speaking with the dead

¹⁰Do not let there be found among you one who would purify his son or daughter by leading them through fire, nor one who consults seers, nor one who observes dreams or omens. Do not let there be found among you one who practices the occult, ¹¹nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from the dead. ¹²For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival. ¹³You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God.

⁵For the living know that they themselves will die, yet truly the dead know nothing anymore, nor do they have any recompense. For the memory of them is forgotten.

¹Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

³¹Do not turn aside to astrologers, nor consult with soothsayers, so as to be polluted through them. I am the Lord your God.

⁵For there is one God, and one mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus,

¹⁹And though they say to you, “Seek from seers and diviners,” they who hiss in their incantations, should not the people seek from their God, for the sake of the living, and not from the dead? ²⁰And this is, moreover, for the sake of the law and the testimony. But if they do not speak according to this Word, then he will not have the morning light.

¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan presents himself as if he were an Angel of light.

⁶Jesus said to him: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

²⁷A man or a woman, in whom there is an oracle-like or a divining spirit, shall be put to death. They shall stone them. So let their blood be upon them.

¹⁹A certain man was wealthy, and he was clothed in purple and in fine linen. And he feasted splendidly every day. ²⁰And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, ²¹wanting to be filled with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table. But no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²Then it happened that the beggar died, and he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham. Now the wealthy man also died, and he was entombed in Hell. ²³Then lifting up his eyes, while he was in torments, he saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴And crying out, he said: ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue. For I am tortured in this fire.’

⁷and the dust returns to its earth, from which it was, and the spirit returns to God, who granted it.

¹⁹And though they say to you, “Seek from seers and diviners,” they who hiss in their incantations, should not the people seek from their God, for the sake of the living, and not from the dead?

²⁵The dead will not praise you, Lord, and neither will all those who descend into Hell.

¹³Thus did Saul die for his iniquities, because he betrayed the commandment of the Lord which he had instructed, and did not keep it. And moreover, he even consulted a woman diviner; ¹⁴for he did not trust in the Lord. Because of this, he caused his death, and he transferred his kingdom to David, the son of Jesse.

³²‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

¹Now the Spirit has clearly said that, in the end times, some persons will depart from the faith, paying attention to spirits of error and the doctrines of devils,

⁶The soul who will have turned aside to astrologers and soothsayers, and who will have fornicated with them, I will set my face against him, and I will destroy him from the midst of his people.

¹Now it happened that, in those days, the Philistines gathered together their troops, so that they might be prepared for war against Israel. And Achish said to David, “I know now, certainly, that you will go out with me to war, you and your men.” ²And David said to Achish, “You know now what your servant will do.” And Achish said to David, “And so, I will appoint you to guard my head for all days.” ³Now Samuel was dead, and all of Israel mourned for him, and they buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul took away the magi and soothsayers from the land. ⁴And the Philistines gathered together, and they arrived and made camp at Shunem. Then Saul also gathered all of Israel, and he arrived at Gilboa. ⁵And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his heart was exceedingly terrified. ⁶And he consulted the Lord. But he did not respond to him, neither by dreams, nor by priests, nor by prophets.

⁶And he led his son through fire. And he used divinations, and observed omens, and appointed soothsayers, and multiplied diviners, so that he did evil before the Lord, and provoked him.