have the living word of God to guide us (2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12-13).
Passages for Further Study
Lev 19:31; 20:6-8, 27; Deut 18:9-12; 1 Sam 28:1-25; 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:24; 1 Chr 10:13-14; Job 14:10-12; Isa 3:1-3; 8:19-22
1 Samuel 27-30
The Bible makes it clear that David was specially chosen and raised up by God to be Israel’s next king (1 Samuel 16:1-13), but Scripture also makes it clear that David’s rise to power came about through several shrewd maneuvers on his part. Among these shrewd maneuvers were David’s clandestine attacks on hostile peoples to the south of Judah and his distribution of Amalekite plunder among the towns of southern Judah. These actions by David strengthened southern Judah against their enemies and no doubt cemented Judah’s loyalty to him as a champion for their well-being. It should be noted that the Bible affirms King Saul’s effectiveness at attacking Israel’s enemies (1 Samuel 14:47-52), especially the Philistines, but various character flaws and bad choices by Saul led to God’s selection of David as the one who would replace Saul as king (1 Samuel 13:1-23; 15:1-35). Because of this, Saul grew jealous of David and sought to kill him, forcing David to seek refuge among various towns throughout Judah and even in Philistia (1 Samuel 16-27). After seeking asylum in Gath for a time, David asked King Achish if he could move his family outside of the city, and Achish gave him the border town of Ziklag. Apparently Achish still tried to keep tabs on David’s activities, however, periodically asking him where he had recently raided. David would answer that he had been raiding the Negev of Judah, the Negev of the Jerahmeelites (see 1 Chronicles 2:42), or the Negev of the Kenites (Judges 1:16; see “Saul Attacks the Amalekites” map), which were inhabited by people loyal to Israel. In reality, however, David had been raiding the Amalekites (longtime enemies of Israel; see Genesis 14:7; Exodus 17; Numbers 13:29; 14:45; Deuteronomy 25:17-19), the Geshurites, and the Girzites. These peoples lived to the south of Israel’s territory and along the Way to Shur leading to Egypt. Soon after this King Achish mustered his men at Aphek to head to battle against the Israelites in the Jezreel Valley further north. As they set off for battle and the other Philistine rulers realized David and his men were accompanying them, the rulers protested and insisted that David would turn on them in battle. So Achish sent David home and continued on to Jezreel. When David and his men arrived at Ziklag, they found that Amalekites had burned the town and carried off their wives and children. David and his men set out to attack the Amalekites and recover their families. When they reached the Besor Brook, two hundred of the men were too exhausted to go on and stayed with the other equipment while the remaining four hundred men continued toward Amalek. Along the way, David’s men found an abandoned Egyptian slave of the Amalekites who had participated in the attack on Ziklag and on other locations in southern Judah. The man led David’s men to the Amalekite camp, and then they attacked the Amalekites and retrieved all the captives and plunder that had been taken. Only four hundred Amalekites were able to escape, fleeing on camels. David’s men then rejoined their fellow warriors at the Besor Brook and returned to Ziklag. David sent some of the plunder to the leaders of Ziklag as well as to other towns where David had roamed during the time when he was fleeing from Saul. Many of these towns were located in territory formerly inhabited by Amalekites (Numbers 13:29; 14:25, 43-45; Judges 1:16; see also Judges 12:15) and were likely among those attacked by the Amalekites and other hostile peoples to the south. After this, the Amalekites are only mentioned again in Scripture to note that David killed an Amalekite who himself had killed Saul (to fulfill what Saul requested of him), to note that Amalekite plunder was among the treasures that David dedicated to the Temple of the Lord (2 Samuel 8:9-12), and to recount how in the days of Hezekiah some Simeonites went to Mount Seir and destroyed the remnant of Amalekites that had survived (1 Chronicles 4:42-43).