What more can I say? I don’t have time to tell about all the others. I don’t have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don’t have time to tell about David and Samuel and the prophets.

我又何必再说呢？若要一一细说，基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳，和众先知的事，时候就不够了。

我还要说什么呢？若要一一细说基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳和众先知的事，时间就不够了。

我还要说什么呢？若要一一细说基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳和众先知的事，时间就不够了。

我还要再说下去吗？我没有时间一一细说基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳和众先知的事了。

我还要再说什么呢？如果再要述说基甸、巴拉、参孙、耶弗他、大卫、撒母耳和众先知的事，时间就不够了。

我还要再说什么呢？如果我一一述说基甸、巴拉克、叁孙、耶弗达、大卫、撒母耳和先知们的事，时间就不够了。

我又何必再說呢？若要一一細說，基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳，和眾先知的事，時候就不夠了。

我還要說甚麼呢？若要一一細說基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳和眾先知的事，時間就不夠了。

我還要說甚麼呢？若要一一細說基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳和眾先知的事，時間就不夠了。

我還要再說下去嗎？我沒有時間一一細說基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗特、大衛、撒母耳和眾先知的事了。

我還要再說甚麼呢？如果再要述說基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳和眾先知的事，時間就不夠了。

我還要說甚麼呢？要敘說基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、和撒母耳、以及眾神言人的事，時間就不夠了。

我還要再說什麼呢？如果我一一述說基甸、巴拉克、叄孫、耶弗達、大衛、撒母耳和先知們的事，時間就不夠了。

我又何言哉、如基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳、與諸先知、若言之、時則不足矣、

是豈言之可盡哉、有若其田、巴勒、參孫、耶弗大、大闢撒母耳、及諸先知、如欲言之、日亦不足、

我何必盡言、有若基甸、巴拉、參孫、耶弗他、大衛、撒母耳、及諸先知、如歷敘之、則時有不足也、

雖然、吾亦何用多說。若夫基甸巴拉桑生耶弗德大維撒母耳以及眾先知之事、實不勝縷述也。

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—

How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:

And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets:

And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and[ of] Barak, and[ of] Samson, and[ of] Jephthae;[ of] David also, and Samuel, and[ of] the prophets:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.

What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

So Samuel got the animal horn that was filled with olive oil. He anointed David in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David. Samuel went back to Ramah.

So after some time, Hannah became pregnant. She had a baby boy. She said,“ I asked the Lord for him.” So she named him Samuel.

The Lord said to Samuel,“ How long will you be filled with sorrow because of Saul? I have refused to have him as king over Israel. Fill your animal horn with olive oil and go on your way. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was from the land of Gilead. His father’s name was Gilead. Jephthah’s mother was a prostitute.Gilead’s wife also had sons by him. When they had grown up, they drove Jephthah away.“ You aren’t going to get any share of our family’s property,” they said.“ You are the son of another woman.”So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He made his home in the land of Tob. A group of men who weren’t good for anything gathered around him there. And they followed him.Some time later, the Ammonites were fighting against Israel.So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.“ Come with us,” they said.“ Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites.”Jephthah said to them,“ Didn’t you hate me? Didn’t you drive me away from my father’s house? Why are you coming to me only when you are in trouble?”The elders of Gilead replied to him.“ You are right,” they said.“ That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”Jephthah said,“ Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”The elders of Gilead replied,“ The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.”So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked,“ What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”

Once again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for 40 years.A certain man from Zorah was named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan. Manoah had a wife who wasn’t able to have children.The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife. He said,“ You are not able to have children. But you are going to become pregnant. You will have a baby boy.Make sure you do not drink any kind of wine. Also make sure you do not eat anything that is‘ unclean.’You will become pregnant. You will have a son. The hair on his head must never be cut. That is because the boy will be a Nazirite. He will be set apart to God from the day he is born. He will take the lead in saving Israel from the power of the Philistines.”Then the woman went to her husband. She told him,“ A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God. His appearance was so amazing that it filled me with great wonder. I didn’t ask him where he came from. And he didn’t tell me his name.But he said to me,‘ You will become pregnant. You will have a son. So do not drink any kind of wine. Do not eat anything that is“ unclean.” That is because the boy will be a Nazirite. He will belong to God in a special way from the day he is born until the day he dies.’ ”Then Manoah prayed to the Lord. He said,“ Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again. He told us we would have a son. We want the man of God to teach us how to bring up the boy.”God heard Manoah. And the angel of God came again to the woman. He came while she was out in the field. But her husband Manoah wasn’t with her.The woman hurried to her husband. She told him,“ He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day is here!”Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he spoke to him. He said,“ Are you the man who talked to my wife?”“ I am,” he replied.So Manoah asked him,“ What will happen when your words come true? What rules should we follow for the boy’s life and work?”The angel of the Lord answered him. He said,“ Your wife must do everything I have told her to do.She must not eat anything that comes from grapevines. She must not drink any kind of wine. She must not eat anything that is‘ unclean.’ She must do everything I have commanded her to do.”Manoah said to the angel of the Lord,“ We would like you to stay and eat. We want to prepare a young goat for you.”The angel of the Lord replied,“ Even if I stay, I will not eat any of your food. But if you still want to prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” Manoah didn’t realize it was the angel of the Lord.

The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you.They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of the Messiah. These were his sufferings that were going to come. The Spirit of Christ was also telling them about the glory that would follow.It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you these things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

“ Fellow Israelites, you can be sure that King David died. He was buried. His tomb is still here today.But David was a prophet. He knew that God had made a promise to him. God had promised that he would make someone in David’s family line king after him.David saw what was coming. So he spoke about the Messiah rising from the dead. He said that the Messiah would not be left in the place of the dead. His body wouldn’t rot in the ground.

All this took about 450 years.“ After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

“ Beginning with Samuel, all the prophets spoke about this. They said these days would come.

Prophecy never came simply because a prophet wanted it to. Instead, the Holy Spirit guided the prophets as they spoke. So, although prophets are human, prophecy comes from God.

What should we say then? That the law is sinful? Not at all! Yet I wouldn’t have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law says,“ Do not want what belongs to other people.”( Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn’t said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belongs to others.

All the prophets tell about him. They say that all who believe in him have their sins forgiven through his name.”

What should we say about these things? What did Abraham, the father of our people, discover about being right with God?

The boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli. In those days the Lord didn’t give many messages to his people. He didn’t give them many visions.One night Eli was lying down in his usual place. His eyes were becoming so weak he couldn’t see very well.Samuel was lying down in the Lord’ s house. That’s where the ark of God was kept. The lamp of God was still burning.The Lord called out to Samuel. Samuel answered,“ Here I am.”He ran over to Eli and said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.” But Eli said,“ I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.Again the Lord called out,“ Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.”“ My son,” Eli said,“ I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.”Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet. That’s because the Lord still hadn’t given him a message.The Lord called out for the third time. He said,“ Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.So Eli told Samuel,“ Go and lie down. If someone calls out to you again, say,‘ Speak, Lord. I’m listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.The Lord came and stood there. He called out, just as he had done the other times. He said,“ Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel replied,“ Speak. I’m listening.”The Lord said to Samuel,“ Pay attention! I am about to do something terrible in Israel. It will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.At that time I will do everything to Eli and his family that I said I would. I will finish what I have started.

The angel of the Lord came. He sat down under an oak tree in Ophrah. The tree belonged to Joash. He was from the family line of Abiezer. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress at Ophrah. He was the son of Joash. Gideon was threshing in a winepress to hide the wheat from the Midianites.

Then the Lord said to me,“ Suppose Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me. Even then my heart would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me! Let them go!

But the boy Samuel served the Lord. He wore a sacred linen apron.

What should we say then? Should we keep on sinning so that God’s grace can increase?

Be joyful and glad. Your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, people hurt the prophets who lived long ago.

God removed him and made David their king. Here is God’s witness about him.‘ David, son of Jesse, is a man dear to my heart,’ he said.‘ David will do everything I want him to do.’“ From this man’s family line God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus. This is what he had promised.Before Jesus came, John preached that we should turn away from our sins and be baptized. He preached this to all Israel.John was coming to the end of his work.‘ Who do you suppose I am?’ he said.‘ I am not the one you are looking for. But there is someone coming after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.’“ Listen, fellow children of Abraham! Listen, you Gentiles who worship God! This message of salvation has been sent to us.The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus. By finding him guilty, they made the prophets’ words come true. These are read every Sabbath day.The people and their rulers had no reason at all for sentencing Jesus to death. But they asked Pilate to have him killed.They did everything that had been written about Jesus. Then they took him down from the cross. They laid him in a tomb.But God raised him from the dead.For many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about Jesus.“ We are telling you the good news. What God promised our people long agohe has done for us, their children. He has raised up Jesus. This is what is written in the second Psalm. It says,“‘ You are my son. Today I have become your father.’( Psalm 2:7)God raised Jesus from the dead. He will never rot in the grave. As God has said,“‘ Holy and sure blessings were promised to David. I will give them to you.’( Isaiah 55:3)In another place it also says,“‘ You will not let your holy one rot away.’( Psalm 16:10)“ David carried out God’s purpose while he lived. Then he died. He was buried with his people. His body rotted away.

The Philistines gathered their army together for war. They came to Sokoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes Dammim. It was between Sokoh and Azekah.Saul and the army of Israel gathered together. They camped in the Valley of Elah. They lined up their men to fight against the Philistines.The Philistine army was camped on one hill. Israel’s army was on another. The valley was between them.A mighty hero named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was more than nine feet tall.He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds.On his legs he wore bronze guards. He carried a bronze javelin on his back.His spear was as big as a weaver’s rod. Its iron point weighed 15 pounds. The man who carried his shield walked along in front of him.Goliath stood there and shouted to the soldiers of Israel. He said,“ Why do you come out and line up for battle? I’m a Philistine. You are servants of Saul. Choose one of your men. Have him come down and face me.If he’s able to fight and kill me, we’ll become your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will become our slaves and serve us.”Goliath continued,“ This day I dare the soldiers of Israel to send a man down to fight against me.”Saul and the whole army of Israel heard what the Philistine said. They were terrified.David was the son of an Ephrathite whose name was Jesse. Jesse was from Bethlehem in Judah and had eight sons. When Saul was king, Jesse was already very old.Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul into battle. The oldest son was Eliab. The second was Abinadab. The third was Shammah.David was the youngest. The three oldest sons followed Saul.But David went back and forth from Saul’s camp to Bethlehem. He went to Bethlehem to take care of his father’s sheep.Every morning and evening Goliath came forward and stood there. He did it for 40 days.Jesse said to his son David,“ Get at least half a bushel of grain that has been cooked. Also get ten loaves of bread. Take all of it to your brothers. Hurry to their camp.Take along these ten chunks of cheese to the commander of their military group. Find out how your brothers are doing. Bring me back some word about them.

The Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and me. He saved you from the power of your enemies who were all around you. So you lived in safety.

Doesn’t the fact that we are wrong prove more clearly that God is right? Then what can we say? Can we say that God is not fair when he brings his anger down on us? As you can tell, I am just using human ways of thinking.

Moses and Aaron were two of his priests. Samuel was one of those who worshiped him. They called out to the Lord. And he answered them.

“ Abraham said to him,‘ They do not listen to Moses and the Prophets. So they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Jesus also did many other things. What if every one of them were written down? I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.So the Lord handed them over to the power of Jabin. He was a king in Canaan. He ruled in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera. He lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.Jabin used 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He treated the Israelites very badly for 20 years. So they cried out to the Lord for help.Deborah was a prophet. She was the wife of Lappidoth. She was leading Israel at that time.Under the Palm Tree of Deborah she served the people as their judge. That place was between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites went up to her there. They came to have her decide cases for them. She settled matters between them.Deborah sent for Barak. He was the son of Abinoam. Barak was from Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak,“ The Lord, the God of Israel, is giving you a command. He says,‘ Go! Take 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. Then lead them up to Mount Tabor.I will lead Sisera into a trap. He is the commander of Jabin’s army. I will bring him, his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River. There I will hand him over to you.’ ”Barak said to her,“ If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”“ All right,” Deborah said.“ I’ll go with you. But because of the way you are doing this, you won’t receive any honor. Instead, the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went to Kedesh with Barak.There he sent for men from Zebulun and Naphtali. And 10,000 men followed him into battle. Deborah also went with him.Heber, the Kenite, had left the other Kenites. They came from the family line of Hobab. He was the brother- in- law of Moses. Heber set up his tent by the large tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.Sisera was told that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor.So Sisera gathered together his 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He also gathered together all his men. He brought them from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.Then Deborah said to Barak,“ Go! Today the Lord will hand Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor. His 10,000 men followed him.As Barak’s men marched out, the Lord drove Sisera away from the field of battle. The Lord scattered all of Sisera’s chariots. Barak’s men struck down Sisera’s army with their swords. Sisera got down from his chariot. He ran away on foot.Barak chased Sisera’s chariots and army. Barak chased them all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. All of Sisera’s troops were killed by swords. Not even one was left.But Sisera ran away on foot. He ran to the tent of Jael. She was the wife of Heber, the Kenite. Sisera ran there because there was a treaty between Heber’s family and Jabin, the king of Hazor.Jael went out to meet Sisera.“ Come in, sir,” she said.“ Come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent. Then she covered him with a blanket.“ I’m thirsty,” he said.“ Please give me some water.” So Jael opened a bottle of milk. The bottle was made out of animal skin. She gave him a drink of milk. Then she covered him up again.“ Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her.“ Someone might come by and ask you,‘ Is anyone in there?’ If that happens, say‘ No.’ ”But Heber’s wife Jael picked up a tent stake and a hammer. She went quietly over to Sisera. He was lying there, fast asleep. He was very tired. She drove the stake through his head right into the ground. So he died.Just then Barak came by because he was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him.“ Come right in,” she said.“ I’ll show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her. Sisera was lying there with the stake through his head. He was dead.On that day God brought Jabin under Israel’s control. He was a king in Canaan.Israel’s power grew stronger and stronger against King Jabin. The Israelites became so strong that they destroyed him.On that day Deborah and Barak sang a song. Barak was the son of Abinoam. Here is what Deborah and Barak sang.“ The princes in Israel lead the way. The people follow them just because they want to. When this happens, praise the Lord!“ Kings, hear this! Rulers, listen! I will sing to the Lord. I will praise the Lord in song. He is the God of Israel.“ Lord, you went out from Seir. You marched out from the land of Edom. The earth shook. The heavens poured. The clouds poured down their water.The mountains shook because of the Lord. He was at Mount Sinai. They shook because of the Lord. He is the God of Israel.“ The main roads were deserted. So travelers used the winding paths. That happened in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath. It happened in the days of Jael.Those who lived in the villages of Israel would not fight. They held back until I, Deborah, came. I came as a mother in Israel.War came to the city gates. Then God chose new leaders. But no shields or spears were seen anywhere. There weren’t any among 40,000 men in Israel.My heart is with the princes in Israel. It’s with the people who follow them just because they want to. Praise the Lord!“ Some of you ride on white donkeys. Some of you sit on your saddle blankets. Some of you walk along the road. Think aboutthe voices of the singers at the watering places. They sing about the victories of the Lord. They sing about the victories of his people who live in Israel’s villages.“ The people of the Lord went down to the city gates.‘ Wake up, Deborah! Wake up!’ they said.‘ Wake up! Wake up! Begin to sing! Barak, get up! Son of Abinoam, capture your prisoners!’“ The nobles who were left came down. The people of the Lord came down to me against the powerful enemy.Some came from the part of Ephraim where some Amalekites lived. Some from Benjamin were with the people who followed Ephraim. Captains came down from Makir. Those who rule like commanders came down from Zebulun.The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. The men of Issachar were with Barak. They went into the valley under his command. In the territories of Reuben, men looked deeply into their hearts.Why did they stay among the sheep pens? Why did they stay to hear shepherds whistling for the flocks? In the territories of Reuben, men looked deeply into their hearts.Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River. Why did Dan stay near the ships? The men of Asher remained on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They stayed in their safe harbors.The people of Zebulun put their very lives in danger. So did Naphtali on the hillside fields.“ Kings came and fought. The kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the streams of Megiddo. But they didn’t carry away any silver. They didn’t take anything at all.From the heavens the stars fought. From the sky they fought against Sisera.The Kishon River swept them away. The Kishon is a very old river. My spirit, march on! Be strong!The hooves of the horses pounded like thunder. The powerful horses of our enemies galloped away.‘ Let Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.‘ Let bitter curses fall on its people. They did not come to help the Lord. They did not come to help him against our powerful enemies.’“ May Jael be the most blessed woman of all. May the wife of Heber, the Kenite, be blessed. May she be the most blessed woman of all those who live in tents.Sisera asked for water. She gave him milk. In a bowl fit for nobles she brought him buttermilk.Her hand reached out for a tent stake. Her right hand reached for a hammer. She hit Sisera. She crushed his head. She drove the stake right through his head.He sank down. He fell at her feet. He was lying there. At her feet he sank down. He fell. He fell where he sank down. That’s where he died.“ Sisera’s mother looked out through the window. From behind the wooden screen she cried out.‘ Why is his chariot taking so long to get here?’ she said.‘ Why can’t I hear the noise of his chariots yet?’Her wisest ladies answer her. And here’s what she keeps saying to herself.She says,‘ They must be finding riches to bring back. They must be dividing them up. Each man is getting a woman or two. They are giving colorful clothes to Sisera. The clothes are very beautiful. He will bring some for me to wear. The men must be finding many things to bring home.’“ Lord, may all your enemies be destroyed. But may all who love you be like the morning sun. May they be like the sun when it shines the brightest.” So the land was at peace for 40 years.The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So for seven years he handed them over to the people of Midian.The Midianites treated the Israelites very badly. That’s why they made hiding places for themselves. They hid in holes in the mountains. They also hid in caves and in other safe places.Each year the people planted their crops. When they did, the Midianites came into the country and attacked it. So did the Amalekites and other tribes from the east.They camped on the land. They destroyed the crops all the way to Gaza. They didn’t spare any living thing for Israel. They didn’t spare sheep or cattle or donkeys.The Midianites came up with their livestock and tents. They came like huge numbers of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels. They came into the land to destroy it.The Midianites made the Israelites very poor. So they cried out to the Lord for help.They cried out to the Lord because of what the Midianites had done.So he sent a prophet to Israel. The prophet said,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ I brought you up out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.

I want you to remember the words the holy prophets spoke in the past. Remember the command our Lord and Savior gave through your apostles.

Later, the woman had a baby boy. She named him Samson. As he grew up, the Lord blessed him.

“ You will weep and grind your teeth together when you see those who are in God’s kingdom. You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets there. But you yourselves will be thrown out.

Samuel had died. The whole nation of Israel was filled with sorrow because he was dead. They had buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had thrown out of the land people who get messages from those who have died. He had also thrown out people who talk to the spirits of the dead.The Philistines gathered together and set up camp at Shunem. At the same time, Saul gathered together all the Israelites. They set up camp at Gilboa.When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart.He asked the Lord for advice. But the Lord didn’t answer him through dreams or prophets. He didn’t answer him when Saul had the priest cast lots by using the Urim.Saul spoke to his attendants. He said,“ Find me a woman who gets messages from those who have died. Then I can go and ask her some questions.”“ There’s a woman like that in Endor,” they said.Saul put on different clothes so people wouldn’t know who he was. At night he and two of his men went to see the woman.“ I want you to talk to a spirit for me,” he said.“ Bring up the spirit of the dead person I choose.”But the woman said to him,“ By now you must know what Saul has done. He has removed everyone who gets messages from those who have died. He has also removed everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead. He has thrown all of them out of the land. Why are you trying to trap me? Why do you want to have me put to death?”Saul made a promise in the name of the Lord. He said to the woman,“ You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that you won’t be punished for helping me.”Then the woman asked,“ Whose spirit should I bring up for you?”“ Bring Samuel up,” he said.When the woman saw Samuel, she let out a loud scream. She said to Saul,“ Why have you tricked me? You are King Saul!”He said to her,“ Don’t be afraid. Tell me what you see.” The woman said,“ I see a ghostly figure. He’s coming up out of the earth.”“ What does he look like?” Saul asked.“ An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel. He bowed down. He lay down flat with his face toward the ground.Samuel said to Saul,“ Why have you troubled me by bringing me up from the dead?”“ I’m having big problems,” Saul said.“ The Philistines are fighting against me. God has left me. He doesn’t answer me anymore. He doesn’t speak to me through prophets or dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what to do.”Samuel said,“ The Lord has left you. He has become your enemy. So why are you asking me what you should do?The Lord has spoken through me and has done what he said he would do. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands. He has given it to one of your neighbors. He has given it to David.You didn’t obey the Lord. You didn’t show his great anger against the Amalekites by destroying them. So he’s punishing you today.He will hand both Israel and you over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be down here with me. The Lord will also hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground. What Samuel had said filled Saul with fear. His strength was gone. He hadn’t eaten anything all that day and all that night.The woman went over to Saul because she saw that he was very upset. She said,“ Look, I’ve obeyed you. I put my own life in danger by doing what you told me to do.So please listen to me. Let me give you some food. Eat it. Then you will have the strength to go on your way.”But he refused. He said,“ I don’t want anything to eat.” Then his men joined the woman in begging him to eat. Finally, he paid attention to them. He got up from the ground and sat on a couch.The woman had a fat calf at her house. She killed it at once. She got some flour. She mixed it and baked some bread that didn’t have any yeast in it.Then she set the food in front of Saul and his men. They ate it. That same night they got up and left.

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.

Brothers and sisters, think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They are an example of how to be patient when you suffer.