1 Samuel 28:15

28:15 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.”

1 Samuel 28:20-23

28:20 Saul quickly fell full length on the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words. He was completely drained of energy, ¹  not having eaten anything ²  all that day and night. 28:21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how terrified he was, she said to him, “Your servant has done what you asked. ³  I took my life into my own hands and did what you told me. ⁴  28:22 Now it’s your turn to listen to your servant! Let me set before you a bit of bread so that you can eat. When you regain your strength, you can go on your way.”

28:23 But he refused, saying, “I won’t eat!” Both his servants and the woman urged ⁵  him to eat, so he gave in. ⁶  He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed.

[28:20]  ¹ tn Heb “also there was no strength in him.”

[28:20]  ² tn Heb “food.”

[28:21]  ³ tn Heb “listened to your voice.”

[28:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “listened to your words that you spoke to me.”

[28:23]  ⁵ tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיִּפְצְרוּ (vayyiftseru, “and they pressed”; from the root פצר, psr) rather than the MT’s וַיִּפְרְצוּ (vayyifretsu, “and they broke forth”; from the root פרצ, prs).

[28:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “he listened to their voice.”