10
1 Then
Samuel took the
vial of oil
and poured it
on his head,
then kissed him
and said, “Hasn’t the
LORD anointed you
to be prince
over his
inheritance?
2 When
you have departed
from me today,
then you will
find two men
by Rachel’s tomb,
on the border
of Benjamin at
Zelzah. They
will tell you, ‘The
donkeys which you
went to look
for have been
found; and behold,
your father
has stopped caring about
the donkeys and is
anxious for you,
saying, “What
shall I do
for my son?” ’
3 “Then
you will go
on forward from
there, and you
will come to
the oak of Tabor.
Three men will
meet you there
going up to
God to Bethel:
one carrying three
young goats,
and another carrying
three loaves of
bread, and another
carrying a container
of wine.
4 They
will greet you
and give you
two loaves of
bread, which you
shall receive from
their hand.
5 “After
that you will
come to the
hill of God, where
the garrison of
the Philistines is;
and it will
happen, when you
have come there
to the city,
that you will
meet a band of
prophets coming
down from the
high place with
a lute, a
tambourine, a pipe,
and a harp
before them; and
they will be
prophesying.
6 Then
the LORD’s Spirit
will come mightily
on you, then
you will prophesy
with them and
will be turned
into another man.
7 Let
it be, when
these signs have
come to you,
that you do
what is
appropriate for
the occasion; for
God is with
you.
8 “Go
down ahead of
me to Gilgal;
and behold, I
will come down
to you to
offer burnt
offerings and to
sacrifice sacrifices
of peace offerings.
Wait seven days,
until I come
to you and
show you what
you are to
do.”
9 It
was so, that
when he had
turned his back
to go from
Samuel, God gave
him another heart;
and all those signs
happened that day.
10 When
they came there
to the hill,
behold, a band of
prophets met him;
and the Spirit
of God came
mightily on him,
and he prophesied
among them.
11 When
all who knew
him before saw
that, behold, he
prophesied with
the prophets, then
the people said to
one another, “What
is this that
has come to
the son of
Kish? Is Saul
also among the
prophets?”
12 One
from the same
place answered, “Who
is their father?”
Therefore it
became a proverb,
“Is Saul also
among the
prophets?”
13 When
he had finished
prophesying, he
came to the
high place.
14 Saul’s
uncle said to him
and to his
servant, “Where did
you go?”
He said, “To seek
the donkeys. When
we saw that
they were
not found, we came
to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s
uncle said, “Please
tell me what
Samuel said to
you.”
16 Saul
said to his
uncle, “He told
us plainly that
the donkeys were
found.” But
concerning the
matter of the
kingdom, of which
Samuel spoke,
he didn’t tell him.
17 Samuel
called the people
together to the
LORD to Mizpah;
18 and
he said to the
children of Israel,
“The LORD, the
God of Israel,
says ‘I brought
Israel up out
of Egypt and
I delivered you
out of the
hand of the
Egyptians, and out
of the hand
of all the
kingdoms that
oppressed you.’
19 But
you have today
rejected your God,
who himself saves
you out of
all your
calamities and
your distresses;
and you have said
to him, ‘No!
Set a king
over us!’ Now
therefore present
yourselves before
the LORD by
your tribes and
by your thousands.”
20 So
Samuel brought all
the tribes of
Israel near, and
the tribe of
Benjamin was chosen.
21 He
brought the tribe
of Benjamin near
by their families
and the family
of the Matrites
was chosen. Then
Saul the son
of Kish was chosen;
but when they
looked for him,
he could not be
found.
22 Therefore
they asked of
the LORD further,
“Is there yet
a man to come
here?”
The LORD answered, “Behold, he has hidden
himself among the
baggage.”
23 They
ran and got
him there. When
he stood among
the people, he
was higher than
any of the
people from his
shoulders and
upward.
24 Samuel said
to all the
people, “Do you
see him whom
the LORD
has chosen, that
there is no
one like him
among all the
people?”
All the people
shouted and said, “Long
live the king!”
25 Then
Samuel told the
people the
regulations of the
kingdom, and wrote
it in a
book and laid
it up before
the LORD. Samuel
sent all the
people away, every
man to his
house.
26 Saul
also went to
his house in
Gibeah; and the
army went with
him, whose
hearts God had
touched.
27 But certain
worthless fellows
said, “How could
this man save
us?” They despised
him, and brought
him no tribute.
But he held
his peace.