The Real Deal or a Bad Deal? Sorcery in the Tanakh

You shall not let a sorceress live.

And the person that turns to the ghosts, and unto the familiar-spirits, to go astray after them, I will set My face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.

A man or a woman that divines by a ghost or a familiar spirit, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.

When you enter to the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that passes his son or his daughter through the fire, one that uses divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consults a ghost or a familiar-spirit, or a necromancer. For whosoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you. You shall be whole-hearted with the LORD your God. For these nations, that you are to dispossess, listen to soothsayers, and to diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not let you do so.

And when they say unto you: ‘Seek out the ghosts and the familiar spirits, that chirp and that tweet; should not a people seek our their God on behalf of the living unto the dead for instruction and for guidance?’—Surely they will speak according to this word, wherein there is no dawn.—

And Saul died for his crime-against-the-sacred which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD, which he did not keep; and also he asked counsel of a ghost, to inquire thereby...

And Samuel had died, and all Israel mourned him, and they buried him in Ramah, in his town. And Saul had taken away the ghosts and the familiar spirits from the land. And the Philistines gathered and came and camped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel and they camped at Gilboa. And Saul saw the Philistine camp, and he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And Saul inquired of the LORD, and the LORD did not answer him, neither by dreams nor by the Urim nor by prophets.

And Saul said to his servants, “Seek me out a ghostwife, that I may go to her and inquire through her.” And his servants said to him, “There is a ghostwife at Ein-Dor.” And Saul disguised himself and put on different clothes, and he went— he together with two men— and they came to the woman by night, and he said, “Conjure me, pray, a ghost, and summon up the one I say to you.” And the woman said to him, “Look, you yourself know what Saul did, that he cut off the ghosts and the familiar spirits from the land, and why do you entrap me to have me put to death?” And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no blame will befall you through this thing.” And the woman said, “Whom shall I summon up for you?” And he said, “Samuel summon up for me.”

And the woman saw Samuel and she screamed in a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul, “Why did you deceive me, when you are Saul?” And the king said to her, “Do not fear. But what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “A god do I see rising up from the earth.” And he said to her, “What does he look like?” And she said, “An old man rises up, and he is wrapped in a cloak.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed to the ground and did obeisance.

And Samuel said, “Why have you troubled me to summon me up?” And Saul said, “I am in dire straits, and the Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me and no longer answers me, neither through prophets nor dreams, and I called to you to let me know what I should do.”

And Samuel said, “And why do you ask me, when the LORD has turned away from you and become your foe? And the LORD has done to you as He spoke through me, and the LORD has torn the kingship from your hand and given it to your fellowman, to David. In as much as you did not heed the voice of the LORD and you did not carry out His burning wrath against Amalek, therefore has the LORD done this thing to you this day! And the LORD shall give Israel, too, together with you, into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow— you and your sons are with me. The camp of Israel, too, shall the LORD give into the hand of the Philistines.”

And Saul hastened and flung himself full length on the ground and was very frightened by Samuel’s words. Neither did he have strength, for he had eaten no food all day and all night. And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was very distraught, and she said to him, “Look, your servant has heeded your voice, and I took my life in my hands and heeded your words that you spoke to me. And now, you on your part, pray heed the voice of your servant, and I shall put before you a morsel of bread, and eat, that you may have strength when you go on the way.” And he refused and said, “I will not eat.” And his servants pressed him, and the woman as well, and he heeded their voice and arose from the ground and sat upon the couch. And the woman had a stall-fed calf in the house. And she hastened and butchered it and took flour and kneaded it and baked it into flatbread, and set it before Saul and before his servants, and they ate, and they arose and went off on that night.